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Province of Alicante

Alicante[a] (Valencian: Alacant)[b] is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community (Alicante and Elche, respectively) are located in this province.

For other uses, see Alicante (disambiguation).

Alicante
Provincia de Alicante (Spanish)
Província d'Alacant (Valencian)

Spain

Valencian Community

Alicante

César Sánchez Pérez (PP)

5,816.5 km2 (2,245.8 sq mi)

Ranked 41st

1.16% of Spain

1,838,819[1]

Ranked 5th

3.98% of Spain

alacantí, -ina (va)
alicantino,-na (es)

Spanish and Valencian

Cortes Generales

Alicante 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 province is named after its capital, the city of Alicante.

Most of the province belongs to a . It roughly goes along the coastal plain from La Vila Joiosa through the southernmost border (cities included here are, amongst others, Alicante, Elche, Orihuela and Torrevieja). Summers are very long, hot to very hot and very dry, winters are cool to mild and its most prominent feature is very scarce precipitation, typically below 300mm. per year and most likely to happen during spring and autumn. The reasons for this lack of precipitation is mostly the marked rain shadow effect caused by hills to the west of the Alicante province (and, to a lesser degree, those in the northern part of the province which, in turn, enhance the inverse Orographic lift effect around Cap de la Nau). Most of its few rainy days happen during Autumn and Spring.

semi-arid climate

Economy[edit]

The main industries in Alicante province are, in the primary sector, intensive agriculture, especially in the fertile Vega Baja del Segura, Camp d'Elx (Elche's countryside) and vineyards in the inner part of the province (Monforte, Novelda, Pinós), also near the coast in the Marina Alta area. Fishing is important all along the coast, with important fishing harbours such as Santa Pola, Calp or Dénia.


Industry has been historically important in the textile sector around Alcoy. Footwear still remains as the flagship industrial sector of the province, which occurs in Elche, Elda, Petrer and Villena, both labour-intensive footwear and, specially, textile are at a low ebb due to harsh competition from fast pace growing economies in Asia. The traditionally important toys industry around the Ibi and Onil area is another one competing internationally with those same areas.


A sector which has gained preeminence during the last 20 years is marble quarrying and processing, it happens mostly in the Novelda and Pinós area.


Still, what the province is known for is its massive tourism sector. The Costa Blanca's generally mild and sunny weather attracts millions of tourists from other European countries such as the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Norway or France and also from other parts in Spain like Madrid. Thousands of families from other places own a second home in the Alicante province which they use for their vacation time.

: 28,391 inhabitants (2009); its capital is Cocentaina; textile industry and agriculture.

Comtat

Alcoià

: 199,273 inhabitants; its capital is Dénia; it is the most rainy comarca; tourism.

Marina Alta

or Marina Baja: 191,388 inhabitants; its capital is Benidorm; eminently tourist; beaches and mountains.

Marina Baixa

or Alt Vinalopó: 54,061 inhabitants; its capital is Villena; agriculture and footwear; Moros y Cristianos festivals.

Alto Vinalopó

or Vinalopó Medio: 173,324 inhabitants; its capital is Elda; footwear industry, marble, wines and grapes.

Vinalopó Mitjà

or Bajo Vinalopó: 290,481 inhabitants; its capital is Elche; agriculture, footwear and carpet industry, tourism; Misteri d'Elx (Elche's Mystery) festival and services with Alicante Airport in municipality of Elche.

Baix Vinalopó

L': 476,123 inhabitants; its capital is Alicante; services and tourism; highly urbanised comarca; Bonfires of Saint John festival.

Alacantí

or Baix Segura: 390,817 inhabitants; its capital is Orihuela; its most populous city is Torrevieja; agriculture and tourism.

Vega Baja del Segura

Traditionally, Alicante province is divided into nine comarcas or comarques (in Valencian):

Archaeological Museum Camil Visedo

Museu Alcoià de la Festa

Firefighters Museum of Alcoy

Shelter of Cervantes

Alcoy:


Alicante:

Moors and Christians of Alcoy

Bonfires of Saint John

Mystery Play of Elche

Moros y cristianos

List of municipalities in Alicante

Alicante (Spanish Congress Electoral District)

Suma Gestión Tributaria (Alicante Administration Body)

Route of the Castles of Vinalopó

Excma. Diputación Provincial de Alicante