Lorcha / L'Orxa

Lorcha (Spanish: [ˈloɾtʃa]), or L'Orxa (Valencian: [ˈloɾtʃa]), is a municipality in the comarca of Comtat in the Valencian Community, Spain. As of the year 2021, it has a total population of 581.^[1]

Lorcha L'Orxa
Municipality
Sant Vicent Street within Lorcha (L'Orxa)
Flag Coat of arms
Lorcha Show map of Province of Alicante Lorcha Show map of Valencian Community Lorcha Show map of Spain
Coordinates: 38°50′37″N 00°18′43″W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Valencia
Province	Alicante
Comarca	Comtat
Judicial district	Alcoy
Government
• Alcalde	Arnaldo Dueñas Crespo (2015)
Area
• Total	31.80 km2 (12.28 sq mi)
Elevation	467 m (1,532 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	581
• Density	18/km2 (47/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Lorchano, -a
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	03860
Dialing code	960-963
Official language(s)	Valencian

History

The settlement first appeared as Alquenènsia in a 1379 census. Following the Expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, it was repopulated by migrants from Mallorca.^[2]

Geography

Lorcha is located along the northern edge of Alicante, to the east of Serpis River. Highway CV-701 passes through the northeastern portion of the municipality. Its average elevation is 467 meters above the sea level.^[3]

Climate

Lorcha has a Hot-summer Mediterranean Climate (Csa). It sees the least precipitation in July, with an average rainfall of 10 mm; and the most precipitation in September, with an average rainfall of 82 mm.

Climate data for Lorcha
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	12.7 (54.9)	13.2 (55.8)	16.1 (61.0)	18.4 (65.1)	21.9 (71.4)	27.0 (80.6)	29.9 (85.8)	29.5 (85.1)	25.2 (77.4)	21.4 (70.5)	15.7 (60.3)	13.1 (55.6)	20.3 (68.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	8.0 (46.4)	8.5 (47.3)	11.1 (52.0)	13.6 (56.5)	17.1 (62.8)	21.8 (71.2)	24.7 (76.5)	24.4 (75.9)	20.7 (69.3)	17.0 (62.6)	11.4 (52.5)	8.7 (47.7)	15.6 (60.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	4.1 (39.4)	4.3 (39.7)	6.6 (43.9)	8.9 (48.0)	12.0 (53.6)	16.4 (61.5)	19.5 (67.1)	19.8 (67.6)	16.7 (62.1)	13.2 (55.8)	7.9 (46.2)	5.1 (41.2)	11.2 (52.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	52 (2.0)	44 (1.7)	52 (2.0)	62 (2.4)	48 (1.9)	22 (0.9)	10 (0.4)	27 (1.1)	82 (3.2)	77 (3.0)	64 (2.5)	58 (2.3)	598 (23.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org[4]