ESPAÑA	Spain
Communitat Valenciana / Comunidad Valenciana	Valencia
província: Alacant / provincia: Alicante

map →

• lv: Alikante • lt: Alikantė
• el: Αλικάντε
• bg, mk, ru, sr: Аликанте • uk: Аліканте • be: Алікантэ

Alacant (Alicante) is situated at the Adriatic coast in the southern part of the Land of Valencia (Communitat Valenciana, Comunidad Valenciana), about 126 km south of the provincial capital València (Valencia). It is the capital of the province of Alacant (Valencian Catalan) or Alicante (Casilian Spanish). Alicante has a population of about 319,400 (2005) and is one of the fastest-growing cities in Spain.

Alicante was founded in 324 BC by the Greeks, who named it Akra Leuke (White Peak). In 201 BC it was captured by the Romans who called it Lucentum, and Hannibal is said to have unloaded his famous war elephants here. Between 718 and 1249, the city was ruled by the Moors. In 1265 it was retaken by Alfonso X of Castile and incorporated into the kingdom of Castile. In 1304 it was incorporated into the kingdom of Valencia, in the Aragon Crown.

The city was besieged by the French in 1709 and 1812, and later by the Federalists of Cartagena in 1873. In the Spanish Civil War, Alicante was bombed by Italian aircraft, and was one of the last cities to fall to Franco. Today, its economy is based upon tourism in the beaches from Costa Blanca coast, wine production, services and administration.

[Text adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicante]