 The Mediterranean
The Mediterranean
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. In Alicante, the Falangist José Antonio Primo de Rivera was executed in November 1936.
In 1982 and 1997 heavy rain caused severe flooding and some loss of life.
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