Alicante Province

Alicante (in Valencian, Alacant) is a Spanish province. It is located in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish Levante, and is the southernmost and least extensive province of the Valencian Community (25.01% of its territory). However, it is the fifth most populous province in the country, with 1,901,594 inhabitants in 2022, the fifth in population density and the most densely populated in the Valencian Community. Its capital is the city of Alicante and it has 28 municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, being one of the provinces with the highest degree of urbanization.

The province of Alicante limits to the west with the Region of Murcia and the province of Albacete, to the north with the province of Valencia, to the south with Murcia and to the east with the Mediterranean Sea.

History

Old Age

The Lady of Elche

Alicante, with its fertile plains and its prominent protrusions towards the sea, has always been a strategic land, which has been populated and colonized by all the peoples and cultures of the Mediterranean, thus having vestiges of cities built by Iberians, Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians and Carthaginians.

Since the V century a. C., some important Iberian cities are known, such as Ilici and Elo, in present-day Elche and Elda. There is also evidence of the situation of Greek colonies, such as Akra Leuka, in present-day Alicante, Hemeroskopeion, estimated in present-day Denia, or the city of Alonis, which could be found under Villajoyosa or Guardamar.

During the Roman period, many cities were renamed or refounded. Lucentum (Alicante), Dianium (Denia) or Portus Ilicitanus (Santa Pola), are some examples of settlements in Roman Hispania. There is also a Phoenician site at the mouth of the Segura river, in the city of Guardamar.

During the Punic wars, Amílcar Barca located his main military fort in Akra Leuka (Alicante). According to legend, the Carthaginian general perished in the vicinity of Helike, a town that is assumed to be Elche, and who could have drowned in the waters of the Vinalopó river, once navigable.

Middle Ages

Islam

About the year 718, the rapid Mohammedan colonization left the Alicante lands under Umayyad domination, which belonged to the all-powerful Caliphate of Córdoba. Around the year 1010, when the caliphate broke up into what is known as Taifa Kingdoms, the approximate territory that today forms the province of Alicante, became the Taifa of Denia, which lived moments of independent splendor until it was conquered by the Taifa of Zaragoza.

Reconquista

With the Treaty of Almizra in 1244, it was stipulated that the area to the south of the imaginary line drawn by the municipalities of Biar, Jijona, Busot and Villajoyosa belonged to the Kingdom of Murcia (Crown of Castile), until the Judgment Arbitration of Torrellas from the year 1304 came under the administration of the Kingdom of Valencia and, therefore, under the royal sovereignty of the Crown of Aragon. Within the Kingdom, it constituted the demarcation of Ultra Saxonam (or beyond Jijona). From an administrative point of view, this entire area was left under the General Prosecutor of Orihuela, which became the General Government in 1363. The northern lands of the province were placed under the lieutenancy Ultra Xucorum (or beyond Júcar), within the governorate of Valencia.

Castle of Villena

Around 1609, around 40% of the provincial population was Muslim, called Moriscos. Socially marginalized, their distribution was quite unequal, concentrating mainly in the Vinalopó Valley, in important Morerías such as Elda, Monóvar, Novelda, Aspe, Elche and Crevillente, as well as others of relative importance in the north of the province: Guadalest, Cocentaina, Muro, Benilloba and Vall de Gallinera. Therefore, the expulsion of the Moriscos, that same year, produced a great demographic vacuum, practically absolute in some regions; New settlers came to inhabit their lands, coming from all over Spain, although Majorcan immigration predominated in the northern valleys, whose native island was at that time overcrowded. Less affected were the nuclei where Old Christians predominated, such as Orihuela, Alicante, Alcoy and Villena.

University of Orihuela

Until the end of the XVII century, the entire coast of the province was ravaged by raids by Barbary pirates, forcing to fortify and create new Christian population centers on the coast. On occasions, they even took all the inhabitants of entire towns captive, as they did in Benidorm in 1448 or in Calpe in 1637. The numerous houses with towers located in orchard areas near the coast remain as witnesses of the period.

Modern Age

Since the early Modern Age, from the 17th century, there were various lawsuits between Alicante and Orihuela for the capital of the Governorate, which Orihuela won due to its historical importance and its numerical population that far exceeded that of Alicante. In 1564 Orihuela managed to establish itself as an episcopal seat (separating itself from that of Cartagena, on which the governorate depended until then) and in 1547 the royal and Pontifical University of Orihuela, run by the Dominicans, was founded in the capital of the Governorate, which would be in operation until 1835. However, the rise of the city of Alicante, port of departure for the products of Castile, meant that, from 1647, Alicante was the capital of the General Bailiwick.

Castillo de Santa Barbara, Alicante

With Felipe V's Nueva Planta Decree of 1707, the rivalry between Orihuela and Alicante was resolved by dividing the former Ultra Saxonam Governorate into two corregimientos, Alicante and Orihuela, continuing to hold Orihuela as the Capital of the Governorate. The north of the province was included, from then on, within the corregimientos of Jijona, Alcoy and Denia. Since the Enlightenment, there were several projects for the provincial division of Spain, overcoming the feudal divisions of the Old Regime; the first serious attempt was that of Miguel Soler, elaborated between 1799 and 1805, which would later be taken up by the Cortes of Cádiz, although the return to absolutism of Fernando VII halted its development.

Contemporary Age

In 1833 the first effective Spanish provincial division was made; in the case of the province of Alicante, it was basically formed from the old Ultra Saxonam Governorate, to which would be added to the north the Hoya de Castalla, the Hoya de Jijona, the Serranía de Alcoy, the Marina, the Marquesado de Denia and the Valleys of Pego. In 1836 the province would be extended to the west with the incorporation of the towns of Villena (since 1833 in the province of Albacete) and Sax (since 1833 in the province of Murcia).

Since the end of the XIX century, industrialization caused the demographic growth of numerous localities each specializing in a product: footwear in Elche, Elda and Villena, textiles in Alcoy and its region, rugs in Crevillente, chocolate in Villajoyosa, etc. To this we must add the tourist boom from the 1960s (Spanish economic miracle (1959-1973)) which caused an exceptional demographic increase in the province. Since the creation of the autonomies, it is part of the Valencian Community.

