Alicante
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Alicante
Alicante ( Castle of Santa Bárbara in the foreground Casa Carbonell City hall Beach of El Postiguet | |
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A) | |
Administrative Divisions | 12 |
Neighborhoods | 45 |
Climate | BSh |
Website | www.alicante.es |
Alicante[a] (Valencian: Alacant)[b] is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 as of 2020[update], the second-largest in the Valencian Community.[5][c]
Toponymy
The name of the city echoes the Arabic name Laqant (لَقَنْت), al-Laqant (اللَّقَنْت) or Al-qant (القنت),[6] which in turn reflects the Latin Lucentum[7] and Greek root Leuké (or Leuka), meaning "white".
History
The area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The first tribes of hunter-gatherers moved down gradually from Central Europe between 5000 and 3000 BC. Some of the earliest settlements were made on the slopes of Mount Benacantil. By 1000 BC Greek and Phoenician traders had begun to visit the eastern coast of Spain, establishing small trading ports and introducing the native Iberian tribes to the alphabet, iron, and the pottery wheel. The Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca established the fortified settlement of Akra Leuké (Greek: Ἄκρα Λευκή, meaning "White Mountain" or "White Point"), in the mid-230s BC, which is generally presumed to have been on the site of modern Alicante.
Although the Carthaginians conquered much of the land around Alicante, the Romans would eventually rule
After several decades of being the battlefield where the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon clashed, Alicante became a major Mediterranean trading station exporting rice, wine, olive oil, oranges, and wool. But between 1609 and 1614 King Felipe III expelled thousands of Moriscos who had remained in Valencia after the Reconquista, due to their cooperation with Barbary pirates who continually attacked coastal cities and caused much harm to trade. This act cost the region dearly; with so many skilled artisans and agricultural labourers gone, the feudal nobility found itself sliding into bankruptcy.
Conditions worsened in the early 18th century; after the
During the early 20th century, Alicante was a minor capital that took profit from the benefit of Spain's neutrality during World War I, and that provided new opportunities for local industry and agriculture. The
The port of Alicante was the site of the heroic episode of the British ship SS Stanbrook in 1939 at the end of the Spanish Civil War. Her captain Archibald Dickson decided to rescue thousands of Spanish Republicans families during the night of 28th March 1939 under the bombing of the Nazis.[8]
From 1954 onwards many
The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the onset of a lasting transformation of the city by the tourist industry. Large buildings and complexes rose in nearby
When Franco died in 1975, his successor
The Port of Alicante has been reinventing itself since the industrial decline the city suffered in the 1980s (with most mercantile traffic lost to Valencia's harbour). In recent years, the Port Authority has established it as one of the most important ports in Spain for cruises, with 72 calls to port made by cruise ships in 2007 bringing some 80,000 passengers and 30,000 crew to the city each year.[10] The moves to develop the port for more tourism have been welcomed by the city and its residents, but the latest plans to develop an industrial estate in the port have caused great controversy.
Geography
Alicante is located in the southeast of the
Located in an arid territory, Alicante lacks any meaningful permanent water stream.
The municipality has two exclaves in the mainland: Monnegre (between the municipalities of
The foot of the main staircase of the City Hall Building (Ayuntamiento) is the zero point (cota cero), used as the point of reference for measuring the height above or below sea level of any point in Spain, due to the marginal tidal variations of the Mediterranean sea at Alicante.[15]
Economy
Until the
The city serves as the headquarters of the European Union Intellectual Property Office and a sizeable population of European public workers live there.
The campus of the
Between 2005 and 2012 Ciudad de la Luz (Ciutat de la Llum), one of the largest film studios in Europe, had its base in Alicante. The studio shot Spanish and international movies such as Asterix at the Olympic Games by Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann, and Manolete by Menno Meyjes. It was shut down in 2012 for violating European competition law.[17]
Government and administration
Luis Barcala of the People's Party has been the mayor of Alicante since 19 April 2018. He became mayor after the resignation of Gabriel Echávarri, when the councillor Nerea Belmonte defected from Guanyar Alacant and refused to support the Socialist Party replacement candidate Eva Montesinos.[18]
Gabriel Echávarri of the
In the previous municipal elections of May 2011, Sonia Castedo of People's Party won the elections with an absolute majority, but resigned in December 2014 due to her involvement in several corruption scandals, at present being under investigation. Her fellow party member Miguel Valor went on to become mayor up until Echávarri's election.
