Province of Albacete

The territory occupied by the province of Albacete has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by cave paintings in the Cueva del Niño and Cueva de la Vieja.{{cite book|title=Ampurias: revista de prehistoria, arqueología y etnología|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oc9AAAAAMAAJ|year=1973|language=es|page=25}} In Roman times, the territory of the present province of Albacete was part of Carpetania and Celtiberia, Contestania, Bastetania and Oretania. The Romans built a significant settlement at Libisosa,{{cite book|last=Morris|first=A.E.J.|title=History of Urban Form Before the Industrial Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=whBEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA79|date=2 December 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-88514-6|page=79}} and during the age of the Visigoths, Tolmo de Minateda grew in prominence.

During the Muslim era, territories of the province were under different zones of influence, and numerous farmhouses, castles and watchtowers developed to fight off invaders. A number of battles were held here in the Middle Ages, and on April 25, 1707, the Battle of Almansa was held in the vicinity of the town of Albacete, a major Spanish battle which culminated in the triumph of Philip V who ascended to the throne, establishing the monarchy for the House of Bourbon in Spain.{{cite book|last=Pearce|first=Adrian J.|title=The Origins of Bourbon Reform in Spanish South America, 1700-1763|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATJvBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|date=20 August 2014|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-36224-7|page=24}}

In 1822, the short-lived Province of Chinchilla was created, composed of municipalities in the provinces of La Mancha, Cuenca and the Kingdom of Murcia. Its capital at Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón, very close to the city of Albacete, would be the basis on which the province of Albacete was created in 1833 as dictated by Javier de Burgos.{{cite book|last1=Alí Miranda|first1=Francisco|author-link=Francisco Alía Miranda|last2=Calzado|first2=Angel Ramón del Valle|title=La guerra civil en Castilla-La Mancha, 70 años después: actas del Congreso Internacional|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGD_3statAsC&pg=PA828|year=2008|publisher=Univ de Castilla La Mancha|language=es|isbn=978-84-8427-555-8|page=828}} Following the adoption of the Constitution in 1978, the province of Albacete joined the Castile-La Mancha Region from the Murcia Region, and its Statute of Autonomy was approved in 1982.{{cite book|last1=Máiz|first1=Ramón|last2=William|first2=Safran|title=Identity and Territorial Autonomy in Plural Societies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MvqiAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT132|date=14 January 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-30394-5|page=132}}

Located in the southeast of the Central Plateau with an area of 14,926 km ², the province of Albacete is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Cuenca, Ciudad Real and Jaén. The province is divided into 87 municipalities and seven judicial districts. Its seat of government is Albacete. Other important towns (with more than 10,000 inhabitants) are: Hellín, Villarrobledo, Almansa, La Roda and Caudete. The main river of the province is the Jucar river, which crosses the province in the northeast, renowned for its deep gorges and trees.{{cite book|title=Spain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WttmSt7kPmMC&pg=PA256|year=2007|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74104-554-3|page=256}} The Lagunese de Ruidera flows in the west. Other rivers of note include the Cabriel on the far northeastern border, the Salobral, Navalcudi, and Tajo-Segura in the central part, the Corcoles in the northwest, and the Guadalmena, Mundo, Tus, Segura, and Taibilla rivers in the south. It is also home to seasonal rivers, including Abengibre Creek.

{{Further|Arroyo de Abejuela}}

The historical population is given in the following chart:

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ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:28

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Period = from:0 till:420

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bar:1877 from:0 till:219 text:219,009

bar:1887 from:0 till:232 text:231,591

bar:1900 from:0 till:241 text:241,244

bar:1910 from:0 till:272 text:271,716

bar:1920 from:0 till:297 text:296,712

bar:1930 from:0 till:334 text:334,371

bar:1940 from:0 till:379 text:379,169

bar:1950 from:0 till:401 text:400,731

bar:1960 from:0 till:375 text:375,175

bar:1970 from:0 till:341 text:340,720

bar:1980 from:0 till:339 text:339,373

bar:1990 from:0 till:343 text:342,677

bar:2000 from:0 till:365 text:364,835

bar:2010 from:0 till:402 text:401,580

bar:2020 from:0 till:388 text:388,270

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text:"Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE"

In 2020, the total value of products produced in Albacete was {{USD|1.03 billion}}.{{Cite web|url=https://www.agenciatributaria.es/AEAT.internet/Inicio/La_Agencia_Tributaria/Memorias_y_estadisticas_tributarias/Estadisticas/_Comercio_exterior_/Datos_estadisticos/Descarga_de_Datos_Estadisticos/Descarga_de_datos_mensuales_maxima_desagregacion_en_Euros__centimos_/Descarga_de_datos_mensuales_maxima_desagregacion_en_Euros__centimos_.shtml|title = Descarga de datos mensuales máxima desagregación en euros (Céntimos) - Agencia Tributaria}}

• List of municipalities in Albacete

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{{Commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060516101648/http://www.carnavalvillarrobledo.com/ Carnival of Villarrobledo] {{in lang|es}}

{{Provinces of Castile–La Mancha}}

{{Provinces of Spain}}

{{Municipalities in Albacete}}

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