Geography

Provincial boundary

---

Interactive map — Province of Alicante

Orography

Puig Campana

Sierra de Bernia

The province has a fairly mountainous and rugged relief. The 2/3 parts to the north are made up of mountains and various river valleys, while the 1/3 to the south is made up of a large alluvial plain. The mountains form several parallel chains, directed from southwest to northeast and are part of the Betic system. The main Alicante mountain ranges are the following:

The flat areas correspond, above all, to the south-southwest area, where a coastal plain, that of Campo de Alicante, converges with two alluvial plains, that of Bajo Vinalopó and that of Vega Baja del río Segura. All of them form a fertile area of vega and orchards, being one of the main areas of agricultural concentration in Spain.

Hydrography

Rios

• The Segura River, which is the third national river in importance of the Mediterranean side, crosses the province of Alicante at its southern end. This river runs almost its last 40 km under the floor of Vega Baja, crossing some cities like Orihuela and Rojales, before reaching its mouth, forming a small estuary in Guardamar del Segura.

• The Vinalopó River is the most important indigenous river, which runs in its almost 90 km the distance between its birth, in the Sierra de Mariola, and its mouth in the Mediterranean, through an adulterated channel that crosses the Salinas de Santa Pola. It has 3 tributary courses, the Marjal River, the Acequia del Rey (drenage channel of the old Laguna de Villena) and the Tarafa River. It is nourished by a large network of branches that drain all the saws of the Middle Vinalopó in the rainy season. Go through cities like Elda, Novelda and Elche.

• The Serpis River is the third in importance, with 75 km in length. It is born near the Red Fountain, and after crossing the city of Alcoy, it runs through a very mountainous area with large cliffs, giving rise to natural spaces such as the Albufera de Gayanes, to go to Gandía. It has tributaries such as Barchell, Molinar and Vernisa, as well as other smaller ones.

Safe River estuary in Guardamar

Other important rivers, which in turn are fed by various other tributaries, boulevards and springs. The main ones are:

The rivers in the province are usually short, due to the proximity of the mountains to the sea, and have a medium or low flow. However, they have quite large basins, since they usually experience large floods in times of torrential rains, which generate serious flooding.

Embalses

Guadalest reservoir

Despite the fact that the province does not have particularly large rivers or large volumes, there are numerous small and medium-sized reservoirs, which meticulously take advantage of the orography of our valleys to collect part of the water flow. Several of them are several centuries old, such as the Tibi reservoir, which has the oldest dam in Europe.

Some of the most important reservoirs are:

Lagunas

In the alluvial plains of the south of the province, as well as in other coastal areas, there are some swampy and floodable lands, which give rise to extensive lagoons and lagoons, generally of salt water. Most are transit and nesting areas for all kinds of birds, and in some of them there is also a use for the production of sea salt. There are also two endorheic lagoons located in the interior of the province.

Salinas de Santa Pola

aquifers

Drinking water for a large part of Alicante has been supplied since 1858 by the Villena aquifers, with the Sierra de Salinas being an area rich in high-quality groundwater.

Climate

In the province of Alicante the Mediterranean climate predominates, but within this we find three subdivisions:

Typical Mediterranean climate: It extends through the northern and northeastern regions. It has pleasant temperatures all year round, with mild winters and hot summers, with normal daily highs above 25 degrees. Snowfall and frost are very rare (except on peaks), as are temperatures above 40 degrees. The rainfall is quite low during the year, but in spring and autumn there are usually heavy torrential rains that make these areas more humid than average. Some representative cities are Denia, Calpe and Altea.

Continentalized Mediterranean climate: It occurs in the north and west of the province, as well as in mountainous areas. It is characterized by having extreme temperatures, with a wide thermal amplitude. Winters are long and cold, while summers are hot, long and dry. Continentality is accentuated as we go inland. In winter, minimum temperatures can easily drop to -5 °C in some areas, with occasional frost and snowfall. In summer, the maximum temperatures are very hot, and most of the season can be above 40 °C. Rainfall is rather scarce, concentrating on spring and autumn storms. Some representative cities are Villena, Alcoy or Ibi.

Dry Mediterranean climate: It occurs in the south and southeast of the province. It has hot and very dry summers, with maximum temperatures that can exceed 40 °C in inland areas. However, winters are usually short, with very mild temperatures, which rarely drop below 3 °C. As its name indicates, rainfall is very low, not having more than 400 millimeters per year, with even lower records in some areas. Precipitation, which is practically always in the form of rain, is concentrated in spring and autumn. Some representative cities are Alicante, Elche, Torrevieja, Orihuela or Benidorm.

Physical map of the province

Seismology

Alicante, like the entire southeast of the peninsula, is an area of high seismic risk. The existence of faults in the area makes the existence of numerous earthquakes very common every year. Although they are generally of low magnitude, with relative frequency there are earthquakes that exceed 3 or 4 degrees on the Richter scale, which are perceived by the population, and which cause some damage. The most affected areas are usually Vega Baja, and the Vinalopó regions.

In the 19th century there was a great 6'6º earthquake, known as the Torrevieja earthquake, which caused the death of 389 people. The medieval town center of various cities in the region, such as Torrevieja, Guardamar, Almoradí, Dolores, Rafal, and many others, was totally destroyed, and these populations were rebuilt on the ruins, with anti-seismic planning, which confers the characteristic that the current old town of these towns is designed practically with the same plan.

Economy

Agriculture

Alicante has significant agricultural production, mainly focused on vegetables, fruit trees and the wine sector.

In the Vega Baja region there are fertile irrigated orchards that for centuries have produced all kinds of vegetables that are sold throughout Europe. Tomato, pepper, broccoli, artichoke, onion, cucumber, lettuce, eggplant, melon, etc. There is also production in municipalities in the Campo de Alicante, or in the vast expanses of Elche and Villena. The province is a pioneer in optimizing irrigation, saving water, and drip irrigation.