Climate
Alicante has mild winter temperatures, hot and sultry summers, and little rain, concentrated in equinoctial periods. Like the rest of the
The average rainfall is 311 mm (12.2 in) per year. The cold drop means that September and October are the wettest months. Rarely, the rainfall can be torrential, reaching over 100 mm (4 in) in a 24-hour period, leading to severe flooding. Because of this irregularity, only 35 rainy days are observed on average per year, and the annual number of sunshine hours is 2,851.
The record maximum temperature of 42.0 °C (107.6 °F) was observed on 13 August 2022.[22] The record minimum temperature of −4.6 °C (23.7 °F) was recorded on 12 February 1956.[23] The worst flooding in the city's modern history occurred on 30 September 1997 when 270.2 mm (10.6 in) of rain fell within six hours.[24] Temperatures below 2 °C (36 °F) are very rare; the last recorded snowfall occurred in 1926.[25] Alicante enjoys one of the sunniest and warmest winter daytime temperatures in mainland Europe.[26]
Climate data for Alicante 81m (1981–2010), extremes (1960-present)[27] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 29.8 (85.6) |
29.4 (84.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
33.8 (92.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
38.4 (101.1) |
41.4 (106.5) |
42.0 (107.6) |
38.4 (101.1) |
36.2 (97.2) |
30.6 (87.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
42.0 (107.6) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
17.6 (63.7) |
19.6 (67.3) |
21.3 (70.3) |
24.1 (75.4) |
27.8 (82.0) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.8 (87.4) |
28.5 (83.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
20.5 (68.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
25.5 (77.9) |
26.0 (78.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
19.7 (67.5) |
15.4 (59.7) |
12.6 (54.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) |
7.1 (44.8) |
8.9 (48.0) |
10.9 (51.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
18.1 (64.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10.3 (50.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
13.2 (55.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
2.6 (36.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 23 (0.9) |
22 (0.9) |
23 (0.9) |
29 (1.1) |
28 (1.1) |
12 (0.5) |
4 (0.2) |
7 (0.3) |
56 (2.2) |
47 (1.9) |
36 (1.4) |
25 (1.0) |
311 (12.2) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 3.6 | 3 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 37.4 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
67 | 66 | 65 | 63 | 64 | 63 | 65 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 66 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 181 | 180 | 227 | 247 | 277 | 302 | 330 | 304 | 250 | 217 | 173 | 164 | 2,851 |
Source 1: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[28]
| |||||||||||||
Source 2: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[29]
|
Parameter | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Average number of Storm days | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
Mean number of days with fog | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Average number of frost days | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
Average number of clear days | 8 | 6.1 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 9.9 | 15.2 | 12.7 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 7 |
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 °C (59 °F) | 14 °C (57 °F) | 14 °C (57 °F) | 16 °C (61 °F) | 19 °C (66 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | 23 °C (73 °F) | 19 °C (66 °F) | 17 °C (63 °F) | 19.6 °C (67.3 °F) |
Demographics
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Historical population data sources: 1250–1609: estimates by historians; 1646: Vecindario del archivo del Reino de Valencia; 1717–1803: various censuses prepared by the governments of Spain; from 1857: national census . |
The official population of Alicante in 2022 was 338,577 inhabitants and 768,194 in the metropolitan area "Alicante-Elche".[5] As of 2022, about 17.7% of the population is foreign, 62195 people, most of them immigrants who have arrived in the previous 20 years.[31] Besides which, there is an estimation of additional thousands coming from countries outside the EU (mostly from the African continent) that are under illegal alien status and therefore are not accounted for in official population figures.[32] The real percentage of foreign residents is higher, since the Alicante metropolitan area is home to many Northern European retirees who are officially still residents of their own countries.[original research?] A sizable number of semi-permanent residents are Spanish nationals who officially still live in other areas of Spain.
Country of Birth | Men | Women | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Algeria | 4845 | 3047 | 7892 |
Colombia | 2695 | 3234 | 5929 |
Italy | 2720 | 2104 | 4824 |
Morocco | 2252 | 1819 | 4071 |
Romania | 1829 | 2097 | 3926 |
Russia | 1176 | 1799 | 2975 |
Venezuela | 1075 | 1404 | 2479 |
France | 1239 | 1226 | 2465 |
Ukraine | 946 | 1285 | 2231 |
Argentina | 1037 | 1092 | 2129 |
China | 940 | 960 | 1900 |
United Kingdom | 801 | 616 | 1417 |
Bulgaria | 646 | 621 | 1267 |
Ecuador | 642 | 448 | 1090 |
Germany | 543 | 542 | 1085 |
Transportation
.Alicante railway station is used by Cercanías Murcia/Alicante commuter rail services linking Alicante with suburbs and Murcia.[33] Long-range Renfe trains run frequently to Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia.[34] In 2013, the Madrid–Levante high-speed rail network was extended to Alicante station, allowing AVE high-speed rail services to link to Madrid via Villena AV, Albacete-Los Llanos and Cuenca-Fernando Zóbel.
