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Province of Castellón

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Province of Castellón
Provincia de Castellón (Spanish)
Província de Castelló (Valencian)
Province
Coat of arms of Province of Castellón
Coat of arms
Location of the Province of Castellón in Spain
Location of the Province of Castellón in Spain
Coordinates: 40°10′N 0°10′W / 40.167°N 0.167°W / 40.167; -0.167
Country Spain
Autonomous community Valencian Community
Capital Castellón de la Plana
Municipalities135
Government
 • PresidentaMarta Barrachina Mateu
Area
[1]
 • Total
6,633.98 km2 (2,561.39 sq mi)
 • Rank38th in Spain
Population
 (2025)[2]
 • Total
627,620
 • Rank26th in Spain
 • Density94.607/km2 (245.03/sq mi)
Demonym(s)•castellonense (es)
•castellonenc, -ca (va)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Official language(s)Spanish and Valencian
ParliamentCortes Generales
Websitewww.dipcas.es Edit this at Wikidata

The Province of Castellón (Spanish: Provincia de Castellón [kasteˈʎon]; Valencian: Província de Castelló [kasteˈʎo]) is a province in the northern part of the Valencian Community in Spain. Its capital is the city of Castellón de la Plana. Other major cities of the province include Vila-real, Borriana, La Vall d'Uixó and Vinaròs.

It is bordered by the provinces of Valencia to the south, Teruel to the west, Tarragona to the north, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the east.[3] The western side of the province is in the mountainous Sistema Ibérico area.

The province has a population of 627,620 in an area of 6,633.98 square kilometres (2,561.39 sq mi) across its 135 municipalities.[2]

Geography

[edit]
Towns with a population greater than 7,000 in the province (2005)

Castellón is the home of Penyagolosa, the highest mountain of the province and the second highest one in the Valencian Community. It is widely considered to be one of the most emblematic Valencian mountains.

The Greenwich Meridian (the Prime Meridian) passes through the province; there are localities with commemorative monuments such as La Pobla Tornesa, Castellón or Almassora (Paseo Marítimo), and in Castellon it intersects the 40th parallel, and the exact point can be visited at the Meridian Park.[4]

Municipalities

[edit]

The province has 135 municipalities:

Comarques

[edit]

The province is historically subdivided into 8 comarques:

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1842203,063—    
1857260,919+28.5%
1877288,765+10.7%
1887292,822+1.4%
1900318,260+8.7%
1910334,181+5.0%
1920325,211−2.7%
1930317,899−2.2%
1940320,443+0.8%
1950330,257+3.1%
1960342,649+3.8%
1970386,516+12.8%
1981431,893+11.7%
1991446,744+3.4%
2001484,566+8.5%
2011594,423+22.7%
2021587,632−1.1%
Source: INE[5]

As of 2025, the population is 627,620, of which 49.7% are male, and 50.3% are female. Minors make up 16.9% of the population, and seniors make up 20.3%.[2]

Immigration

[edit]

As of 2025, immigrants make up 21.8% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Romania, Morocco, Colombia, Venezuela, and Argentina.[2]

Economy

[edit]

Traditionally, the economy of Castellón has been focused on the production of citrus and vegetables (Nules and Benicarló). Since the 17th century, Castellón has developed an important ceramic and ceramic tile industry (Onda, L'Alcora, Nules, Castellón de la Plana and Vila-real) and nowadays most of the Spanish tile producers are concentrated in the province. Also, furniture (Benicarló and Vinaròs) and chemical industries (Benicarló and Castellón) are present. There is a large oil refinery in Castellón de la Plana.

Traditional industries such as shoe and footwear (La Vall d'Uixó), fishing (Castellón, Vinaròs) and textiles (Vilafranca and Morella), have given way to a service-based economy due to the increasing importance of tourism in the economy of the province.

The province, and in particular its idle large airport, has become a symbol of the wasteful spending prior to the 2008-2014 Spanish financial crisis.

Tourism

[edit]

The Province of Castellón has varied landscapes and heritage that supports a growing tourist industry. The largest seaside and beach resorts include Benicàssim, Orpesa, Vinaròs, Borriana, Peníscola, Benicarló, etc. There are opportunities for rural tourism in the interior, as well as monumental towns like Morella, Vilafamés, Sant Mateu, Segorbe, mineral springs at Montanejos, Benassal, Catí, etc.

More than 50% of the hotel beds are concentrated in Peniscola, which is the third most popular tourist destination in the Valencian Community after Benidorm and Valencia.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Información Geográfica Destacada" [Geographical information data] (in Spanish). IGN.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Annual population census 2021-2025". INE.
  3. ↑ "Encyclopedia Britannica". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  4. ↑ "Meridian Park | Castelló Turismo". Ajuntament de Castelló Turismo. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "INEbase. Alterations to the municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842". INE.
[edit]
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