Catral Explained

Catral
Settlement Type:Municipality
Pushpin Map:Spain
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Spain
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Spain
Subdivision Type1:Autonomous community
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Alicante
Subdivision Type3:Comarca
Subdivision Name3:Vega Baja del Segura
Subdivision Type4:Judicial district
Subdivision Name4:Callosa de Segura
Coordinates:38.1594°N -0.805°W
Elevation M:12
Distance:17
Ref:Elche
Distance2:19
Distance3:40
Reference3:Alicante
Area Total Km2:19.24
Population Demonym:Catralense
Population Density Km2:auto
Blank Name Sec1:Official language(s)
Blank Info Sec1:Spanish
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:03158; and 3349 (road to San Isidro)
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:+34 (Spain) + 96 (Alicante)
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Pedro Zaplana García (2015)
Leader Party:AxC
Website:http://www.ayuntamientocatral.com/municipio.php

Catral (pronounced as /es/) is a town in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located in the south of the province of Alicante, in the region of Vega Baja del Segura. 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 for the Crown of Castile, he was awarded the Order of Santiago 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 within the Attorney General Orihuela.

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 fruits, artichokes, 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, distribution, textiles, construction, food, hides and tourism.

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 exit 730.

Demographics

Catral has had a significant population growth since the 1990s. According to the census of 2008, the municipality had 8629 inhabitants.

bgcolor=black colspan=20 style="color:white;"Demographic evolution of Catral
1857 1887 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1981 1991 2001 2005 2006 2007 2008
population 3,0782,5932,592 3,007 3,000 3,025 3,391 3,871 4,183 3,904 4,209 4,3945,146 6,642 7,530 8,1058,629

Government

YearName of mayorPolitical party
1979–1983Joaquín Ñíguez GelardoUCD
1983–1987Francisco Gelardo AguilarPSPV-PSOE
1987–1991Juan Gelardo CuliañezPSPV-PSOE
1991–1995José Manuel Rodríguez LealPSPV-PSOE
1995–1999José Manuel Rodríguez LealPSPV-PSOE
1999–2003José Manuel Rodríguez LealPSPV-PSOE
2003–2007José Manuel Rodríguez LealPSPV-PSOE
2007Aurelio David Albero GarcíaPP
2011Aurelio David Albero GarcíaPP
2015Pedro Zaplana García AxC

Climate

Temperatures exceed 10 degrees in January and 26 degrees in July.

Notes and references