As for fruit trees, depending on the areas in which one type of crop or another occurs, some of which even have their own denominations of origin. In inland mountain areas, where access to irrigation has been difficult, there have traditionally been large almond plantations, which were located on terraces on the slopes of the mountains. Citrus cultivation (orange, lemon) occurs mainly in coastal and low-altitude areas. In Alto Vinalopó and the mountain regions, there are extensive cherry and apricot productions. Callosa de Ensarriá is one of the main national medlar producers. In the Elche countryside, large fields of pear, peach and pomegranate trees have been developed. The Medio Vinalopó region is also the main table grape producing area in Spain, with Monforte del Cid and Novelda as the largest producers.

Wine production has its own denomination of origin of Wines from Alicante. The main producing areas are 2, the Marina Alta and Medio Vinalopó regions. One of the main most characteristic grapes is Monastrell. White and red wines are produced, some sweet like muscatel, and one with its own name, Fondillón.

Industry

In the province there are large industrial estates, such as Elche Business Park, Polígono de Carrús, Polígono de Altabix and Parque Agroalimentario La Alcudia in Elche, Las Atalayas and Pla de Vallonga in Alicante, Campo Alto and Finca Lacy in Elda, L&# 39;Alfaç in Ibi, El Bosch in Crevillente and Dos Hermanas in Aspe. The main industrial areas are basically: the Alicante-Elche metropolitan area, the Vinalopó axis, the Serpis axis and Hoya de Castalla.

The area of Alcoy and Cocentaina was the main reference in the province during the Industrial Revolution. The local bourgeoisie began to build a thriving industry in the region, based mainly on textiles, paper and metallurgy. There are also some other textile centers such as Crevillente, which is the first national manufacturer of rugs.

At the end of the 19th century, a powerful footwear, leather goods and fur industry emerged in the Vinalopó Valley. Villena is specialized in children's footwear and Elda, specialized in haute couture women's shoes. These cities have lived and continue to live fundamentally from these manufactures.

Elche manufactures footwear of all kinds, being the headquarters of the company TEMPE, INDITEX group, and has been developing other industrial activities based on the transfer of knowledge from the UMH (eg PLD Space)

In the 3 towns of the sub-region of Hoya de Castalla, a large industry has developed throughout the XX century. toymaker. In the towns of Ibi, Castalla and Onil, the most important toy factories in Spain have been located, such as Famosa, Feber, Jesmar, Moltó, Playmobil, etc. Currently the industrial estates of these three towns have a wide variety of companies, plastic injection being the predominant sector. This has led to the appearance of companies related to the sector, such as large importers of household and decoration products, packaging companies, etc. This region also has the headquarters of Actiu, a company dedicated to the production and sale of office furniture.

In Medio Vinalopó, there are a large number of marble and natural stone quarries. The epicenter of this industry is the city of Novelda, which has large exporting companies of this material. In San Vicente del Raspeig, in the Campo de Alicante region, is one of the main cement production plants of the multinational Cemex.

The food industry also offers an important position in the province. Meat industries in Alto Vinalopó, wine and salted meats in Medio Vinalopó, spices and infusions in Novelda, nougat in Jijona, chocolate in Villajoyosa, ice cream in Alicante, among others. We must highlight an invention from Alicante, such as the olives stuffed with anchovy, also known as alcoyanas, manufactured for the first time in the city of Alcoy (Hispaniola).

The liberalization of trade with China and the current crisis of 2008 put many of the Alicante industry sectors in check. However, during the last decades, an important diversification of industries such as chemicals, cosmetics, tobacco, furniture, ceramics, machinery or the manufacture of various parts dedicated to the automobile, aeronautics or renewable energies have emerged in all areas, which leave open the industrial future of the province.

Services

Tourism

Explanation of Alicante

The province of Alicante, and its tourist brand, the Costa Blanca, is one of the main tourist areas both in Spain and in the entire European continent.

For the year 2016, the province of Alicante received 5.3 million international tourists, making up more than half of the foreign tourism received in the Valencian Community, thus being the most visited province of said autonomous community, and the sixth in Spain. In turn, the province received that same year, 6.6 million tourists from the rest of Spain, especially from other parts of the Valencian Community, as well as from the Community of Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and the Region of Murcia, mainly.

The origin of tourism in the province takes place in the middle of the XIX century, when seaside resorts became fashionable, and settle on the Alicante beach of Postiguet. The opening of the railway also around those dates encouraged the first tourists to arrive from Madrid, attracted by the benefits of the sea water, and the mud and algae baths. In successive decades, the first hotels began to emerge, such as the mythical Hotel Palas.

During the 1920s, and especially at the end of the post-war period, the first residential and summer chalets began to appear next to some of the most extensive and colorful beaches in the area, such as Playa de San Juan, in Alicante, and Levante Beach, in Benidorm.

Benidorm, pioneer city

View of Benidorm

In Benidorm they soon recognized the value of its privileged location for tourism. A city located on a small cape, flanked on either side by two huge beaches. An idyllic landscape and a geographical orientation towards the south, which generates a microclimate that guarantees a large number of sunny days a year.

In 1956, the mayor, Pedro Zaragoza, decided to carry out a revolutionary urban planning plan that created something never done before. A city designed for tourism was created, respecting the width of the beaches, with wide promenades, and large avenues that run parallel to the sea. The buildings will be built in height, to optimize the land, thus creating a denser and more compact city that accommodates more people occupying a smaller proportion of land, and with a layout so that all the towers have views of the sea.

The success was resounding, and soon Benidorm became the pioneer city in Spain in mass tourism. After the first boom of national tourists arriving by road, great interest from international tour operators began. The opening of the Alicante-Elche airport in 1967 was key in the development of this industry. The growth of European tourists was dizzying, along with the growth of skyscrapers in the city.

The city continued to innovate and new facilities were built, such as the first water ski center in Spain in the 1960s, or the opening in 1985 of Aqualandia, the first water park in Spain and the largest in Europe. In 2000 Terra Mítica was also opened, a theme park that stages some of the most important civilizations of the Mediterranean, such as Iberia, Rome, Greece or Egypt.

