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Gandia (the official name, as in Valencian), with population over 77,000, is a city and municipality
Municipality

A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them....
 in the Valencian Community
Valencian Community

The Valencian Community is an Autonomous Community located in central to south-eastern Spain. It is divided in three provinces, from South to North: Alicante , Valencia and Castell?n ....
, Eastern Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar
Costa del Azahar

Costa del Azahar or Costa dels Tarongers is the name for the coast of the provinces Castell?n and Valencia in Spain, from Alcanar to El Verger, Denia....
, 65 km south of Valencia and 96 km north of Alicante
Alicante

Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacant?, in the southern part of the Valencian Community....
.

It was an important cultural and commercial centre during the 15th and 16th centuries: in the 15th it had a university. It was home to several important poets including Ausiās March, and produced the novelist Joanot Martorell
Joanot Martorell

Joanot Martorell was the Kingdom of Valencian author of the novel Tirant lo Blanch, which is written in Valencian . First published in Valencia in 1490, it was reprinted in Barcelona in 1497, and some consider it the first modern novel in Europe....
, but it is perhaps better known for the Borgia
Borgia

The Borgias or Borjas were an Italy noble family of Kingdom of Valencia origin remembered today for their corrupt rule of the Papacy during the Renaissance....
s, through their family title, Duke of Gandia
Duke of Gandia

The hereditary Spanish title Duke of Gand?a was created in 1483 by Ferdinand II of Aragon from the original Italian title "Duke of Candia" or "Duca di Candia" belonging to the Italian "Stato di Mare" or Italian Kingdoms of the Mediterranea Sea....
.

Today, Gandia is one of the largest coastal towns and a thriving center of commerce and tourism in the region.






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Gandia (the official name, as in Valencian), with population over 77,000, is a city and municipality
Municipality

A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them....
 in the Valencian Community
Valencian Community

The Valencian Community is an Autonomous Community located in central to south-eastern Spain. It is divided in three provinces, from South to North: Alicante , Valencia and Castell?n ....
, Eastern Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar
Costa del Azahar

Costa del Azahar or Costa dels Tarongers is the name for the coast of the provinces Castell?n and Valencia in Spain, from Alcanar to El Verger, Denia....
, 65 km south of Valencia and 96 km north of Alicante
Alicante

Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacant?, in the southern part of the Valencian Community....
.

It was an important cultural and commercial centre during the 15th and 16th centuries: in the 15th it had a university. It was home to several important poets including Ausiās March, and produced the novelist Joanot Martorell
Joanot Martorell

Joanot Martorell was the Kingdom of Valencian author of the novel Tirant lo Blanch, which is written in Valencian . First published in Valencia in 1490, it was reprinted in Barcelona in 1497, and some consider it the first modern novel in Europe....
, but it is perhaps better known for the Borgia
Borgia

The Borgias or Borjas were an Italy noble family of Kingdom of Valencia origin remembered today for their corrupt rule of the Papacy during the Renaissance....
s, through their family title, Duke of Gandia
Duke of Gandia

The hereditary Spanish title Duke of Gand?a was created in 1483 by Ferdinand II of Aragon from the original Italian title "Duke of Candia" or "Duca di Candia" belonging to the Italian "Stato di Mare" or Italian Kingdoms of the Mediterranea Sea....
.

Today, Gandia is one of the largest coastal towns and a thriving center of commerce and tourism in the region. There are two main zones, Gandia City, which has all the historical monuments, commercial activity, and shopping, and Gandia beach, where apartments and summer residences used during the summer season are to be found. The bars and nightclubs are concentrated in the beach area. As is normal for Spain, nightlife does not take off until well after midnight. The beach and town are actually some 2 km apart which succeeds in separating summer tourism from day-to-day living.

Tourism

With its long wide golden sandy beaches, it is one of the major tourist destinations in Spain. Traditionally Gandia's tourism has a domestic base, with the majority coming from Madrid, although in recent years it has been an increasingly popular destination for international tourists, mainly French and British.

For culture, there are literary contests, the Summer University (Universitat d'Estiu), the International Festival of Classical Music, and art exhibitions, and sports include water, golf, tennis and hiking.

There are some popular Spanish restaurants around the beach, like the famous , the "Restaurante Emilio", "Cerveceria Grau" and "La Tarta Dorada".

For more tourist info:

Sports

Gandia, and the whole Safor
Safor

Safor is a Comarques of the Valencian Community within the province of Valencia , Spain. The capital is the city of Gandia, but also includes the towns of Oliva, Piles, Valencia and Daim?s, among others....
 comarca
Comarca

A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil.The comarca is also known in Aragonese language as redolada, and as bisbarra in Galician language....
, is said to be the center of the Raspall
Raspall

Raspall is a variant of the handball game, Valencian pilota, played mainly in the Valencian Community regions south to the J?car: the Safor, the Costera, the Marina Alta and the Marina Baixa....
 variant of the Valencian pilota
Valencian pilota

Pilota Valenciana or Valencian pilota is a traditional handball sport played in the Valencian Community. Its origins are not known, but seems to be related to the French Jeu de paume....
 autochthonous sport. Nonetheless, Gandia held the Trinquet
Valencian trinquet

Valencian trinquet is the court used in the Valencian Community for two different modalities of Valencian pilota: the Escala i corda and the Raspall....
 El Zurdo courtfield (it was demolished in 2007 to build an apartment block).

Politics

As of 2006, the mayor of Gandia is José Manuel Orengo (PSPV-PSOE).