Lleida

Lleida (Catalan)
Lérida (Spanish)

Municipality

La Seu Vella cathedral in Lleida

Flag

Coat of arms

Lleida

Location of Lleida within Catalonia

Coordinates: 41°37′00″N 00°38′00″E / 41.61667°N 0.63333°ECoordinates: 41°37′00″N 00°38′00″E / 41.61667°N 0.63333°E

Country

Founded

6th century BC

Government

• Type

Mayor-Council

• Mayor

Àngel Ros i Domingo (2015) (PSC)

Area

• Municipality

212.3 km² (82.0 sq mi)

Elevation

155 m (509 ft)

Population (2014)

• Municipality

139,176

• Density

660/km² (1,700/sq mi)

• Metro

250,000

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

25001-25007

Dialing code

34 (Spain) + 973 (Lleida)

Official language(s)

Catalan, Spanish

Website

paeria.cat

Lleida (Catalan: [ˈʎɛjðə], locally: [ˈʎejðɛ]; Spanish: Lérida [ˈleɾiða]) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida.

Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as well as the largest city in the province. It had 137,387 inhabitants as of 2010^[update], including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs.

Lleida is one of the oldest towns in Catalonia, with recorded settlements dating back to the Bronze Age period. Until the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the area served as a settlement for an Iberian people, the Ilergetes. The town became a municipality, named Ilerda, under the reign of Augustus. It was reconquered in 1149, after being ruled by the Moors for many centuries, who had conquered the town in the 8th century. In 1297, the University of Lleida was founded, becoming the third oldest in the whole of Spain. During the following centuries, the town was damaged by several wars such as the Reapers' War in the 17th century and the Spanish Civil War in the 20th century. Since then, the city has been in a constant urban, commercial and demographic growth.

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Wikipedia