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Benidorm
Coat of Arms
Location
Coordinates : 38°32′03″N 0°07′53″W / 38.53417, -0.13139 Time zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer : CEST (GMT +2)
General information
Native name	Benidorm (Valencian)
Spanish name	Benidorm
Nickname	Beniyork
Founded	1325
Postal code	0350X
Area code	+34 (Spain) + 96 (Alicante)
Website	http://www.benidorm.org/
Administration
Country	Spain
Autonomous Community	Valencia
Province	Alicante
Comarca	Marina Baixa
Mayor	Manuel Pérez Fenoll (PP)
Geography
Land Area	38,5 km²
Altitude	15 m AMSL
Population
Population	67,627 (2006)
Density	1,756 hab./km² (PD/sqmi) (2006)

Benidorm (pronounced [beniˈðɔɾm] in Valencian, [beniˈðoɾ(m)] in Spanish) is a Valencian coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea.

Prior to the 1960s, Benidorm was a small village. Today it stands out for its hotel industry, beaches and skyscrapers, built as a result of its tourist-oriented economy. According to the 2004 census, Benidorm has a permanent population of 64,956 inhabitants, ranking as the fifth most populous town in the Alicante province. The population exceeds 500,000 in the summer. It is one of the most important holiday resorts in Spain, with an area of 38.5 km² and a population density of 1,593.56 inhab/km². Due to the unique skyline formed by its numerous tall hotels and apartment buildings it is sometimes referred to as the “Manhattan of Spain” or “Beniyork”, which is unlike any other on the Costa Blanca (White Coast). Benidorm itself is dwarfed by the 1406m tall Puig Campana, which is one of the most impressive mountains of the Costa Blanca.

Geography and climate

The city is divided into two halves, called Poniente and Levante, each fronted by a beach of the same name. Between the two beaches lies a rocky promontory. The old city occupies this promontory and the area immediately inland, while most of the hotels occupy the more recently developed sections behind the two beaches. A few miles from shore is an uninhabited island which provides a dramatic centerpiece to the seascape.

In 1954 Pedro Zaragoza Orts, the then young Mayor of Benidorm, created the Plan General de Ordenación (city building plan) that ensured, via a complex construction formula, every building would have an area of ‘leisure’ land, guaranteeing a future free of the excesses of cramped construction seen in other areas of Spain. It is the only city in Spain that still adheres to this rigid rule, and if you climb to the top of the Sierra Helada, the promontory at the end of the Rincon de Loix, you get a stunning view of how green the city is and just how close it is to the mountains.

Benidorm has a special micro-climate all year round thanks to the surrounding mountains. which surround the town. With some 3,400 hours of sunshine a year and an average annual temperature on the coast of 18°C (15°C in winter and 26°C in summer). Between December and March the temperature of the sea water is around 15°C.

Tourism

Benidorm is particularly popular with Flemish, British and Dutch tourists, to such an extent that there are whole sections of the city where Spanish or Valencian are rarely heard. Benidorm’s long row of skyscrapers also resembles the Belgian coast. Because of this fact, together with the many Flemish tourists and shops, Benidorm is often called the “11th Belgian province”.

Aerial view of Benidorm

Benidorm’s initial growth in popularity can be attributed to the package holiday explosion, and continues year round, due to the night-life based around the central concentration of bars and clubs. The large number of free cabaret acts that start around 2100 hours and continue into the early hours set Benidorm apart from other similar resorts.

Benidorm has three major beaches: Llevante, Poniente and Mal Pas; all of them have a blue flag, the maximum quality standard recognised by the European Union. The Gran Hotel Bali, a 4-star hotel located in this city since 2002, is a 186 meters tall building which stood as the tallest skyskraper in Spain for five years, until it was surpassed by the CTBA towers in Madrid.

Events and attractions

Each summer, since 1959, the city celebrates the Benidorm International Song Festival, a song contest where international or Spanish celebrities like Julio Iglesias, Raphael or the Dúo Dinámico became famous.

Benidorm boasts three family-oriented theme parks: Terra Mítica located inland from the city, at the foot of the mountain. Aqualandia and Mundomar are located on the outskirts of the city on the Llevant side. In addition to large shopping and commercial areas.

Sunset in Benidorm

Demographics

Ethnicity

Benidorm is one of the most international towns in Europe and has the highest immigrant population of any town in Spain.

Population growth

See also

• Benidorm Island

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Benidorm

External links

• Benidorm travel guide from Wikitravel

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