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most southern part of Catalonia is also the second most important
in territory and population: covering 22 826km2, the Valencia
region has more than 4 million inhabitants. Endowed with a large
band of coastline, this territory is made famous by the seaside
resorts of Benidorm and Alicante, and is blessed with mild temperatures,
infrequent rain and dry summers. The economy is based on industry
and tourism, but this has not supplanted the agricultural traditions
symbolized by l’horta de València; vast zones of fertile
lands used for market gardening and producing citrus fruit and
vegetables for the European market.
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| L'horta,
immense garden of València |
The
history of the Valencia region is tied to the expansion of the
Catalan territory. In 1233 the Catalan King Jaume I made the
first step towards the conquest of the south which had been
marked by three centuries of Saracen presence. The Catalan population
of northern origin installed in this new region structured its
economy and organised its territory around the towns of Elx,
Alicante, Alcoi, Valencia and Castelló de Plana. Equipped
with a royal statute for the entire area, the Pais Valencià
(Valencia region) displayed its character and still maintains
a permanent bond with Barcelona, Catalonia and the Baleares
Islands. After a period of opulence the territory was ceded
after hegemonic pressure from the Spanish crown, following the
Battle of Almansa in 1707. Deprived of independence and placed
under Castilian law the Valencia region developed its agricultural
areas, at first allocated for rice and grape vines. The evolution
towards industry, occurring at the same time as the same movement
in Barcelona, placed it in the fourth place of the various Spanish
regions today. In the 20th Century, the territory adopted a
republican spirit and then, after the period of totalitarian
rule from 1936 to 1975, received its statute of autonomy in
1982. With this the region re-established its own government,
the Generalitat Valenciana, which oversees its administration.
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