Alicante Tram connects the city with outlying settlements along Costa Blanca. As of 2020[update], electric tram-trains run up to Benidorm, and diesel trains go further to Dénia.[35]
The city has regular ferry services to the Balearic Islands and Algeria.[36] The city is strongly fortified, with a spacious harbour.
Main sights
Amongst the most notable features of the city are the
The Santa Bárbara castle is situated on Mount Benacantil, overlooking the city. The tower (La Torreta) at the top, is the oldest part of the castle, while part of the lowest zone and the walls were constructed later in the 18th century.
The promenade Explanada de España, lined by palm trees, is paved with 6.5 million marble floor tiles creating a wavy form. The Promenade extends from the Port of Alicante to the Gran Vía and ends at the famous statue of Mark Hersch. For the people of Alicante, the promenade is the meeting place for the traditional Spanish paseo, or stroll along the waterfront in the evenings, and a venue for outdoor musical concerts. At the end of the promenade is a monument by the artist Bañuls of the 19th century.
Barrio de la Santa Cruz is a colourful quarter of the old city, situated southwest of Santa Bárbara castle. Its small houses climb up the hill leading to the walls and the castle, through narrow streets decorated with flags and tubs of flowers.
L'Ereta Park is situated on the foothills of Mount Benacantil. It runs from the Santa Bárbara castle down to the old part of Alicante and consists of several levels, routes, decks, and rest stops which offer a panoramic view overlooking the city.
El Palmeral Park is one of the favourite parks of Alicante's citizens. It includes walking trails, children's playgrounds, ponds and brooks, picnic tables, and an auditorium for concerts.
Just a few kilometers from Alicante on the Mediterranean Sea lies Tabarca island. What was once a haven for Barbary pirates is now a tourist attraction.
Other sights include:
- Basilica of Santa María (14th–16th centuries), built-in Gothic style over the former main mosque. Other features include the high altar, in Rococo style, and the portal, in Baroque style, both from the 18th century.
- Co-cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari(15th–18th centuries), also built over a mosque. It is the main church of Alicante and the bishop's seat.
- Monastery of Santa Faz (15th century), located 5 kilometres (3 miles) outside the city, in Baroque style.
- Defence towers of the Huerta de Alicante (15th–18th centuries), built to defend against the Barbary pirates. Today some 20 towers are still extant.
- Baroque Casa de La Asegurada (1685), the most ancient civil building in the city. (c. XVII). Today it is home to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante.
- Casa consistorial de Alicante (18th century), also in Baroque style.
- Convent of the Canónigas de San Agustín (18th century).
- Gravina Palace (1748–1808), nowadays hosting Gravina Museum of Fine Arts.
- Castle of San Fernando.
There are a dozen museums in Alicante. On exhibition at the
Festivals
The most important festival, the
Every summer in Alicante, a two-month-long programme of music, theatre and dance is staged in the Paseo del Puerto.[37]
Sport
For the 2023/24 season Alicante has two football clubs in the top 4 levels of Spanish football; Hércules CF and CF Intercity. For the 2023/24 season Hércules compete in Segunda Federación, the 4th level and are well known as they played in La Liga (the Spanish Premier Division) during the 1996/1997 season and again in 2010/2011. They have had many famous players such as David Trezeguet, Royston Drenthe and Nelson Valdez. Hércules are also known for their victory over Barcelona in 1997 which led to Real Madrid winning the league. Home games are played at the 30,000-capacity José Rico Pérez Stadium.
The city's other club, Alicante CF, who played in the Third Division, was dissolved in 2014 due to economic problems. They were replaced in 2017 by newly formed club CF Intercity, who compete in Primera Federación, the 3rd level of Spanish football, in the 23/24 season and play at Estadio Antonio Solana.
Basketball club (HLA Alicante)
Alicante serves as headquarters and the starting point of the
Notable people
Twin towns – sister cities
- Alexandria, Egypt
- Brighton and Hove, England, UK
- Carloforte, Italy[39]
- Herzliya, Israel[40]
- León, Nicaragua
- Matanzas, Cuba
- Nice, France
- Oran, Algeria
- Toyooka, Japan (1996)
- Wenzhou, China[41]
See also
- Castrum Album
- St Nicholas Day
Notes
- ^ /ˌælɪˈkænti/, also UK: /-teɪ/,[3] US: /ˌælɪˈkɑːnti, ˌɑːl-/,[4] Spanish: [aliˈkante]
- ^ Valencian: [alaˈkant]
- San Vicente del Raspeig, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Mutxamel and El Campello. See Área metropolitana de Alicante-Elchefor data and methodology.