Benidorm is known as the Manhattan of the Mediterranean, since its vertical growth makes it the second city in the world with the highest concentration of skyscrapers per square meter, after the New York district. In this city are some of the tallest buildings in Spain, such as the Hotel Bali III or the Intempo twin towers.

Residential

Denia

At the same time that the boom in Benidorm grew, the tourist industry grew exponentially throughout the Costa Blanca. The capital, Alicante, developed facing the sea, with a clearly tourist environment. The phenomenon of the construction of large second-home apartment blocks began to take place in Playa de San Juan, which gave it the nickname Playa de Madrid.

In this way, most of the coastal cities developed, some with a more vertical and compact urbanism, with apartment blocks, and others with a more speculative urbanism, with large extensions of single-family homes that have generated problems and controversy surrounding its excessive depredation of the land.

A curious differentiation also began to emerge regarding the origin of the tourists who bought their second homes. While in cities like Alicante, Torrevieja and Santa Pola, the main tourists were of Spanish origin, in the municipalities located to the north of the capital, the influx used to be mostly foreigners. Thus, in Benidorm the foreigners were mostly British, while in Denia, Javea and Calpe they were Germans, in Teulada the Dutch, or in Alfaz del Pi and Altea the Scandinavians.

Calpe

Starting in the 2000s, the boom in residential tourism once again experienced growth similar to that of the 70s and 80s. The city of Torrevieja was the fastest growing national city for several years, and many so-called second-class cities line of the sea, they developed important urban plans, around golf courses, and residential green areas. Some of these towns, such as Benisa, La Nucia, San Fulgencio or Rojales, grew exponentially in population, with percentages of foreign population exceeding 3/4 of the local census. In the last decade, the regions where this residential tourism has grown the most have been Marina Alta and especially Vega Baja, with a notable and growing influx of Russian residents.

Indoors

Castle of Sax

In recent years, an effort has also been made to seasonally adjust tourism in Alicante. Also publicize the interior, and alternative and complementary scenarios to the beaches. In this way, the historical heritage of the cities is valued, such as the castles of the city of Alicante and its museums, the city of Elche, with its 2 world heritage sites, highlighting the spectacular palm grove, or the historic city from Orihuela, with its cathedral and its many historical buildings.

The Route of the Vinalopó Castles, located in the Vinalopó Valley, reveals a series of cities that have castles and fortresses that protected them during the Middle Ages. They are located in one of the regions of the country with the highest concentration of castles, found in various towns such as Villena, Biar, Bañeres, Castalla, Sax, Petrel or Novelda. This tourism is also complemented by commercial routes, such as the shoe route in Elda, or the various wine routes in Medio Vinalopó.

There is also a growing nature tourism in the inland mountainous regions. In the various valleys there are picturesque towns and representative places. From the peaks of the mountains that offer panoramic views of the entire coast, to places of great value such as Guadalest, or Fuentes del Algar.

Sporty

Puerto Deportivo in Campello

There has always been a clear vocation for sports tourism, being an area often chosen to hold concentrations of all kinds of groups and sports teams, in order to carry out training sessions, prepare for the preseason or other events. Tourism associated with cycling is noteworthy, given that a large number of professional and amateur teams choose the province as a training area, due to the mild climate and the good condition and availability of mountain roads. It has mountain bike centers such as the one in Lorcha, where it is possible to accommodate mountain bikers and provide mechanical maintenance for the bicycle, so that they can explore the many marked routes and trails.

Some municipalities, especially Santa Pola, take advantage of their geographical situation to develop a growing network of sports tourism. In this city, all kinds of competitions that enjoy great popular support are held annually, such as a half marathon, triathlon, swimming in the open sea, etc. Likewise, the practice of water sports is being developed in the city, being one of the main points in the country for the practice of windsurfing and kitesurfing. In the Marina Alta and Baja regions, the rugged coast is an ideal setting for scuba diving.

In this way, the practice of sailing is highly developed in the province, being one of the ones with the most marinas and nautical clubs in the whole country. During the last decade the practice of golf has spread, especially in some urbanizations that have grown around golf courses.

Inland, in various mountain areas, adventure sports activities are also carried out, such as climbing, canyoning, caving, etc. The province has a highly developed trail network.

Cultural

The province's festivities are an important and growing source of tourism, many of which have been declared of international tourist interest. The Moors and Christians are the most popular festivals in the region, with Alcoy being the best known and Villena being the most participatory (1 in 3 inhabitants). Also in Alcoy, the Three Kings Parade stands out. Other festivals such as Holy Week in Orihuela, or the Bonfires of San Juan, are festivals and cultural events that bring together a large number of visitors to the different cities that celebrate them.

Elche accumulates a relevant offer of cultural tourism, with two world heritage sites declared by UNESCO, the Mystery of Elche and the Palmeral de Elche.

The Fair of All Saints of Cocentaina that is celebrated on November 1 was declared in April 2019 of International Tourist Interest.

Demographics

The registered population in the province of Alicante stands at 1,901,504 inhabitants (INE, 2022), which makes it the 5th most populous province in Spain. The population density is also very high (326.94 inhabitants/km² in 2022), which places it as the fifth most densely populated in the country and the first of the three Valencian provinces.

The population is distributed fairly evenly throughout the province, presenting population densities of more than 50 inhab/km² in any region. Even so, one can speak of highly populated areas, with densities of more than 400 inhabitants/km² where the population is concentrated in urban centers of more than 20,000 inhabitants, as opposed to low-density areas that are scarce, and are located in points very specific in the mountains of Alicante, in regions such as El Condado or the west of the Marina Alta.

