Catral () is a town in the
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...
, Spain. Located in the south of the
province of Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) 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 (Alica ...
, in the
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
of
Vega Baja del Segura
Vega Baja del Segura (in Spanish) or Baix Segura (in Valencian) is a ''comarca'' in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain.
To the north its neighbouring ''comarcas'' are the Baix Vinalopó and Vinalopó Mitjà. Its southern limits ...
. 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 turl''the'', meaning "double peak", which would make reference to''close''Cabezos of
Albatera), which be of Hispanic origin (of''Castrum 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
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
for the
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...
, he was awarded the
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgr ...
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
The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...
within the Attorney General
Orihuela
Orihuela (; ca-valencia, Oriola ) is a city and municipality located at the feet of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of Alicante, Spain. The city of Orihuela had a population of 33,943 inhabitants at the beginning of 2013. The mun ...
.
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
Luis Antonio Belluga y Moncada (30 November 1662 – 22 February 1743) was a prominent Spain, Spanish Clergy, churchman and statesman during the 18th century.
Biography
Born in Motril, Granada (province), Granada province, he was ordained at the ...
. 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
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...
fruits,
artichoke
The globe artichoke (''Cynara cardunculus'' var. ''scolymus'' ),Rottenberg, A., and D. Zohary, 1996: "The wild ancestry of the cultivated artichoke." Genet. Res. Crop Evol. 43, 53–58. also known by the names French artichoke and green articho ...
s, 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
Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...
,
distribution Distribution may refer to:
Mathematics
*Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations
* Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...
,
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
s,
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...
,
food
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...
, hides and
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
.
Distribution centres
Manufacturing, warehousing and logistic premises for retailers such as Retro Europe, Vitalgrana, Catral Export Grupo, S.l. and Chili Foot Wear. The Wheeler International distribution centre is located in the industrial zone adjacent to the
Autopista AP-7
The ''Autopista AP-7'' (also called ''Autopista del Mediterráneo'') ( ca, Autopista de la Mediterrània) is a Spanish Highways in Spain, autopista (controlled-access highway). It runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
AP-7 has two differ ...
exit 730.
Demographics
Catral has had a significant population growth since the 1990s. According to the census of 2008, the municipality had 8629 inhabitants.
Government
Climate
Temperatures exceed 10 degrees in January and 26 degrees in July.
Notes and references
* Flag image by Eduardo Gomez and extracted, with the consent of your website Vexilla Hispánica, http://www.vexilologia.es.
* Web site Town Hall of Catral, https://web.archive.org/web/20150202185613/http://ayuntamientocatral.com/municipio.php
References
{{authority control
Municipalities in the Province of Alicante