Information AboutLleida |
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Lleida (, Spain . It is the capital of the Spanish Province Of The Same Name , and has 124,709 inhabitants As Of 2005 . Its main industries are Agriculture and Tourism . LANGUAGES It is a traditionally Catalan-speaking town and province, with a characteristic dialect (known as Western or, more specifically, North-Western Catalan) with features such as ''lo'' and ''los'' for the definite article, or final ''a'' pronounced as /ɛ/. Some of these features, however, are nowadays more common among older people and in the province rather than in the town of Lleida, where only the phonetic aspects of the dialect are preserved. Castilian Spanish, is spoken by everyone as well. Also, See the article on the Province Of The Same Name for more information on the official status of the Aranese dialect of Gascon . HISTORY In ancient times it was named ''Iltrida'' and ''Ilerda'' (after the Ilergetes , an Iberian tribe). Indíbil , king of the Ilergetes, and Mandoni , king of the Ausetanes , defended it against the Roman invasion. Later on, the Battle Of Ilerda , one of the most important battles in the Roman Civil War fought between Julius Caesar and Pompeius took place in 49 BC . The Latin Phrase ''Ilerdam videas'' is said to have been used by people who wanted to cast bad luck on someone else. It was part of Visigoth and Muslim Hispania until it was conquered from the Moors by the Count Ramon Berenguer IV Of Barcelona in 1148 . It used to be the seat of a Major University , the oldest in the Crown Of Aragon , until 1717 , when it was moved by Philip V to the nearby town of Cervera . The University of Lleida is nowadays active again. Lleida served as a key defense point for Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War , and fell to the Insurgents, whose air forces bombed it extensively, in 1938 . After some decades without any kind of population growth, it met a massive migration of Andalusians who helped the town undergo a relative demographic growth. Nowadays it's home to immigrants of 146 different nationalities. COMMUNICATIONS Lleida is currently the eastern terminus of the Spanish State Railway 's AVE High-speed Rail line, serving Zaragoza , Calatayud , Guadalajara , and Madrid . The line is expected to be extended to Barcelona in the next few years. Lleida has a minor airfield located in Alfès and as of 2006 , the construction of an airport is due to be finished in 2008 . Also, the town is the western terminus of the Eix Transversal Lleida- Girona , and a railway covering the same distance (''Eix Transversal Ferroviari'') is currently under consideration. CULTURE Traditional Catalan celebrations are celebrated in the town. Local festivities such as ''Festa Major'', ''Aplec del Cargol'' or ''Fira de st. Miquel'' attract people from all over Catalonia. A Latin-American Cinema festival is held yearly in the town, and an Animation film festival called ''Animac'' also takes place there every May. INTERESTING SIGHTS
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