Catral

Catral
Municipality

Flag

Location Catral on the Valencian Community
Catral

Location in Spain

Coordinates: 38°09′34″N 0°48′18″W / 38.15944°N 0.80500°W / 38.15944; -0.80500Coordinates: 38°09′34″N 0°48′18″W / 38.15944°N 0.80500°W / 38.15944; -0.80500
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Valencian Community
Province Alicante
Comarca Vega Baja del Segura
Judicial district Callosa de Segura
Government
  Mayor Aurelio David Albero García (2007) (PP)
Area
  Total 19.24 km2 (7.43 sq mi)
Elevation 12 m (39 ft)
Population (2009)
  Total 9,200
  Density 480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Catralense
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 03158; and 3349 (road to San Isidro)
Dialing code +34 (Spain) + 96 (Alicante)
Official language(s) Spanish
Website http://www.ayuntamientocatral.com/municipio.php

Catral (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈtɾal]) is a town in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located in the south of the province of Alicante, in the region of Vega Baja del Segura. It had 8,105 inhabitants in 2007 according to the National Statistics Institute of Spain.

History

Catral's origins are uncertain, as is the origin of the name. There are three theories: that the name is of Iberian origin (Kal turlthe, meaning "double peak", which would make reference tocloseCabezos of Albatera), which be of Hispanic origin (ofCastrum Altum,Villa fortified "in Latin) and Arab (Al-Qatrullät). In any case, the middle of 13th century ended the Muslim rule of Catral.

Conquered by the infant Alfonso for the Crown of Castile, he was awarded the Order of Santiago Catral sites and Callosa in 1255. However, the Castilian king reinstated the crown as in 1264. From 1296, Catral, like the southern half of the province, would go to the Crown of Aragon within the Attorney General Orihuela.

The town's farmland has increased significantly during the first two decades of the 18th century due to draining of wetlands, promoted by the Cardinal Belluga. In 1741, the 152 inhabitants of Catral paid 12,499 pounds for the title of Villa and his independence from Orihuela. In 1829, it was spared the devastating effects of an earthquake that destroyed much of the population of the region. Since then, it has held an annual thanksgiving to Saint Emigdio, patron saint against earthquakes, as a token of thanks for his intercession.

Economy

Agriculture, citrus fruits, artichokes, cereals and olive trees (cultivated in orchards that are irrigated by canals which carry water from the Segura river) produce much of the wealth together with some livestock. Growth industries include furniture, textiles, construction, food and hides.

Demographics

Catral has had a significant population growth since the 1990s. According to the census of 2008, the municipality had 8629 inhabitants.

Demographic evolution of Catral
1857 1887 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1981 1991 2001 2005 2006 2007
population 3,0782,593 2,592 3,007 3,000 3,025 3,391 3,871 4,183 3,904 4,209 4,394 5,146 6,642 7,530 8,105

Government

Year Name of mayor Political party
1979–1983 Joaquín Ñíguez Gelardo UCD
1983–1987 Francisco Gelardo Aguilar PSPV-PSOE
1987–1991 Juan Gelardo Culiañez PSPV-PSOE
1991–1995 José Manuel Rodríguez Leal PSPV-PSOE
1995–1999 José Manuel Rodríguez Leal PSPV-PSOE
1999–2003 José Manuel Rodríguez Leal PSPV-PSOE
2003–2007 José Manuel Rodríguez Leal PSPV-PSOE
2007 Aurelio David Albero García PP

Climate

Temperatures exceed 10 degrees in January and 26 degrees in July.

Notes and references

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 1/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.