According
to the 2008 population data, Alicante ranks as the 4th most populous
province in Spain (after Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia), with
1,891,477 inhabitants. Cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in the
province are Alicante (331,750 inhabitants), Elche (228,348), Torrevieja
(101,381), Orihuela (84,626), Benidorm (70,280), Alcoy (61,698), and
Elda (55,174), and San Vicente del Raspeig (51,507).
The province has the largest ratio of foreigner population among all
Spanish provinces. The total of 446,368 foreigners are registered in the
province, which represents 23.6 percent of the total population. Out of
141 municipalities that make up the province, foreign population is
above 25% in 54 municipalities, and above 50% in 19 municipalities. The
latter include San Fulgencio (80%), Rojales (74%), Benitachell (69.8%),
Algorfa (69.7%), Llíber (67%), Teulada (65.5%), Daya Vieja (64.4%); San
Miguel de Salinas (64.3%), Calpe (62.8%), Poblets (61.6%), Alcalalí
(60.8%), Benijófar (58.5%), Alfàs del Pi (56.6%), Orba (55%), Jávea
(54%), Torrevieja (53.5%), Murla (52%), Hondón (51.7%), and Benidoleig
(50%).
From the 50 provinces of Spain, Alicante is the only one with three
metropolitan areas -- Alicante-Elche, Elda-Petrer and Benidorm -- even
though only one of them (Alicante-Elche) is ranked within the Spanish
top ten metropolitan areas. It has an area of 5.816,5 km², and so it has
a population density of 313.8 hab/km².
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