The areas of high population density are:

• The metropolitan area of Alicante-Elche. It is a double-core urban area, formed by the provincial capital, Alicante, with its bedroom cities, and Elche, the neighboring town, located about 23 km. They are two large cities that complement and feed back, giving rise to a conurbation of 796 320 inhabitants.
• The Costa Blanca. Along the entire coastline, both north and south of the capital, there are a number of important and quite populated cities. These are cities that have grown basically to the heat of the 2nd century tourist boomXX.and make up an almost continuous urban succession along the entire provincial coastal axis, only interrupted by some areas of coves, caps, cliffs, and areas of difficult access in general. The main cities of this coastal axis are Denia, Javea, Calpe, Altea, Benidorm, Villajoyosa, Alicante, Santa Pola, Guardamar and Torrevieja.
• The Vinalopó Valley has been a strategic axis for centuries. It is located in the valley that gives access to the sea from the plateau, and once it was the main exit of Castilian goods to the sea. Today remains a main axis, and during the centuryXX. large industrial cities were developed, located next to the railway and the motorway that connect Alicante with Madrid. This axis consists mainly of the conurbation Elda-Petrel with 86 275 inhabitants and the cities of Villena, Novelda and Aspe, with 33 969, 25 592 and 21 191 inhabitants respectively. The entire axis is connected in the form of Y with the two main cities, Alicante and Elche.
• The alluvial plain of the Segura River (the district of Vega Baja), consists of two densely populated axes: on the one hand the towns by the river, and on the other, the urban succession that exists along the Alicante-Murcia axis. In both cases, the main core is the city of Orihuela.
• Alcoy and Castalla holes. In these northern regions of the province are two urban and industrial axis. On the one hand the conurbation of Alcoy-Cocentaina, and on the other hand the Ibi-Castalla-Onil axis, which form a group of important population in the middle of a low density area.

Therefore, the mountainous areas that separate the coast from the interior valleys, the large mountain ranges of the provincial interior, the western part of the Vinalopó Valley and some unpopulated areas in the south of la Vega Baja dedicated to the monoculture of citrus in large areas.

Although it is true that during the last two decades, the growth of the capital area and the coastal axis has continued to grow vigorously, while the traditional industrial cities of the interior have seen their demographic growth stagnate, losing relative weight compared to other coastal cities.

The province of Alicante is the 44th in Spain in which there is a higher percentage of inhabitants concentrated in its capital (18.03%, compared to 31.96% for the whole of Spain).

• 

  Population by municipality in 2018

• 

  Population density by municipality in 2018

• 

  Population growth by municipality between 1998 and 2008

• 

  Population growth by municipality between 2008 and 2018

Country Division

The province of Alicante is divided into 141 municipalities, grouped into 9 counties. These are shown below with their respective population, area and population density data updated to 2019 and the capital of each of them is indicated:

Map of the province with cities of more than 25 000 inhabitants

On the other hand, the historical and traditional regions of the province are:

• La Serranía de Alcoy, formed by the DTH of the County of Cocentaina, the Hoya de Alcoy (without the Hoya de Castalla), the Valley of Biar and Bocairente.
• Los Valles de Pego, formed by the municipalities of Vall de Gallinera, Vall de Ebo, Vall de Laguart, Adsubia, Pego, Castell de Castells, Valle de Alcalá, Benichembla, Parcent and Murla.
• The Marquesado de Denia, formed by the eastern part of the DTH of the Marina Alta.
• La Hoya de Castalla, formed by Ibi, Tibi, Onil and Castalla.
• The Hoya de Jijona formed by the municipalities of Jijona and Torremanzanas.
• The Marina, formed by the DTH of the Lower Marina, the towns of Benisa, Senija, Calpe, Teulada and the towns of the Jalon valley.
• The Garden of Alicante, formed by Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Muchamiel, San Juan de Alicante, Agost, El Campello, Busot and Aguas de Busot.
• Elche Field, a traditional name of the Lower Vinalopó.
• The Orihuela Garden, traditional name of the Vega Baja del Segura.
• The Novelda Valley, formed by the DTH del Vinalopó Medio and the municipality of Salinas.
• The Llanos de Villena, formed by Villena, Sax, Caudete and Almansa (the latter two are in the province of Albacete). Previously it was also called Marquesado de Villena, Principado or Tierras de Don Manuel, covering several provinces.

Demographic evolution

Since the first official census, in 1857, until the latest population data of 2018, the province of Alicante has increased its demographic weight in the whole of Spain and the Valencian Community significantly, with inter-census growth always being positive until 2013, the year from which the province has been gradually losing population. Already during the second half of the XIX century, its weight increased slightly because its vegetative growth was higher than the Spanish average and because The Mediterranean coast was beginning to be a center of attraction for the inhabitants of other regions, but in a very moderate way to the one that would develop in the second half of the century XX.

During the first half of the XX century the population growth was less than that of the rest of Spain, losing weight the province, and the same happened at the level of the Valencian Community. This fact is explained by a certain emigration towards the French colonies in North Africa and a vegetative growth that, being positive, was less than in other regions with much higher birth rates. Thus, the province of Alicante went from representing 2.53% of Spain and 29.68% of the Valencian Community in 1900, to 2.26% and 27.48% respectively, in 1950.

Since the 1960s, demographic growth accelerated sharply, far exceeding the Spanish average, which has caused a very significant increase in the relative weight of the province in the country as a whole. It was due, not only to the notorious increase in birth rates in post-war Spain, but also to immigration from nearby regions: Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia and eastern Andalusia. This growth meant a change in the structure of the population with an increase in the young population. This is the reason why during the 80s and 90s, although the migratory balance has not been so spectacular, the province has continued to increase in population and weight, since the birth rate has remained higher than in the rest of Spain for this young demographic structure.

Since the late 1990s, the migratory balance has increased again, even with rates higher than those of the 1960s and 1970s, with the arrival of immigrants from Europe, Latin America and the Maghreb, mainly. Currently, with 3.96% of the Spanish population and 37.17% of the Valencian population, the province of Alicante is at the moment of greatest demographic and economic importance in its entire history with respect to the rest of Spain, and it is the 5th most populated province behind only Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.

Foreign population

Majority Nationalities (2019)

Position	Nationality	Population
1. a	United Kingdom	69 281
2. a	Morocco	41 407
3. a	Algeria	29 867
4. a	Romania	24 224
5. a	Russia	16 258
6. a	Colombia	14 414
7. a	Germany	13 794
8. a	Netherlands	12 639
9. a	Ukraine	11 305
10. a	China	10 125
11. a	Italy	9595
12. a	Belgium	9467
13. a	Bulgaria	8752
14. a	France	8538
15. a	Ecuador	7279
16. a	Norway	5649
17. a	Argentina	5422

Variation of the Spanish population between 1900 and 2000.

