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It's official: Spain has the best beaches in the whole world

Emma Anderson
Emma Anderson - [email protected]
It's official: Spain has the best beaches in the whole world
Morro Jable beach on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Photo: Samuel Aranda/AFP.

Spain can safely hold onto its title as the country with the most top beaches in the world.

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Spain broke its own records this year with a total of 586 blue-flag beaches - the highest mark of a beach's cleanliness and environmental friendliness, the Association for Environmental Education and the Consumer (ADEAC) announced on Thursday. 

This was up from 577 last year and meant that Spain was once again the top country worldwide for blue flags - a place it has held for nearly three decades since the awards began in 1987.

This also means that one out of every six top beaches in the world are in Spain, and one out of every five Spanish beaches will be flying the blue flag this summer, according to ADEAC.

Discover which of Spain's best beaches have been awarded a blue flag by clicking though to the interactive map:


Map: Blueflag.Global 

The blue flag is awarded on the basis of four criteria: environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management and safety and services.

Valencia was the top hot spot in Spain with a high of 125 blue flags, followed closely behind by Galicia (123), Catalonia (98), Andalusia (76) and the Balearic Islands (45).

Turkey came second to Spain with 444 blue-flag beaches, followed by Greece (430), France (400) and Portugal (315).
 
 

La Concha beach, San Sebastian. Photo: DOMINIQUE FAGET / AFP.

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