Economy Valencian Community

ciutat de les arts les ciències, valencia



skyline of benidorm

valencia long , narrow, running north-south; historically, rather steep , irregular terrain has made communications , exploitation of soil difficult, although soil of coastal plain particularly fertile. coastal axis has facilitated connections europe, either sea through mediterranean, or land through catalonia.

the valencian territory has few natural resources; important mineral deposit marble quarried in alicante province.

hydrological resources (see geography above) lacking: demand water exceeds supply, imbalance serious in alicante province. in particularly severe drought years, problem managed through occasional nocturnal restrictions during summer , exploitation of aquifers. valencia s water needs result in harsh contention neighbouring regions such castilla–la mancha , catalonia.

agriculture—more specifically, citrus cultivation export market—was responsible valencia s first economic boom in late 19th century, after centuries of slow development , decay. although in absolute terms agricultural sector has continued grow, boom in secondary , tertiary sectors during spanish miracle of 1960s, has meant relative importance has decreased on time. provinces of castelló , valencia still have thousands of hectares of citrus-producing groves , citrus continues major source of income on countryside. province of alicante grows citrus, agriculture more diversified higher presence of vegetables, in vega baja del segura area.

though low insulation rate , overall stable weather during summer may pose threat water supplies agriculture , human consumption, conversely climate allows tourism province s main industry. dense residential housing along coast, occupied locals, people inland spain , other eu countries (mostly british isles, benelux, germany , scandinavia), boosts summertime population (and hydrological demands).

in 2004, valencia s gdp 93.9% of european union average, although figure may low because of important presence of foreign residents either other regions of europe or economic immigrants, not represented in official statistics. in of spain, there significant growth in years following 2004, @ least until 2008–13 spanish financial crisis.

in 2008, valencia country generated 9.7% of spanish gdp. in l of human resources, unemployment rate on 21% in 2009, , greater among women, , rate of activity reached 56.8% in 2002. typical valencian business small-to-medium-sized company, family-owned , operated, although there multinationals.

in addition tourism, valencian country has significant exports, , ranks second in respect among spanish autonomous communities, constituting 12% of national total. major exports include agricultural products, ceramic tiles, marble products , cars (ford has assembly line in almussafes), make port of valencia 1 busiest in europe.