According to the 2019 register update, 19.39% of the population of the province of Alicante is of foreign nationality, a total of 354,053 people. This figure represents the highest percentage of all Spanish provinces and practically twice the Spanish average (10.7% of foreigners). This is explained because in the province of Alicante, as in other coastal areas such as the Balearic Islands, Malaga or the Canary Islands, immigration comes from different regions of the planet, so that its volume is greater.

Among the foreign population, a distinction must be made between nationals of other Western European countries (13% of the total provincial population), attracted mainly by the climate, beaches and good quality of life ( effect Sun Belt), and a more purely economic and recent immigration, coming mainly from Latin America, Eastern Europe and North Africa. Immigrants from other regions are a minority, although even so there are people of more than 100 different nationalities.

The massive presence of European residents is of such magnitude that, in several municipalities of the province, the foreign population on the census is higher than the Spanish population, as is the case in San Fulgencio, the town with the highest percentage of foreign population in all of Spain, with 73.9% foreigners (INE 2006). This also happens in several municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants: Rojales, Teulada, Calpe, Alfaz del Pi, Jávea and Torrevieja. Of the 21 Spanish municipalities where this situation occurred, 15 were in the province of Alicante, according to the INE's 2006 register. This phenomenon of concentration of European residents, at first limited to the coast, is spreading to many small inland towns, abruptly reversing the cycle of depopulation that many of them have suffered since the XIX due to a strong rural exodus to the cities and the coast (see Aguas de Busot, La Nucía, Hondón de los Frailes). This population normally settles in urbanizations of single-family homes, close to the coast, golf courses and other tourist services. They are usually retired people, which is why problems such as health benefits arise, which has significantly increased health spending in a good part of the province, which makes us really consider the benefit of this type of immigration.

For its part, immigration for economic reasons also settles in tourist areas, since it is where sectors such as hospitality and construction require the most labor, but they also work in other sectors such as industry, especially footwear, and domestic and community services. The population from Latin America and the Maghreb has contributed decisively, as in the rest of Spain, to the increase in birth rates, which offsets the demographic aging of Spaniards and immigration from Western and Northern Europe.

Services

Health

Alicante has an extensive network of eleven public hospitals, managed by the Valencian Health Agency. Some of them are public hospitals with private management, and many others are classified as university hospitals, that is, they are also used for the training of students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and other branches of health sciences in general.

The health offer is also complemented by several private hospitals, outside the social security service, among which we can highlight the Perpetuo Socorro and the Vistahermosa Clinic, in Alicante, the Imed Hospital in Elche, the Levante Hospital and the Hospital Clínica in Benidorm, or the Hospital San Jaime de Torrevieja.

Education

University of Alicante

The province has 2 of its own public universities, and several campuses belonging to up to four different universities.

• The University of Alicante was founded in 1979. It has a large campus between the municipalities of San Vicente del Raspeig and Alicante, which is in the process of expansion. More than fifty degrees are offered and more than 30,000 students are studied annually.

• Miguel Hernández University, also known as University of Elche, was founded in 1996. It has several campuses: Elche's main campus, where the headquarters and most faculties are located. The campus of San Juan, located next to the University Hospital of San Juan. The Orihuela Campus, and the Headquarters of Altea.

• The Higher Polytechnic School of Alcoy is a small campus located in the city of Alcoy, belonging to the UPV. It belongs to a Valencian university since it opened in a period of the centuryXX. in which the Alicante province did not have its own university centres.

• CEU Cardenal Herrera University is a private university that has one of its campuses in the city of Elche.

• The former University of Orihuela was a university that remained in force since 1552 until it was closed in 1835 by a minister of Fernando VII.

Transportation

Roads

In the province there is an extensive network of highways that connect the province with the rest of the country. Likewise, they connect the different important points of the area with each other. Therefore, there are motorways, dual carriageways and national roads, among which the following stand out as the main ones:

• AP-7 Mediterranean motorway: Connect the north-south direction of Valencia to Cartagena, joining through it all the cities of the coastal strip, such as Denia, Benidorm, Alicante or Torrevieja.
• A-7 Mediterranean motorway: It is the free alternative to the previous one. Follow a similar route, but deviated from the inside. This way, it connects the route Valencia-Murcia, connecting cities like Alcoy, Ibi, Alicante, Elche and Orihuela.
• A-31 Autovía de Alicante: Connect Alicante with Madrid. This way it becomes the path that supports greater traffic of entry in the province. It is also the main axis for the Vinalopó regions, connecting the capital with cities such as Villena, Elda and Novelda.
• CV-80 Autovía CV-80: Link the A-31 with the A-7, at the height of Sax and Castalla. Not only does it connect these two major motorways, but it allows to quickly connect the two main industrial poles of the interior, Elda and Alcoy.
• N-340: It is the national that formerly connected the Murcia-Valencia route on the inside, coming less from the opening of the A-7, although it still retains many sections that give access to localities outside the motorway. On this road you will find the famous Puerto de la Carrasqueta.
• N-332: It is the national that connects Valencia with Cartagena along the coast. It runs parallel to the AP-7, even staying next to the sea line even in areas of difficult access where the motorway gives rodeos. It crosses all coastal populations.

Railway

High Speed

Since June 2013, the province of Alicante has been directly connected to Madrid by a high-speed line through the commercial Renfe service called AVE, which runs through Villena, Albacete and Cuenca. In addition to having the Alicante-Término station, it also has a station in Villena, far from the urban area that serves the northern regions, and the southern regions with the Orihuela station, in the center of the city.

Conventional path

The province has three Iberian gauge conventional track connections. The line that starts from the city of Alicante to the north, consists of a single electrified rail, which forks in the Villenense district of La Encina in 2 directions, Valencia and Madrid. It has a Euromed train service, between Alicante and Valencia-Barcelona, and the Alvia, which connect Alicante with Madrid. There is also service of different regional and long-distance trains that connect other various sites. There is no suburban service, which has generalized the use of the car throughout the Vinalopó valley (Villena, Elda, Novelda, Petrer,...) and has contributed to the development of bus transport to make up for this deficiency.

