Lleida (Catalan: Lleida, Spanish: Lérida) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name, and has 119,935
inhabitants as of 2004. Its main industries are agriculture and tourism.
It is a bilingual Catalan-speaking town and province, with a characteristic dialect (known as Western or, more specifically, North-Western Catalan) with features such as lo and los for the definite article. Castilian Spanish is spoken by everyone as well.
In ancient times it was named Iltrida and Ilerda (after the Ilergets, an Iberian tribe). The Battle of Ilerda , fought between Julius Caesar and Pompeius took place in 49 BC. It was conquered from the Moors by the Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona in 1148. It was the seat of a major university until 1717. Lleida served as a key defense point for Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, and fell to the Insurgents in 1938.
Lleida is currently the eastern terminus of the Spanish state railway's AVE high-speed rail line, serving Zaragoza, Calatayud, Guadalajara, and Madrid. The line is expected to be extended to Barcelona in the next few years.
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Last updated: 10-18-2005 18:48:17
