Abanilla
Encyclopedia
Abanilla is a Spanish municipality
located in the Comarca Oriental (composed by Fortuna
and Abanilla) in the Autonomous Community of Murcia
. It lies close to the border of the province of Alicante in the Autonomous Community of Valencia
.
and marble
quarries
.
The remarkable Quibas paleontological site lies within the limits of the municipality.
), the Santuario de Mahoya (Sanctuary of Mahoya), and the Iglesia Parroquial de San José (Parochial Church of St. Joseph). Other sights worth visiting include the source of the River Chícamo and the mountains of Abanilla and Quibas.
) in Abanilla Town and Barinas, La Casa de la Encomienda, La Casa Cabrera, La Casa Pintada, El Monumento a las Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos (the Monument to the Festivals of the Moors and Christians) and La casa del francés (the French's house).
There is a destroyed medieval enceinte
in Abanilla.
Local communities within the Abanilla municipality include the following.
) from 1983 to 1987. The last five terms (1987–1991, 1991–1995, 1995–1999, 1999–2003 and 2003–2007) have been presided by Fernando Molina Parra of the Partido Popular
.
The population of Abanilla is 6,256 (INE
, 2005), with a population density of 26.48 persons/km².
with rabbit and snails, gachasmigas. In particular, desserts include fruit from the fertile orchards, such as the region's renowned Damascus
apricots. Traditional confectionery includes doughnuts, sweetbreads, muffins and typical Christmas sweets. All this is enhanced by the high quality oil pressed in local mills in the ancient custom.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located in the Comarca Oriental (composed by Fortuna
Fortuna
Fortuna can mean:*Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck -Geographical:*19 Fortuna, asteroid*Fortuna, California, town located on the north coast of California*Fortuna, United States Virgin Islands...
and Abanilla) in the Autonomous Community of Murcia
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....
. It lies close to the border of the province of Alicante in the Autonomous Community of Valencia
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
.
Geography
Abanilla occupies a surface area of 236.6 km² and is situated 222 metres above sea level. It lies on a natural foundation which has been degraded by a number of aggregateConstruction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
.
The remarkable Quibas paleontological site lies within the limits of the municipality.
Points of interest
Points of interest in Abanilla include the Old Town (containing the monument to the Corazón de Jesús), the Fuente de Algarrobo (Fountain of the Carob TreeCarob tree
Ceratonia siliqua, commonly known as the Carob tree and St John's-bread, is a species of flowering evergreen shrub or tree in the pea family, Fabaceae...
), the Santuario de Mahoya (Sanctuary of Mahoya), and the Iglesia Parroquial de San José (Parochial Church of St. Joseph). Other sights worth visiting include the source of the River Chícamo and the mountains of Abanilla and Quibas.
Monuments
Buildings of monumental significance in Abanilla include the La Iglesia de San José (the Church of San José) (18th century), El Sagrado Corazón (Sacred HeartSacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
) in Abanilla Town and Barinas, La Casa de la Encomienda, La Casa Cabrera, La Casa Pintada, El Monumento a las Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos (the Monument to the Festivals of the Moors and Christians) and La casa del francés (the French's house).
There is a destroyed medieval enceinte
Enceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
in Abanilla.
Local communities
- Barinas, a rural town located 11 km from Abanilla town, at an elevation of 379 m.
- Macisvenda, located 10 km from Abanilla town, a crossroads of the roads to La Algueña, El Cantón, Hondón de los FrailesHondón de los FrailesHondón de los Frailes is a municipality and village in the province of Alicante and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain.-References:...
and Hondón de las Nieves. - Other communities include Mahoya, El Cantón, Cañada de la Leña, El Partidor, El Tollé, Los Baños de Fortuna, Casa Cabrera, Casa Pintada, Los Carrillos, La Umbría, Collado de los Gabrieles, Ricabacica, El Algarrobo, Campules, Balonga, Mafraque and El Olivar.
Politics
The mayor of Abanilla was Álvaro Gaona (Partido Independiente) from 1979 to 1983 and José Luís Cutillas Rivera (Partido Socialista Obrero EspañolSpanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
) from 1983 to 1987. The last five terms (1987–1991, 1991–1995, 1995–1999, 1999–2003 and 2003–2007) have been presided by Fernando Molina Parra of the Partido Popular
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
.
Demographics
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
, 2005), with a population density of 26.48 persons/km².
| Evolución demográfica en Abanilla 1857-2008 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1857 | 1860 | 1877 | 1887 | 1897 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | |
| 4.324 | 4.650 | 5.689 | 5.617 | 6.121 | 6.634 | 7.451 | 7.641 | 8.179 | 8.220 | 8.620 | 8.594 | |
| 1970 | 1981 | 1991 | 1996 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| 8.675 | 7.049 | 5.827 | 6.130 | 6.033 | 6.040 | 6.239 | 6.145 | 6.245 | 6.333 | 6.568 | 6.642 |
Gastronomy
Typical local dishes include home-made sausages, paellaPaella
Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain's national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish...
with rabbit and snails, gachasmigas. In particular, desserts include fruit from the fertile orchards, such as the region's renowned Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
apricots. Traditional confectionery includes doughnuts, sweetbreads, muffins and typical Christmas sweets. All this is enhanced by the high quality oil pressed in local mills in the ancient custom.
Festivals
The International Folklore Festival is an important event which takes place in the first week of August. Between 23 April and 9 May, the festivals of Santa Cruz take place, featuring parades of Moors and Christians. In addition, from June through to the middle of September, the various communities celebrate their own individual festivals.External links
- Official website of Abanilla
- Discussion forum for Abanilla
- Unofficial website for Abanilla
- Information on Abanilla
- International Folklore Festival in Abanilla
- Knights and Damsels of Calatrava
- Association of the Knights and Damels of Cid in the Town of Abanilla
- Cabila Al'Bayada
- Viva Murcia Photos & Information for the Murcia Province
- News and Information about Abanilla