Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
0.076km²
Area
2km
Coastline
15m
Highest point
24°C
Warmest sea
August
55km
To the mainland
When to go to Alboran Island
Best for the beach from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (24 °C) and coolest in February (15 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from July to September.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Little island in the Mediterranean sea
Alboran Island is an island in Spain. It covers 0.076 km², with 2 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 15 m. The nearest mainland is 55 km away.
Getting there
- Melilla Airport (MLN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 74 km in a straight lineCar hire at NDR airport (Al Aaroui)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 55 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Alboran Island.
- 4beaches
- 1lighthousesFaro de Alborán
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 7 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
0.2 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 16 |
| Night low (°C) | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 15 |
| Sea (°C) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 49 | 48 | 40 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 26 | 50 | 66 | 51 |
| Wet days | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Sun h/day | 6.3 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.2 | 10.8 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 11.1 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 5.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 24 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 24 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +1.0 | −0.1 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +0.3 | −1.2 | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| 2021 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.6 | −1.0 | −0.3 | +1.4 | +1.6 | +0.6 | ±0.0 |
| 2022 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | −0.2 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +1.9 | +1.1 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +1.2 |
| 2023 | +1.1 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +2.7 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +1.0 | −0.1 | +0.3 |
| 2024 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +2.2 | +1.2 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +1.1 |
| 2025 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +2.5 | +1.8 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +1.8 | +0.9 | +0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Peñón de Alhucemas
Spain0.01 km²27 m112 km away
Peñón de Vélez de la GomeraSpain0.04 km²87 m143 km awayRachgoun Island
Algeria0.66 km²67 m156 km away
Cala Iris Islet
Morocco0.02 km²27 m148 km away
Perejil IsletSpain0.14 km²74 m215 km away
Point CiresMorocco0.01 km²220 km away
Benidorm IslandSpain0.07 km²62 m384 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q743570) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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