Santa Pola is a coastal town located in the comarca of Baix Vinalopó in the Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of 58.6 km² and, according to the 2003 census, a total population of 22,253 inhabitants. The town has an important salt evaporation pond known as the salines which remains in business, additionally, most of it is recognized as the Natural Park of Salines de Santa Pola, an important RAMSAR site. The town was settled over the ruins of a Roman village called Portus Ilicitanus (literally, Harbour of Elx); after being abandoned for decades, then the castle that was constructed in the 16th century marked the rebuilding of Santa Pola. The town has an archeological museum covering these phases. Santa Pola is, at present, a coastal fishing and touristic town. Population more than doubles during the summer, with people coming mostly from the rest of the Alicante province, also from the Basque autonomous community, Madrid, France and the UK, just to mention some. The nearby island of Tabarca can be visited by ship == .