 Albacete is a province situated in the southeast of the central Spanish meseta in the Autonomous region of Castilla la Mancha. Limited to the north by Cuenca, the east by Valencia and Alicante, to the south by Murcia and Granada and the west by Ciudad Real and Jaén.
Albacete has a total population of around 387,658 (2006). The capital city of the province goes by the same name of Albacete.
In terms of topography, the northern part of the province of Albacete is an extensive plain situated about 700 metres above sea level. In the southern part of the province mountainous zones, such as the Sierra de la Cabras de Nerpio, can reach above 2,000 metres above sea level.
The main sierras are the Sierras Sierras de Alcaraz, Calar del Mundo, del Taibilla; and, to the east, the Cordillera de Montearagón and the la sierra del Mugrón de Almansa.
Albacete is a province that is also bounded both by the Atlantic and the Mediterrean, although only its rivers actually see the former ocean. The River Júcar and the Segura, the Cabrial and the Mundo that has its spring in n the region of Riopar all trace towards the Mediterranean.
The River Záncara flows out into the Guadiana and ultimately to the Atlantic. The only other river that springs in Albacete but which in this province is of little importance, is the Guadalquivir.
 Historically Albacete’s history is rich in drama and events. Populated thousands of years ago, all the major cultures and civilizations that have walked the face of the Iberian Peninsula have left their traces here.
The oldest human remains to have been uncovered are those discovered near to the village of Villarrobledo and date back to the Palaeolithic. Records exist of over 88 sites where ancient cave art can be studied especially in the areas around Alpera and Ayna.
During the Roman occupation, principal cities included Libisosa (Lezuza), Saltigi (Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón) and Illium (Hellin) and during the Islamic époque the province came under the influence of the Emirate of Córdoba. After the break up of the Islamic empire in Iberia large tracts of the province fell within the taifas of Denia and Murcia.
It was Fernando III of Castille that recaptured the major part of the province of Albacete. Only the most oriental part of the province remained in Islamic hands until it was captured by Jaime I de Aragón (Alcuadete). During this time, large parts of the province belonged to the marquises de Villena however, both Alcarez and Villarrobledo rebelled against the marquis in favour of the Reyes Católicos.
In 1833 Javier de Burgos, using the boundaries of the province of Chinchilla, created the province of Albacete, with its capital in Albacete. From its formation, the province actually formed as part of the Region of Murcia but, in 1978, the Autonomous Community of Castilla La Mancha was created and it was into this Region that Albacete was incorporated.
More information
http://www.albacetesiempreabierto.com/index.htm
http://www.lagunasruidera.com/index2.shtml
Original text obtained and translated from "http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincia_de_Albacete"
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