Comunitat Valenciana
Valencian Community

Flag Coat of arms
Capital	Valencia
Official language(s)	Valencian and Spanish
Area  – Total  – % of Spain	Ranked 8th  23,255 km²  4.6%
Population  – Total (2005)  – % of Spain  – Density	Ranked 4th  4,806,908  10.6%  201.78/km²
Demonym  – English  – Spanish  – Valencian	Valencian  valenciano/valenciana  valencià/valenciana
Statute of Autonomy	April 10, 2006
Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate seats	32  5
President	Francisco Camps (PP)
ISO 3166-2	VC
Generalitat Valenciana

The Valencian Community (Valencian and official:^[1] Comunitat Valenciana; Spanish: Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community located in eastern Spain. Its capital is Valencia and it is divided in three provinces, from South to North: Alicante/Alacant, Valencia/València and Castellón/Castelló (names in Spanish/Valencian).^[2] Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Land_of_Valencia_(official). ... Image File history File links Escudo_de_la_Comunidad_Valenciana. ... Image File history File links Localització_del_País_Valencià.png‎ Map extent is fit to NUTS ES5 area (Eastern Spain). ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has a second meaning based on an alternative sense of capital) is the principal city or town associated with a countrys government. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... An official language is a language that is given a unique legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... Valencian (valencià) is the historical, traditional, and official name used in the autonomous community of Valencia (Spain) to refer to the language spoken therein, also known as Catalan (català) in the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands; in the country of Andorra; in the southern French... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Here is a list of the autonomous communities of Spain in order of area. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 10,000 km² and 100,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... In physics, density is mass m per unit volume V. For the common case of a homogeneous substance, it is expressed as: where, in SI units: ρ (rho) is the density of the substance, measured in kg·m-3 m is the mass of the substance, measured in kg V is... Here is a list of the autonomous communities of Spain in order of population. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with ethnonym. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Valencian (valencià) is the historical, traditional, and official name used in the autonomous community of Valencia (Spain) to refer to the language spoken therein, also known as Catalan (català) in the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands; in the country of Andorra; in the southern French... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Cortes Generales (Spanish for General Courts) is the legislature of Spain. ... ... The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... From the left: Mariano Rajoy, Josep Piqué and José María Aznar during the proclamation act of Josep Piqué in September 2003 The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is a large liberal-conservative political party in Spain. ... ISO 3166-2 is the second part of the ISO 3166 standard. ... This page deals with language. ... Spains fifty provinces (provincias) are grouped into seventeen autonomous communities (comunidades aut nomas), in addition to two African autonomous cities (ciudades aut nomas) (Ceuta and Melilla). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Location of Alicante province in Spain. ... Valencia province Valencia (Castilian Spanish: Valencia /balenθja/; Valencian Catalan: València /vałεnsia/) is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Country. ... Castellón province. ...

It has 518 km of coastline on the Mediterranean and covers 23,259 km² of land with 4.8 million inhabitants (2005). The Valencian Community also administers the tiny coastal Columbretes islands and the Tabarca islet, together with an exclave called Rincón de Ademuz. Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Columbretes Islands are a group of small inhabited islands of volcanic origin, in the Mediterranean Sea, 30 miles off from the coast of Castellón de la Plana, in Spain. ... The Island of Tabarca or Nova Tabarca (in Spanish Nova Tabarca) is an Spanish island located in the Mediterranean Sea, close to the town of Santa Pola, in the province of Alicante. ... D is Bs exclave, but is not an enclave. ... Rincón de Ademuz is an enclave of the province of València located between the provinces of Cuenca and Teruel. ...

These borders largely reflect those of the historic Kingdom of Valencia, and it's recognized officially as nationality. History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Aragonese Empire was the regime... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ...

