Interactive map suggests David Ferrer is the most notable person from Xàbia
A study by the University of Paris has identified the most notable people and place them geographically in an interactive map.
Monday 1st August 2022 · Mike Smith
Source: Notable People website
An interactive map has been developed which highlights the birthplaces of the most notable people from around the world – and lists tennis player David Ferrer as the most notable person to come from Xàbia.
Created by Mapbox researcher and geographer Topi Tjukanov, the map is based on a study by the University of Paris and published in June 2022 which identifies the most notable people who have lived between 3500 BCE and 2018 CE and places them geographically on a map of the world according to their place of birth.
Using data from Wikipedia and Wikidata, the researchers took into account a number of factors, including the number of entries, the length of those entries, the average number of views for each person between 2015 and 2018, and the total number of external links.
Using this data, they were able to generate a list showing the most notable person for each geographical location across four categories – Culture, Discovery & Science, Leadership, and Sports & Games. Or the visitor can select ‘All’ to see the overall most notable person.
In the case of Xàbia, the overall most notable person is David Ferrer, the former professional tennis player, a three-time David Cup champion with Spain and with 27 career titles to his name before he retired in 2019. In 2013, the long promenade along the Arenal beach was renamed in his honour – el Paseo del Tenista David Ferrer – and six years later, in December 2019, the renowned sculptor Victor Goicoetxea unveiled a splendid sculpture dedicated the sportsman.
With regards to the Leadership category, the most notable person who was born in Xàbia is Antonio Llidó, a Roman Catholic priest who became a leading member of the Marxist-Leninist Revolutionary Left Movement (Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria) in Chile after being forced to flee Spain in the face of repression from the Francoist dictatorship. In September 1973, he was arrested, tortured and executed after the Pinochet coup. In June 1998, the high school in Xàbia was renamed in his honour.
It is interesting to identify the most notable people in the surrounding areas. In the case of Dénia, it is Abu al-Salt, a Arabic mathematician who wrote extensively about pharmacology, geometry, Aristotelian physics and astronomy as well as the Spanish tenor Antonio Cortis (Culture), Mujahid al-Amiri (Leadership), the ruler of Dénia and the Balearic Islands in the late 11th century, and footballer José Luis García Vayá, almost known as ‘Pepelu’, (Sports & Games) who currently plays for UD Levante.
Try it yourself
