| Alicante (province) |
Article Index for Alicante |
Shopping Alicante |
Limousines in Alicante |
Website Links For Alicante |
Information AboutAlicante (province) |
|
Alicante or '''Alacant''' (in Catalan ) is a Province of eastern Spain , in the southern part of the Land Of Valencia . It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east. The capital is the city of Alicante . TERRITORY AND RESOURCES According to the 2005 census, Alicante ranks as the 5th most populous province in Spain, with 1,732,389 inhabitants. Cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in the province are Alicante (319,380 inhab.), Elche (215,137 inhab.), Torrevieja (84,348 inhab.), Orihuela (75,009 inhab.), Benidorm (67,492 inhab.), Alcoy (60,931 inhab.), and Elda (55,571 inhab.). It has an area of 5.863 km2, and so it has a population density of 295.5 hab/km2. The land is mountainous in the north and west, whereas it is flat in the south; the most elevated points in the province are Aitana (1,558 m), Puig Campana (1,410 m), Carrascal de Alcoy (1,354 m), Maigmó (1,296 m), Sierra de la Pila (1,264 m), Sierra de Crevillente (835 m) and El Mongó (753 m). The coast extends from Cabo De La Nao (Nao Cape) in the north to almost reaching the Mar Menor (Minor Sea) in the south. With regard to water resources, there are many ''ramblas'' (dry rivers which fill in with water when it rains), and the most important rivers are Serpis , Vinalopó and Segura . Other rivers are Girona , Algar , Amadorio , Ebo , Ravine Of The Sheeps and Tarafa , afluent of the Vinalopó. The Climate Is Mediterranean , with tempered winters and dry hot summers. The mean temperature is 17.5ºC with scarce torrential rainfalls (355 mm a year). Frost and snow are unknown in the coastal areas. The predominant vegetation is bushy ( Thyme , Esparto , Juniper , etc.), although there are some particular areas with Pine s, Grapevine s, Olive Tree s, Almond Tree s, Orange Tree s, Lemon Tree s, Carob Tree s and Palm Tree s. The main factors that generate wealth in Alicante province are: (textile, paper); Denia and Benidorm ( Seaside Resort s); Elche and Elda (footwear); Crevillente ( Carpet s); Jijona ('' Turrón ''); Orihuela (kitchen garden); San Vicente Del Raspeig ( University ); Torrevieja (tourism, Salt ); Altea , Calpe , Villajoyosa and Villena . HISTORICAL DIVISIONS . Map subdivided according to the historical divisions.]] Traditionally, the province of Alicante is divided into nine '' Comarca s'' or ''comarques'' (in Catalan):
HISTORY AND POLITICS Iberians , Carthaginians , Greeks and Romans settled cities like ''Contestana'', ''Illice'' (now Elche ), ''Hemerscopio'' or ''Akra Leuké'' (now Alicante ) in the Alicantinian territory. From the 13th century, kings like Ferdinand III Of Castile , James I Of Aragon , Alfonso X Of Castile , James II Of Aragon and Alfonso IV Of Aragon Reconquered the cities that Moors occupied. Alicante was a strategic province in the War Of The Spanish Succession and in the War Of Spanish Independence . Alicante contributes with 11 deputies in the Spanish Parliament and with 30 deputies in the Corts Valencianes , the regional Parliament of the Land Of Valencia . SEE ALSO External links
|
|
|