The second road is the one that runs from the city of Alicante in the direction of Elche and Murcia, in one direction and without electrification. It offers the Alicante-Murcia commuter service, which connects what is almost a continuous urban succession.

The third is a branch of the Valencia-Játiva line that reaches Alcoy. The Alcoy-Alicante section was never completed.

Stations

The main ADIF railway stations that operate the Renfe lines and that are currently in operation are the following:

Metropolitan of Alicante

Underground Market Station

In 1999 Alicante and its metropolitan area became the 5th city with a "metro" service, that is, urban rail transport. Although, due to the very high cost, it has been developed as a narrow-gauge light metro, which combines underground lines and stations, with other lines and stations on the surface, like a tram, but running on its own platform that achieves a separation between the railway platform, and the roads for vehicles.

It uses the commercial brand TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante, and is operated by the regional company FGV.

This service also takes advantage of the narrow gauge route that existed between Alicante and Denia, to offer direct connections that link the stations of the metropolitan service with the towns connected by this road.

Ports

Port of Santa Pola

Most of the coastal municipalities in the province of Alicante have one or several ports on their coasts. Thus, the province has more than 25 ports, most of which combine the activity of marinas and fishing ports. However, there are certain ports that are notable in importance, since they are also commercial ports, with freight transport, passenger lines or a station for tourist cruises.

• Port of Alicante , , , , , , (Alicante-Oran and Algiers passenger line)
• Port of Denia , , (Denia-Ibiza and Denia-Palma passenger lines)
• Port of Santa Pola , , , (Linees of passengers to Tabarca Island)
• Port of Torrevieja

(Linees of passengers to Tabarca Island), , ,

Airports

Alicante-Elche Airport

Alicante-Elche airport is located next to the El Altet district of Elche. It was inaugurated in 1967 with the aim of bringing in the growing tourism of the Costa Blanca, and in successive decades it has ended up becoming one of the main airports of the national network, the fourth Spanish on the peninsula by number of passengers, with an annual figure of 14 million.

At the beginning of the XXI century, the airport had two terminals whose capacity was at limit. In 2011, a new and modern terminal opened, doubling its capacity. Adding in the future the new terminal to the old T1 and T2 currently inactive, the actual passenger capacity could reach 30 million per year.

Some of the main companies that operate in Alicante are Ryanair (which has had a base for years), as well as EasyJet. However, many other companies, mainly low cost, maintain regular lines, with the most demanded lines being those that connect it with the main cities of the countries of origin of tourism, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and recently, Russia. There are also connections with national airports (Madrid, Barcelona, Palma,...)

(IATA code: ALC, ICAO code: LEAL)

Culture

Parties

Moros and Christians

Landing in Campello

The Moors and Christians festivities are the most representative of the province, since they are the ones that take place in the greatest number of municipalities, and the ones that have the greatest roots and popular participation at a general level. These festivities, in many towns declared of national and international tourist interest, commemorate the time of the Reconquest, when the Christians recovered these lands from their Mohammedan domination.

During these festivities, different events take place, such as the Moorish and Christian embassies, assaults on the castle, battles with harquebuses, or in some coastal sites, even maritime landings. The main act of these festivities are usually parades in the form of parades, in which troupes from both sides parade accompanied by music bands, to the sound of the well-known majestic Moorish marches or triumphant Christian marches.

These celebrations have been celebrated in many cities since almost medieval times. The current celebrations, in the form of parades perpetrated by comparsas, are several centuries old, although not all towns began to be organized at the same time officially, or were interrupted due to wars or other inconveniences from the past. The most relevant by participation or singularity are the following:

Other notable celebrations are those of Orihuela, Callosa de Segura, Monforte del Cid, Crevillente, Bañeres, Campello, Novelda, Biar or Muro.

Hogueras and Fallas

Pirotecnia during Hogueras

Both the Bonfires of San Juan and the Fallas are celebrations of pagan and prehistoric origin, which consist of a nocturnal celebration in which pyres of fire are burned, with wood or old objects. These fires were traditionally made to commemorate the different seasonal cycles of the solar calendar. In this way, generally the fallas commemorate the spring equinox, and the bonfires the summer solstice. The festival became Christianized, adapting the dates to important patron saints close to those dates, such as San José (March 19) and San Juan (June 24). There are cases that differ, such as Elda, which is celebrated as a farewell to summer.

All these festivities have some main features, such as the construction of monuments made of wood and cardboard, which follow a motto and a theme. They generally follow a satirical critique on current issues and characters. The monuments are burned on the last night of the festival. They are celebrations that are accompanied by gunpowder and fireworks, being an example of this the mascletás.

Bonfires are celebrated in the municipalities of Alicante, Benidorm, Guardamar del Segura, Jávea, San Juan de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig and Torrevieja. Fallas are celebrated in the municipalities of Benidorm, Calpe, Denia, Elda, Onil and Pego. The Bonfires of San Juan in Alicante are festivals of international tourist interest.

Holy Week

Mystery of Elche

Easter Week is celebrated with more or less popularity in all cities. However, due to the uniqueness of their acts, carvings or processions, some of them have been declared of international tourist interest. The most relevant are:

Mystery of Elche

The Mystery of Elche is a theatrical dramatization that commemorates the religious consecration of the Virgin Mary. It is a unique act in the world, which has been celebrated since its medieval origins. It received a papal bull to be able to develop inside a temple as a play that it is. Given its importance, it was listed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It is celebrated on August 14 and 15 at the Basilica of Santa María in Elche.

Romería de Santa Faz

The Santa Faz Pilgrimage is an eight-kilometer pilgrimage, five centuries old, that begins at the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás (the religious one) or the Town Hall (civic) and ends at the Santa Faz Monastery where venerates the Holy Face, a reliquary that contains a piece of cloth with the marks of the face of Christ. This relic was brought by the priest of San Juan, Mosen Pedro Mena in the 15th century. It is celebrated on the second Thursday after Holy Week, and more than 300,000 people usually participate, making it the second most important pilgrimage in Spain, behind El Rocío.

