The municipality of Elche today is home to the vastest concentration of palm trees of Europe, estimated in some 200,000 to 300,000 trees.
The theory of the Phoenician origins of the palm grove is broadly agreed, implying that the Elche date palms have existed for over 2,000 to 5,000 years. On the other hand, the division of land into plots, the planning, irrigation and cultivation of the palm trees dates back to the Moorish domination.

During the centuries that preceded its actual industrial activity, the former agricultural town of Elche included the cultivation of dates and palms together with other traditional horticultural crops grown for local supply.

The palms are spread all over the landscape.The singularity and the beautiful landscape of the Elche palm grove have been the main reasons for its distinction as the only natural park in Europe to be declared a World Heritage site, obtained in November 2000.