Valencia

Valencia (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Spanish: [baˈlenθja] ⓘ, officially in Valencian: València [vaˈlensia])[a] is the capital of the province and autonomous community of the same name in Spain. It is the third-most populated municipality in the country, with 807,693 inhabitants within the administrative boundaries of the municipality (2023)[1] and 1,582,387 inhabitants (2021) within the metropolan area.[6][7] It is located on the banks of the Turia, on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea. Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC under the name Valentia Edetanorum [es]. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Valencia became part of the Visigothic Kingdom from 546 AD and 711 AD. Islamic rule and acculturation ensued in the 8th century, together with the introduction of new irrigation systems and crops. Aragonese Christian conquest took place in 1238, and so the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Valencia. The city's population thrived in the 15th century, owing to trade with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, Italian ports, and other Mediterranean locations, becoming one of the largest European cities by the end of the century. Already harmed by the emergence of the Atlantic World trade in detriment to Mediterranean trade in global trade networks, along with insecurity created by Barbary piracy throughout the 16th century, the city's economic activity experienced a crisis upon the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609. The city became a major silk manufacturing centre in the 18th century. During the Spanish Civil War, the city served as the accidental seat of the Spanish Government from 1936 to 1937.[8]