Heritage

Elche Basilica

Treasury of Villena, the oldest and most important aureous ensemble in Western Europe

Museums

The Delfín submarine (S-61), preserved as a museum ship in Torrevieja, thus becoming the first "floor museum" of these characteristics in Spain. It is part of the Sea and Salt Museum.

• MARQ - Provincial Archaeological Museum of Alicante
• MACA - Museum of Contemporary Art in Alicante
• MUBAG - Museum of Fine Arts Gravina
• MAHE - Archaeological and History Museum of Elche
• Museo del Mar y de la Sal
• Elda Footwear Museum
• Casa de los Reyes Magos Museum, Ibi.
• Ibi Toy Museum
• Arcade Vintage videogame museum of Ibi.
• MAF - Museu Alcoià de la Festa, de Alcoy.
• Archaeological Museum Camil Visedo de Alcoy
• MUBOMA - Fire Museum of the Provincial Consortium of Alicante, in Alcoy.
• Doll Museum, Onil.
• Villena Archaeological Museum, which houses the Treasury of Villena
• Bañeres Paper Museum.
• Villajoyosa Chocolate Museum where you can see the history of chocolate in the region.
• San Vicente del Raspeig Ice Cream Museum: it is the only museum of ice cream in the province of Alicante.
• Jijona Turb Museum.
• Alfareria Museum, Agost.

Languages

Spanish and Valencian are the two official languages in the province of Alicante, as is the case in the rest of the Valencian Community.

Valencian was the general language of the entire territory of the current province, with the exception of the region of Villena, historically Spanish-speaking and only incorporated into Valencian territory after the provincial division of 1833. The process of Castilianization began above all in from the expulsion of the Moors in 1609. This date marks the starting point of the Castilianization of Vega Baja, accentuated after the plague epidemics of 1648. In the case of Aspe, the town was practically depopulated after the expulsion and was repopulated by inhabitants from Castilla, especially from Torrijos, which is why Spanish became the general language of the population later [2].

The entire province is officially predominantly Valencian-speaking except for a few municipalities. Vega Baja del Segura is Spanish-speaking, with the exception of Guardamar, and some municipalities in the Vinalopó valley: Aspe, Elda, Monforte del Cid, Salinas, Sax and Villena. However, it is necessary to add that during the XX century the linguistic situation has altered in favor of Spanish, which is spoken mainly in Alicante and Elche.

Sports

Since 1980, the Provincial Sports Awards of the Provincial Council of Alicante have been awarded annually to the best athletes, coaches and provincial clubs for their merits during the previous year.

Football

In the province there is a group of 5 dean clubs that were founded between 1918 and 1928, which are both the most relevant by seniority and honors.

3 of them have played in the First Division:

Another 3 have played seasons in the Second Division:

There are many other important and historic teams in the province, although some of them are or have been immersed in dissolution processes. Some of the important ones that have always remained in categories below the 1st and 2nd division are such as: Novelda CF, FC Torrevieja, Villajoyosa CF, CD Benidorm, Orihuela CF, or CD Denia.

Basketball

The Lucentum Basketball Club of Alicante is the most important basketball club in the province and has played 10 seasons in the ACB

In addition, CB Calpe played in the LEB Oro for 2 seasons and was champion of the EBA League in 1998

Handball

Male

• The Club Balonmano Altea was playing in ASOBAL League for several seasons, until it disappeared in 2008 due to the economic crisis.

Female

Football

The futsal section of Elche CF is the first team in the province in the military in the LNFS First Division debuting in the 15/16 season

Gastronomy

Paella on fire

Toña alicantina

The set of culinary customs of the province has three basic pillars: products from the garden, products from the sea and smaller pieces of meat.

One of the bases of this cuisine is rice. Paella is universal, and all kinds of rice dishes are also served. Inside, more typical with rabbit in the Vinalopó valley, with vegetables or rice with a crust, traditional from Orihuela, which is why it is common in Vega Baja and the cities of Elche and Pego. In coastal areas they are typical with all kinds of fish and shellfish, such as arroz a banda, arroz del senyoret or caldero. Typical of the capital and its region is the Alicante paella or arroz a la alicantina, which consists of a local variation of the Valencian paella in which the legume is changed from carob to chickpea, the vegetables are changed from bajoca to pepper and in the stir-fry they are change the paprika for the ñora. The large areas of orchards that the province has mean that summer fruits and vegetables of all kinds are widely consumed and adapted to all kinds of stews.

The multitude of fishing ports that the Costa Blanca has, give fish and shellfish a vital importance in the area. Sardines, mullet, sea bream, sea bass, red mullet or bluefin tuna are some of the most popular. Likewise, the red shrimp, the prawn, the Norway lobster, the mussel or the tellina, are used for a large number of dishes. Salted fish is also very common, mojama, roe, sardines, mackerel, or bonito are widely consumed dried.

The most consumed meats are those of farmyard animals, pork, lamb, chicken, rabbit or partridge. Grilled lamb on the grill is very typical, especially at Easter, and all kinds of stews with rabbit and chicken. In some areas such as Villena or Pinoso, the production of sausages is famous, especially sausage and guarra (sausage similar to chistorra). Those cooked with balls are also typical.

Some dishes made from flour and cereals are famous, such as gazpachos (a stew made from unleavened bread), farinetas, or gachamiga.

In confectionery there is a wide variety of products, both savory and sweet. The quintessential Alicante sweet is nougat from Jijona and Alicante, as well as the artisan production of ice cream and chocolate. The toña, a kind of round and sweet bread cake, is an almost obligatory product at breakfasts in the area. In the southern regions, meat pies are very popular, and in general all kinds of cakes, cakes and empanadas are typical, accompanied with ingredients such as salty sardines, vegetables, ratatouille, tuna, potatoes, etc.

As for beverages, we must highlight the production of wines, whites in the Marina Alta and reds in the Vinalopó. Granitas are also very typical, such as lemon water, barley water or horchata.

Notable people