The official languages are Spanish and Valencian (as Catalan is known in this territory). An official language is a language that is given a unique legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... Valencian (valencià) is the historical, traditional, and official name used in the autonomous community of Valencia (Spain) to refer to the language spoken therein, also known as Catalan (català) in the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands; in the country of Andorra; in the southern French... Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra, and a co-official language in the autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Land of Valencia (under the name of Valencian) and the Balearic Islands in Spain, and in the city of LAlguer in the Italian...

Names

Main article: Names of the Valencian Community

The official name of the autonomous community, Comunitat Valenciana, has seen a variety of renditions in English, including "Land of Valencia", "Region of Valencia" or simply "Valencia". The Spanish name, Comunidad Valenciana, was co-official under the first Statute of Autonomy of 1982. The names of the Valencian Community are diverse, even though Comunitat Valenciana (in English, Valencian Community) is the only denomination with official status in its Statute of Autonomy. ...

The name of País Valencià (Valencian) or País Valenciano (Spanish), is another name used already since 18th century^{[citation needed]}. It's often translated as "Valencian Country". An example of this use is the Consell pre-autonòmic del País Valencià, the forerunner of the modern Generalitat Valenciana in 1978, and in the preamble to the Statutes of Autonomy. Capital Valencia Official languages Valencian (Catalan) and Spanish (Castilian) Area  – total  – % of Spain Ranked 8th  23 255 km²  4,6% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 4th  4 326 708  10,3%  186,05/km² Demonym  – English  – Valencian  – Spanish  Valencian  valenci... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Finally, the term Kingdom of Valencia (Valencian: Regne de València, Spanish: Reino de Valencia) is only rarely used outside of its historical context (1239–1707). History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Aragonese Empire was the regime...

In all cases, the autonomous Valencian Community should be distinguished

• on the one hand, from the City of Valencia and the Province of Valencia/València; and
• on the other hand, from the linguistic community of speakers of the Valencian language, which corresponds to approximately half of the population of the Valencian Community^[3] as well as a small group of speakers in Carxe (Murcia).

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Valencia province Valencia (Castilian Spanish: Valencia /balenθja/; Valencian Catalan: València /vałεnsia/) is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Country. ... Carxe is a city in Spain. ... Institutional Capital Murcia Legislative Capital Cartagena Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 9th  11 313 km²  2,2% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 10th  1 335 792  3,0%  118,08/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Murcian  murciano/a Statute of Autonomy June 9, 1982 ISO 3166-2 MU Parliamentary...

Geography

Relief

The inland part of the territory is mountainous, with the highest peaks in the Valencia and Castellón provinces which form part of the Iberic Range. The mountains in the Alicante province are in turn a part of the Subbetic range. The Baetic Cordillera is a mountain system in southern Spain. ...

The most emblematic mountain is the Penyagolosa, in the Alcalatén area. It is widely thought to be the highest peak with its 1,813 m., but actually the highest peak is the Calderón (1,839 m.) located in the Rincón de Ademuz which has three more peaks over 1,500 m. The most emblematic mountain in the southern part of the territory is the Aitana (1,558 m.). Province Castellón Capital LAlcora Largest city LAlcora Demonym   Population 16,138 (2001) Area 648. ... Rincón de Ademuz is an enclave of the province of València located between the provinces of Cuenca and Teruel. ...

The rather thin coastal strip is a very fertile plain mainly free of remarkable mountains except those around the Cabo de la Nao area and the Irta area in the Castellón province. Typical of this coastal area are wetlands and marshlands such as La Albufera in Valencia,El Fondó in Elche, the Marjal in Pego or el Prat in Cabanes, also the former wetlands and now salt evaporation ponds in Santa Pola and Torrevieja. All of them are key RAMSAR sites which make the Valencian Community of high relevance for both migratory and resident seabirds and waterbirds. Fertile soil or Soil fertility is soil that can support abundant plant life, in particular the term is used to describe agricultural and garden soil. ... Cabo de la Nao, Cap de la Nau in Catalan, literally Cape of the Ship, is a headland located in the Mediterranean province of Alicante, Spain, being the most eastern point of the autonomous community of Valencia. ... Albufera is a lake on the coast of Spain, 7 miles south of Valencia, near which Marshal Suchet gained a victory over the English in 1811. ... Pego : A Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Abrantes. ... San Francisco Bay salt ponds Salt evaporation pond in Ile de Ré, France. ... Ramsar (in Persian: رامسر) is a town in Mazandaran province of Iran, at the Caspian Sea. ...

