Rociana del Condado is a town located in the

province of Huelva Huelva () is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva. Its area is 10,1 ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Geography

Rociana del Condado belongs to the Judicial District of

La Palma del Condado La Palma del Condado is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. According to the 2005 census, it has a population of 9,925 inhabitants. Circuito Monteblanco ( Monteblanco race circuit) is situated here, hosting motorspo ...

. It is located 37 km from the capital, its area is 70.7 km2 and has a population of 6863 inhabitants. The province's major industries are agriculture and construction. It is perhaps best known for its wine, with over two hundred vineyards and two major cooperatives. The traditional agriculture is diversified: the north are planted and cultivated sunflowers, cereals and olive trees in the center south citrus and almond orchards.Pueblos de Huelva: ROCIANA DEL CONDADO
(Translation: Villages of Huelva: Rociana del Condado) (In Spain)

Population

Rociana has a population of 6863 inhabitants according to 2006 census data, of which 3541 are men and 1,322 women. Foreigners are very few and are counted in 738 people, mostly from

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. The town's patron is the Virgen del Socorro. Among its illustrious sons is the well-known academic Odón Betanzos Palacios.Huelvapedia: Datos estadísticos de la población de Rociana del Condado
(in Spanish: Huelvapedia: Statistics of the population of Rociana del Condado)(In Spain)

History

Rociana has been inhabited since the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

. However, the first historical information Rociana appears to come from

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

times. The Romans gave this province with the name of Ponciana. The name of the place was transformed over time; as such, it was called Rociana and later Rociana del Condado, a name that has been preserved until today. The province was invaded by

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

and

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. Apparently, after the Muslim invasions and the reign of Mafot Aben, Rociana was a village belonging to the Kingdom of Taifa of Lebre or the Algarve, with its capital at Niebla. In 1262, due to the conquest of Niebla by

Alfonso X Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germ ...

, Taifa territory became part of the Castilian kingdoms, so the subject population was part of the Christian culture that still reigned in Castile. Following the granting of Royal Jurisdiction Castilian King Alfonso X the Council gave to the city of Niebla, Rociana got all the grants, perks and privileges that were granted royal for the repopulation of newly conquered territories and border territories of

. But in 1368, the city of Niebla was in the hands of a secular government. At this stage Rociana fought constantly against neighboring towns who were trying to expand their territories by invading, among other places, Rociana. Later, from the sixteenth century and under the Old Regime, Rociana del Condado attracted a large population and economic growth through trade with the peninsula and the Americas. In 1833 Rociana got political autonomy from Niebla and Medina Manor due to the arrival of the Law of Lordships, through which all jurisdictional lordships were eliminated.Rociana del Condado, Huelva
(Translation: Rociana del Condado, Huelva) (In Spain)

References

External links

* Rociana del Condado. Official Website: http://www.rocianadelcondado.com/ (in Spain) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rociana Del Condado Geography of the Province of Huelva