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Elche/Elx
Altamira Castle in Elche/Elx.
Flag of Elche Coat of arms of Elx
Flag Coat of Arms
Location
Coordinates : 38°16′N, 0°41′W
Time zone : CET (GMT +1)
- summer : CEST (GMT +2)
General information
Native name Elx (Valencian)
Spanish name Elche
Postal code [03201 - 03206]
Website http://www.elche.es
Administration
Country Spain
Autonomous Community Valencian Community
Province Alicante
Comarca Baix Vinalopó
Mayor Alejandro Soler Mur (PSOE)
Geography
Land Area 326,07 km²
Altitude 86 m AMSL
Population
Population 219,032 (20-10-2006)
- rank in Spain: 22
Density 671,73 hab. Valencian ( valencià) is the historical traditional and official name used in the Valencian Community of Spain to refer to the region's native language A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages The term administration, as used in the context of Government, differs according to Jurisdiction. In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. Alicante in Spanish or Alacant (in Valencian) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian A comarca (meaning Shire or County, Spanish and Portuguese plural comarcas, Catalan plural A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Altitude is the Elevation of a point or object from a known level or datum (plural data The term above mean sea level ( AMSL) refers to the Elevation (on the ground or Altitude (in the Air) of any object relative to the In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different /km² (20-10-2006)
The Palm Grove of Elx.
The Palm Grove of Elx.

Elche (in Spanish) or Elx (in Valencian)[1] is a city located in the comarca of Baix Vinalopó, in the Alicante province which, in turn, is a part of the Valencian Community, Spain. Valencian ( valencià) is the historical traditional and official name used in the Valencian Community of Spain to refer to the region's native language A comarca (meaning Shire or County, Spanish and Portuguese plural comarcas, Catalan plural Alicante in Spanish or Alacant (in Valencian) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

Part of the municipality is coastal but the main city is some 15 km (9. 5 miles) from the Mediterranean Sea. According to the 2006 census, Elx has a population of approximately 220,000 inhabitants (called iŀlicitans in Valencian and ilicitanos in Spanish), ranking as the third most populated city in the Valencian Community and the second within the Alicante province. A small creek called Vinalopó flows through the city splitting it in two parts. The Vinalopó is a small river flowing through the Alicante province, in Spain.

Contents

Economy

The economy of Elx is based, in large part, on the footwear industry, with over 1,000 shoe factories, being one of the most important footwear industries in Spain and the rest of Europe. Footwear consists of Garments worn on the feet, for protection against the environment and Adornment. There are other economic activities in Elx: agriculture (dates, olives, cereals and pomegranates), although it has lost importance in the last years; rubber industry; trade, which employs 20% of the workforce, and tourism. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible Fruit. The Olive ( Olea europaea) is a Species of small Tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern The pomegranate ( Punica granatum) is a Fruit -bearing Deciduous Shrub or small Tree growing to between five and eight metres tall Trade is the willing exchange of goods, services, or both Trade is also called Commerce. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Elx has a conference centre (called Ciutat d'Elx), an international airport (Aeroport de L'Altet) a public University, (Universidad Miguel Hernández), and a private University,(Universidad Cardenal Herrera - CEU) . An international airport is an Airport typically equipped with Customs and Immigration facilities to handle international flights to and from other Alicante International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional de Alicante, originally named El Altet, is the main airport for the regions of Alicante and Murcia Facultat Farmàcia UMH-Sant Joanjpg|thumb|275px|Building 3-Faculty of Pharmacy at Campus of Sant Joan-UMH]]The Miguel Hernández University of Elche or UMH (in Catalan The University CEU-Cardinal Herrera is a private university in Valencia Spain.

History

Frontal view of the Lady of Elx.
Frontal view of the Lady of Elx.

La Alcudia is 10 km from the current city's location and the immediate predecessor of current day Elx. This original location was settled by the Iberians and then occupied by Carthaginians and Romans. The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources (among others Hecataeus of Miletus, Avienus, Herodot and Strabo Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The latter called the city Ilici and granted it the status of colonia; after a brief Byzantine rule, the Goths took over, establishing an episcopal see. A Roman colonia (plural coloniae) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s

Elx lost importance during the period of Moorish occupation, when it was moved slightly north to its present location. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent James II of Aragon took the city from the Moors in the 13th century, during the Reconquista. James II ( 10 August 1267 in Valencia &ndash 2 November or 5 November 1327 in Barcelona) called the Just The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period The city grew throughout the 18th century and became more important during the 19th century with the arrival of the railway and a booming industrial development of what used to be the traditional footwear industry. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation.

Many archeological remains have been found in Elche, with the stone bust of the Lady of Elx (Dama d'Elx) being the most important. The enigmatic Lady of Elx ( Dama de Elche in Spanish, Dama d'Elx in Valencian) is a polychrome stone Bust that was discovered This may date from the Iberian period (4th century BC). The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources (among others Hecataeus of Miletus, Avienus, Herodot and Strabo The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. The original is in the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid.

Panoramic view of Elx from the Basílica de Santa María: the Altamira Castle is to the left, next to the Municipal Park.
Panoramic view of Elx from the Basílica de Santa María: the Altamira Castle is to the left, next to the Municipal Park.

Main sights

The Mystery Play of Elx (better known as Misteri d'Elx, in Valencian) is a sacral-lyrical medieval drama, dated from the 15th century, which was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2002. The Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity is a list maintained by UNESCO with pieces of Intangible culture considered relevant by that United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 It is played every year in mid August, in the context of the local holidays dedicated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary. This article is about the theological concept For the works of art with this title see Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Art and Roman Catholic Marian art. Also as a part of this celebration, ont the 13th of August is the date of a celebration in Elx called Nit de l'Albà (Night of the Dawn) in which a city-wide night-long show of fireworks takes place.

Nit de l'Alba, fireworks in August.
Nit de l'Alba, fireworks in August.

Twin towns

Notes

  1. ^ Both names are official. Toulouse ( pronounced in standard French, and in the local accent ( Occitan: Tolosa, pronounced) is a city in southwest This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

See also

External links

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