There are important coastal dunes in the Saler area near the Albufera and in the Guardamar area, both of them were planted with thousands of trees during the 19th century in order to fix the dunes, thus forming now protected areas of remarkable ecologic value. This article is about the sand formations, for other meanings see Dune (disambiguation) Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ... Guardamar del Segura is a municipality of the province of Alicante located at the mouth of the river Segura in southern Valencia (autonomous community) (Spain). ...

Climate

Satellite picture of the Valencian Community; the dry area in the South is easily noticed. Original by NASA

The Valencian Community has a generally mild climate, heavily influenced by the neighbouring Mediterranean sea. Still, there are important differences between areas: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (923x1339, 145 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Valencia (autonomous community) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (923x1339, 145 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Valencia (autonomous community) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... The NASA worm logo. ...

• Proper Mediterranean climate. It roughly goes along the coastal plain from the northernmost border through the Benidorm area (cities included here are, amongst others, Castelló de la Plana, Gandia and València). It reaches in various grades the lower inland areas. In this area, winters are cool, summers long, very dry and hot and rains occur mostly during spring and autumn, usually around 600mm. with a remarkably wetter micro climate in the Marina Alta and La Safor comarques right in the north side of Cabo la Nao, which accumulate an average of up to 1000mm. due to the Orographic lift phenomenon.

• Mediterranean to Continental climate transition zone. These are the innermost lands and some of those closer to the sea but at a higher elevation (cities included here are, amongst others, Alcoi, Morella, Requena, Villena). Here winters are cool to cold (a few days of snow are not unusual), summers mild to hot and rains more evenly distributed through the year.

• Mediterranean to Semiarid climate. It roughly goes along the coastal plain from Vila Joiosa through the southernmost border (cities included here are, amongst others, Alicante, Elx, Orihuela and Torrevieja). Summers are very long, hot to very hot and very dry, winters are cool to mild and its most prominent feature is very scarce precipitation, typically below 300mm. per year and most likely to happen during spring and autumn. The reasons for this lack of precipitation is mostly the marked Rain shadow effect caused by hills to the west of the Alicante province (and, to a lesser degree, those in the northern part of the province which, in turn, enhance the inverse Orographic lift effect around Cabo de la Nao).

A Mediterranean climate is a climate that resembles the climate of the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ... Categories: Stub | Ecology ... Province Alicante Capital Dénia Largest city Dénia Demonym   Population 175,310 (2001) Area 693. ... La Safor is a comarca within the province of Valencia, Spain. ... This wave cloud pattern formed off of the ÃŽle Amsterdam in the far southern Indian Ocean, due to orographic lift of an airmass by the island, producing alternating bands of condensed and invisible humidity downwind of the island as the moist air moves in vertical waves and the moisture successively... A continental climate is the climate typical of the middle-latitude interiors of the large continents of the Northern Hemisphere in the zone of westerly winds; similar climates exist along the east coasts and southwest coasts of the same continents, and also at higher elevations in certain other parts of... Semi-arid generally describes regions that receive low annual rainfall (250 to 500 mm or 10 to 20 in) and generally have scrub or grass vegetation. ... For the television series see Rain Shadow. ...

