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The
region of Valencia lies in the east of Spain. It borders Catalonia in the
north, with Aragon and Castile-La Mancha in the west, with the region of
Murcia in the south, and with the Mediterranean sea in the east.
Valencia's
geographical landscape can be divided into two parts: inland and coast.
Mountains and rock formations integrated into the Iberian mountain range
and the Subbetica range dominate the landscape inland. Some of the most
notable mountain formations include the Maestrazgo, Martes, Espina, and
Espadan sierras as well as Caroig massif. The areas highest peak is in
Penyagolosa and reaches 1,813 metres high. The Penibetico range penetrates
the region from the south in Alicante forming various other sierras
including Crevillente, Carrascal and Aitana, whose peak reaches 1,558
metres tall. The second part of the region is located around the flat
coastal area, mainly comprising low sandy beaches, and coastal lagoons and
pools some of which have dried up. The most notable natural landmarks are
Salinas point, cape Irta, cape Oropesa, the Columbretes islands (of
volcanic origin and declared a nature reserve in 1998), Benavides ravine,
Estany, Colomer and Palos passages, the tourist beaches of Canet, Puig,
Natzaret, Pinedo, Saler and others very close to the city of Valencia,
Cullera point (with the small island of Peñeta del Moro in front of it),
Xeresa beach, Oliva beach, Gandia beach, Venecia beach, Piles beach,
Almadraba point, cape San Antonio, cape Nao, Ifach rock, cape Las Huertas,
the bay of Alicante, the cape and bay of Santa Pola and cape Cervera. The
rivers in the region of Valencia are generally short, with small
quantities of water. Some of these rivers are: Mijares, Palancia, Turia,
Jucar, Cabriel, Magro, Serpis, Vinalopo and Segura.
Population
The
population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish
National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2001, after
having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 4,202,680.
The
population breakdown in the region of Valencia is as follows: Valencia:
746,612, Alicante: 283,243 and Castellon: 146.563. The main cities in the
autonomous region of Valencia after the capital itself (Valencia) are,
Alicante, Castellon, Elx, Alcoi, Torrent, Elda, Sagunto and Gandia. The
population of the region is mainly based around the coast. The number of
inhabitants further inland is greatly reduced.
Administration
The
autonomous region of Valencia is made up of the provinces of Castellon,
Valencia and Alicante. The capital of the region is Valencia.
The
Autonomy Statute was approved for Valencia in 1982. Article 9 of
Valencia's regional regulations states: “The Generalidad of Valencia
(Regional Government) is made up of various different ministries and
departments: Valencia Assembly (known as 'Corts' in the local language),
the President, the Government (known as 'Consell' locally) as well as
other institutions which have been established in the present Statute”.
Valencia's Assembly is made up of 89 members. They include 20 from the
province of Alicante, 22 from the province of Castellon and 37 from the
province of Valencia. The Autonomy Statute states that the local
government 'is a collective institution of the Government of Valencia that
holds political and legislative powers. It runs the assembly that
exercises its power under the guise of Valencia's self government'.
Weather
The
region of Valencia has a mainly Mediterranean climate: warm and dry
summers, and mild winters.
The
rainy season is mainly in spring and in autumn. There are often torrential
rainfalls. Inland in the higher reaches of the region the rainfall may
turn to snow. The temperatures are pleasant all year round, with an
average that does not fall below 15ºC, with the exception of the mountain
areas, where temperatures can fall below freezing.
Infrastructures
The
region of Valencia has an excellent branch of networks on land, over sea
and through air, that connect the region with the rest of the country and
the rest of the world.
The
region of Valencia has a network of local and national roads that link the
area with itself and the rest of the mainland. The most notable roads
include: the Mediterranean motorway (A-7), and the dual carriageways of
Valencia-Madrid, Alicante-Madrid and Albacete-Valencia. The region's
railways are managed by RENFE, and the regional Government of Valencia.
There are high-speed train links that connect Valencia with Barcelona and
Madrid. Work has already begun on the high-speed AVE train line that will
link Valencia with Madrid, Albacete, Alicante and Cuenca. The sea routes
of the region are notable for the sheer amount of traffic both of goods
and passengers that it has to deal with every day, and is a departure
point for those wishing to visit the Balearic Islands. The region of
Valencia also has two major airports: Manises (Valencia) and L’Altet
(Alicante).
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