The Blue Flag is a presigious award denoting quality of beaches, the Black Flag awarded by the environmental group Ecologistas en Acción is at the opposite end of the scale, denoting areas with high environmental degradation and serious threats to their ecosystems.
Galicia and Andalucía lead the way as far as the number of Black Flags for 2009 is concerned, these being awarded in relation to coastal degradation due to building projects, spillage of waste such as oil and other actions detrimental to the environment.
In addition to awarding 311 Black Flags, the environmental group have pointed out a further 392 Black Spots, areas where action, or inaction, is merely exacerbating the overall situation.
The Flags and Spots for 2009 were as follows:
- Galicia – 55 black flags, 102 black spots
- Andalucia – 51 black flags, 63 black spots
- Valencia – 34 black flags, 40 black spots
- Murcia – 32 black flags, 36 black spots
- Canary Islands – 29 black flags, 32 black spots
- Cantabria – 27 black flags, 6 black spots
- Baleares – 24 black flags, 47 black spots
- Cataluña – 23 black flags, 20 black spots
- Asturias – 21 black flags, 13 black spots
- País Vasco – 7 black flags, 7 black spots
- Ceuta – 6 black flags, 4 black spots
- Melilla – 2 black flags, 4 black spots