Lérida (Catalan: Lleida,
Spanish: Lérida) is a city in the
west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital
of the Spanish province of the same name,
and has 119,935 inhabitants as of 2004.
Its main industries are agriculture and
tourism.
It is a bilingual Catalan-speaking town
and province, with a characteristic dialect
(known as Western or, more specifically,
North-Western Catalan) with features such
as lo and los for the definite article.
Castilian Spanish is spoken by everyone
as well.
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In ancient times it was named Iltrida and Ilerda
(after the Ilergets, an Iberian tribe). The Battle
of Ilerda, fought between Julius Caesar and Pompeius
took place in 49 BC. It was conquered from the
Moors by the Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona
in 1148. It was the seat of a major university
until 1717. Lleida served as a key defense point
for Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, and
fell to the Insurgents in 1938.
Lérida is currently the eastern terminus
of the Spanish state railway's AVE high-speed
rail line, serving Zaragoza, Calatayud, Guadalajara,
and Madrid. The line is expected to be extended
to Barcelona in the next few years.
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