Roman village called ''Portus Ilicitanus'' (literally, ''Harbour of
Elche
Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants, ''); after being abandoned for decades, then a castle was constructed in the 16th century which marked the repopulation of Santa Pola. The town has an archeological museum covering these phases.
Santa Pola is, at present, a coastal fishing and tourist town. Population more than doubles during the summer, with people coming mostly from the rest of the
Alicante province, and also from the
Basque autonomous community,
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and the
UK, just to mention some. The nearby island of
Tabarca (part of Alicante) can be visited by ship.
The new town of Gran Alacant, north of Santa Pola along the Alicante bay, accounts for about one third of the population of the district. Next to it is the Carabasi area, a nature reserve. Gran Alacant lies only a few kilometres from
Alicante Airport and a few hundred metres from the town of Los Arenales which is located in the Elche district.
In June 2009, the
Valencian Government announced that the
Alicante Tram system will be extended southwards via Alicante Airport and El Altet, to stations in Gran Alacant and Santa Pola and then onwards to
Guardamar and
Torrevieja before terminating in
Murcia.
Etymology
The name is derived from Saint Paula, itself derived from Saint Paul the apostle, who arrived at Tabarca island, as tradition holds. However, it is likely that the name comes from Latin "palus", thence "pauls", finally "pol".
History
The first settlements in the area remount to the third millennium BC, proof of which have been tools and paintings from the Neolithic found in the Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassí, as well as remains found from hunter-gatherers of the Palaeolithic in the Cueva de las Teresitas.
During the fourth century BCE, a small walled settlement was built near Vanalopó river. It served mainly as a Greek-Iberia economical hub.
During the first century CE, near the former site a port was built, serving the city of Illici, named Portus Illicitanus () (cited by
Claudius Ptolemy in
Geography
Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
).
This port proved paramount for the development of the region's maritime commerce, together with Cartagena's.
In 460 AC, emperor Majorians flotilla set sail to attack north African vandals, but was burnt at that same port.
From the Roman settlement a necropolis is still in place, as well as a fish-salting factory and the Roman House of Palmeral. Their remains are described as back as 1621 by Cristòfol Sanz, although they were excavated during the 20th century.
Economics
Economical activity in this region is based on agriculture, craft-making and fishing. 1.3% of the population was dedicated to agriculture in 2003, and that's only successful when coupled with artificial watering systems, needed for the 200 hectares of orange trees (102ha), mandarin trees (74ha), and pomegranate trees (18ha), together with 230ha used for vegetables such as melons, shallots, broccoli, etc.
Transport
The following roads run through the municipality of Santa Pola:
CV-92: Former
N-332, connects
El Altet with the
AP-7 near
Pilar de la Horadada.
CV-851: Connects El Altet with
Elche
Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants, .
CV-865: Connects Santa Pola with Elche.
Languages
According to article 35 of law n° 4/1983 (23 November), Santa Pola's official language is
Valencian Valencian can refer to:
* Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain
* Something related to the city of Valencia
* Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain
* Something related to the old Kingdom of ...
, together with
Spanish (Spanish Constitution, article n°3, 1978). INE's latest census shows that 90% of the population speaks Valencian. There has been an increased trend in the influx of new language influences, in part due to immigration patterns in the region. This has caused suburbs such as Gran Alacant to have a significant population of English speakers.
Gallery
File:Santa Pola. Castillo. Puerta este 3.JPG, Door to Castle of Santa Pola
File:Torre de Tamarit, en las Salinas de Santa Pola.jpg, Tamarit Tower
File:Santa Pola. Salinas. Puesta de Sol 1.JPG, Sunset at las Salinas
File:Santa Pola. Castillo. Museu del Mar.JPG, Castle of Santa Pola, Maritime Museum
References
External links
Santa Pola in English.
City Overview with a Video and Pictures. From a local citizen. In English.
Granalacant Urbanization Granalacant Urbanization.
Gran Alacant's Website , Devoted to Gran Alacant http://www.mygranalacant.com
{{authority control
Municipalities in the Province of Alicante
Greek colonies in Iberia