Catral () is a town in the
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...
, Spain. Located in the south of the
province of Alicante
Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: / ) is a province located in eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province, containing the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Co ...
, in the
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of
Vega Baja del Segura
Vega Baja del Segura (; Mapa temàtic comarcal de la Comunitat Valenciana, serie CV350. Institut Cartogràfic Valencià. 2022, Col·leccions AutonòmiquesPDF/ref> ), simply known locally and regionally as Vega Baja (in Spanish), is a ''comarca'' ...
. 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. I ...
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 Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingd ...
, he was awarded the
Order of Santiago
The Order of 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 pilgrims on the Way of S ...
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 (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...
within the Attorney General
Orihuela
Orihuela (; ''Corpus Toponímic Valencià''. Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. 2009, València.) is a city and municipality located at the foot of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain. The c ...
.
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
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.
''Citrus'' is nativ ...
fruits,
artichoke
The 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 other names: French artichoke, globe artichoke, ...
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 objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...
,
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 varia ...
,
textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
s,
construction
Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
,
food
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...
, hides and
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
.
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'') () is a Spanish autopista (controlled-access highway). It runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
AP-7 has two different sections (911+96 km):
* From Els Límits ( ...
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