References
- ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
- ^ "Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions". ec.europa.eu.
- ^ "Alicante". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Alicante". Lexico UK English Dictionary US English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021.
- ^ a b "List of place name: Population of the Continuous Municipal Register by Population Unit". Ine.es. Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ Arslan, Shakib (1936). الحلل السندسية في الأخبار والآثار الأندلسية - Sindhis solutions in Andalusian news and effects (in Arabic).
- ^ "Laqant". Gran Enciclopedia Temática de la Comunidad Valenciana (in Valencian). Vol. Historia. Editorial Prensa Valenciana. 2009.
- ^ "Master Archibald Dickson | War Casualty Details 2782442".
- ^ a b c Garrigós Monerris & Daniel Villa 2009, p. 60.
- ^ "El puerto de Alicante registrará 72 escalas de cruceros durante 2007". Diariocrítico de la Comunidad Valenciana (in Spanish). 16 May 2007. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Martínez Martínez 2014, p. 87.
- ^ "Estudio de paisaje del municipio de alicante" (PDF). Ayuntamiento de Alicante. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Busot reparará el vértice geodésico del Cabeçó D'Or". Alicante Press. 7 April 2019.
- ^ "Isla de Tabarca". Instituto Geológico y Minero de España.
- ^ "Ayuntamiento de Alicante, Edificios Singulares". alicante-ayto.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 June 2009.
- ^ "Annual Report for academic year 2018–19". University of Alicante (in Spanish).
- ^ "Adiós a los estudios de cine Ciudad de la Luz | Cine y Tele". 14 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ "El PP recupera Alicante al fracasar el pacto del PSOE con la tránsfuga de Podemos. Noticias de Comunidad Valenciana". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 20 April 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "Iberian Climate Atlas" (PDF). www.aemet.es. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ iAgua, redaccion (22 March 2017). "¿Cuáles son las zonas más áridas de España?". iAgua (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Alicante/Alacant Aeropuerto". Agencia Estatal de Meteorología. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Valores extremos. Alicante/Alacant". Agencia Estatal de Meteorología. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- .
As can be observed, torrential rain was registered in Alicante on 30th September 1997 (270L/m2). This occurred during an interval of only 6h, causing widespread flooding in the city.
- ^ "Nieve en la Ciudad de Alicante" [Snow in the City of Alicante]. myartsonline.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Alicante Airport Time and Weather - ALC Airport Time and Weather". Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Guía resumida del clima en España (1981-2010)". Agencia Estatal de Meteorología. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Valores climatológicos normales. Alicante/Alacant". Agencia Estatal de Meteorología. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ "Guía resumida del clima en España. Alicante/Alacant". Agencia Estatal de Meteorología. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Alicante Climate". Seatemperature.org.
- ^ a b "Población de Alicante". Ayuntamiento de Alicante. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "Pateras en Alicante: una tendencia al alza pero todavía lejos de convertirse en 'punto caliente'". El Español. June 2021.
- ^ "Murcia/Alicante". RENFE Cercanías.
- ^ "RENFE destinations from ALACANT-TERMINAL". Horarios.renfe.es. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ "TRAM Alicante". Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Alicante Ferry Port". Aferry.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ "Alicante Festivals". Alicante.com. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ "Curiosas anécdotas de la ciudad de Alicante". lalonja-alicante.com (in Spanish). La Lonja. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "El Alcalde recibe a una delegación de la ciudad de Carloforte hermanada con Alicante". 12endigital.es (in Spanish). 12 en digital. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "ערים תאומות". herzliya.muni.il (in Hebrew). Herzliya. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ Pascual, C. (20 March 2020). "La ciudad china de Wenzhou, hermanada con Alicante, ofrece un avión cargado de material sanitario". Información (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2020.
Bibliography
- Garrigós Monerris, José Ignacio; Daniel Villa, Aurora (2009). "Inmigración y proyectos migratorios. El caso de una pied-noir en Alicante" (PDF). Papers. 94 (94): 59–77. (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
- Martínez Martínez, Jorge (2014). "Estudio de la isla de calor de la ciudad de Alicante" (PDF). Investigaciones Geográficas (62). Alicante: (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
External links
- Official website of Alicante (in English, Valencian, and Spanish)
- Official website of the Diputación Provincial de Alicante (in Valencian and Spanish)
- Postal codes in Alicante