Soria vs Norwich

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Soria (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsoɾja]) is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 (INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial population. The municipality has a surface area of 271,77 km2, with a density of 144.97 inhabitants/km2. Situated at about 1065 metres above sea level, Soria is the second highest provincial capital in Spain. Although there are remains of settlements from the Iron Age and Celtiberian times, Soria itself enters history with its repopulation between 1109 and 1114, by the Aragonese king Alfonso I the Battler. A strategic enclave due to the struggles for territory between the kingdoms of Castile, Navarre and Aragon, Soria became part of Castile definitively in 1134, during the reign of Alfonso VII. In Soria was born Alfonso VIII, and Alfonso X had his court established when he received the offer to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. In Soria, the deposed king James IV of Mallorca died, and John I of Castile married.

Booming during the Late Middle Ages thanks to its border location and its control over the bovine industry, Soria went into a slow decline over the next few centuries. It was seriously damaged during the Peninsular War. The city preserves an important architectural heritage (extensive medieval walls, Renaissance palaces and architecturally distinctive Romanesque churches) and is home to the Numantine Museum (with pieces from the nearby Celtiberian city of Numantia). Today, its population of 38,881 makes Soria the least populated provincial capital of Castile and León and the second least populated in Spain (after Teruel). Particularly important in its economy is the agri-food industry, while an increasing number of tourists are attracted by its cultural heritage. Soria was mentioned by UNESCO as a good example when including the Mediterranean diet in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Source: Wikipedia

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Norwich ( (listen)) is a city in Norfolk, England, about 100 miles (160 km) north-east of London. Located on the River Wensum, it is the county town of Norfolk and traditionally seen as the chief city of East Anglia. Its population in 2019 was estimated at 197,212. The local authority is Norwich City Council. The site of Norwich was settled by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th–7th centuries, near the former Iceni capital and Roman town of Venta Icenorum. It became established as a town in the 10th century and developed into a prominent centre for trade and commerce in East Anglia. Norwich Cathedral and Norwich Castle were founded soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Norwich was granted city status by Richard the Lionheart in 1194.

The city benefited from the wool trade throughout the Middle Ages and prospered as a port with the status of a staple port. Until the 18th century it was the second-largest city in England after London. Its fortunes declined with the Industrial Revolution and the rise of new towns in the north. The city underwent de-industrialisation in the 19th century but remained a regional agricultural and manufacturing centre, with a prominent shoemaking industry. After the Second World War, Norwich gradually changed into a service-based economy. The University of East Anglia, established in 1963, lies on its outskirts.

Source: Wikipedia