Cadiz

Cádiz 

a city and an important port in southwestern Spain, in Andalusia, on the coast of the Bay of Cádiz of the Atlantic Ocean. Capital of Cádiz Province. Population, 137, 900 (1969).

Cádiz is a major transportation junction and industrial center in the south of the country. It handles more than 1 million tons of freight annually. Its principal industries are aviation and shipbuilding; large shipyards are located in the environs of the city. There are fish-canning, tobacco, textile, and other industrial enterprises. Cádiz is a military naval base.

In antiquity the city was known as Gades. It was founded by the Phoenicians in about 800 B.C. or, according to some data, in 1100 B.C. Circa 500 B.C., Cádiz fell under the rule of Carthage. In 206 B.C. it was seized by the Romans; in 49 B.C. it became a Roman municipium. In the fifth century Cádiz was seized by the Visigoths, and in the eighth century it was captured by the Arabs, from whom it was conquered in 1262 by the king of Castile, Alfonso X. During the Spanish revolution of 1808-14, Cádiz was the provisional residence of the central junta and of the Cortes. A rebellion of the troops and ship crews in Cádiz served as the start of revolutions in 1820 and 1868.

Cádiz basically has a regular city plan. Among the noteworthy sights are the 17th-century fortress walls, the Old Cathedral of Santa Cruz (13th century, reconstructed in the 17th century), the Church of Santa Cueva (end of the 18th century, architect Benjumeda; paintings by F. Goya, 1793-95), and numerous 18th- and 19th-century buildings done in the style of classicism.There is a provincial museum in Cádiz.