The Tabernas Desert (Desierto de Tabernas in Spanish) is located around 30 kilometers north of Almería in the south-east of Andalusia. It extends over 280 square kilometers and is a Spanish natural park (Paraje Natural). According to climatic and vegetation criteria, it is a semi-desert and so-called badlands: a terrain that is dissected by deep, narrow erosion gullies. Measured by the aridity index, it is the most arid region in Europe and is therefore sometimes referred to as the only desert in Europe.