City (pop., 2001: 284,580), southeastern Spain, located on Alicante Bay of the Mediterranean Sea.
It was founded as a Greek colony in 325 BC and was captured in 201 BC by the Romans, who called it Lucentum. After being ruled by the Moors (718–1249), it was later incorporated into the kingdom of Aragon in 1265. The city was besieged by the French in 1709 and by the Federalists of Cartagena in 1873. Its economy is based on tourism and the export of wine and produce.