Hydrography

There are only two major rivers: the Segura in the Alicante province (whose source is in Andalusia) and the Júcar in the Valencia province (whose source is in Castilla-La Mancha) both are subjected to very intense human regulation for cities, industries and -specially- agricultural consumption. The river Turia is the third largest and also has its source in Castilla La Mancha. Autochtonous rivers such as the Vinalopó are usually short, of little flow (due to agricultural usage, climatic reasons or both) and often completely dry during the summer. Segura River. ... Motto: Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia by herself, for Spain, and for humankind) Capital Seville Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87,268 km²  17. ... The Júcar is a river on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. ... Categories: Castile-La Mancha | Autonomous communities of Spain ... The River Turia (Valencian: Riu Túria; Spanish: Río Turia) is a waterway running through the Valencian Country and reaching the sea at the City of Valencia. ... The Vinalopó is a small river flowing through the Alicante province, in Spain. ...

History

Biar Castle

The origins of present day Valencia date back to the former Kingdom of Valencia, which came into existence in the 13th century. James I of Aragon led Christian conquest and colonization of the existing Islamic taifas with Aragonese and Catalan people in 1208 and founded the Kingdom of Valencia as a third independent country within the Crown of Aragon in 1238. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 839 KB) Castillo de Biar (Alicante, España). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 839 KB) Castillo de Biar (Alicante, España). ... View of Biar. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Aragonese Empire was the regime... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... James I of Aragon (Catalan: Jaume I, Spanish: Jaime I, Occitan: Jacme I) (Montpellier, February 2, 1208 – July 27, 1276) surnamed the Conqueror, was the king of Aragon, count of Barcelona and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276. ... Conquista redirects here. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... The term taifa in the history of Iberia refers to an independent Muslim-ruled principality, an emirate or petty kingdom, of which a number formed in Spain (Arabic: Al-Andalus) after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031. ... King of Aragons arms in 15th century The Crown of Aragon or Aragonese Empire was the regime of a large portion of what is now Spain, plus numerous Mediterranean possessions, for much of the later Middle Ages. ...

In 1707, in the context the War of the Spanish Succession, and by means of the Nueva Planta decrees, king Philip V of Spain subordinated the Kingdom of Valencia, and the rest of the countries which belonged to the Crown of Aragon which had retained their independence, to the structure of the Kingdom of Castile and its laws and customs. As a result of this, the institutions and laws created by the Furs of Valencia were abolished and the usage of the Valencian language in official instances and education was forbidden. Consequently, with the House of Bourbon a new Kingdom of Spain was formed implementing a more centralized government than the former Habsburg Spain. Events January 1 - John V is crowned King of Portugal March 26 - The Acts of Union becomes law, making the separate Kingdoms of England and Scotland into one country, the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... The Nueva Planta decrees (Spanish:Decretos de Nueva Planta, Catalan: Decrets de Nova Planta) were a number of decrees signed between 1707 and 1716 by Philip V—the first Bourbon king of Spain—shortly after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. ... King Philip V of Spain (December 19, 1683 – July 9, 1746) or Philippe of Anjou was king of Spain from 1700 to 1746, the first of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain. ... King of Aragons arms in 15th century The Crown of Aragon or Aragonese Empire was the regime of a large portion of what is now Spain, plus numerous Mediterranean possessions, for much of the later Middle Ages. ... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... Furs of Valencia (Furs de València, in Catalan) were the laws of the Kingdom of Valencia during most of Middle Ages and Early modern Europe. ... Also see:  Early Modern France The House of Bourbon is an important European royal house. ... During the reign of Emperor Charles V (Carlos I of Spain), who ascended the thrones of the kingdoms of Spain after the death of his grandfather Ferdinand, Habsburg Spain controlled territory ranging from Philippines to the Netherlands, and was, for a time, Europes greatest power. ...

The first attempt to gain self-government for Valencia in modern-day Spain was during the 2nd Spanish Republic, in 1936 year, but the Civil War broke out and the autonomist project was suspended.^[4] In 1977, after Franco's disctatorship, Valencia started to be partially autonomous with the creation of the Consell Pre-autonòmic del País Valencià (Pre-autonomous Council of the Valencian Country),^[5] and in 1982 the self-government was finally extended into a Statute of Autonomy creating several self-government institutions under the Generalitat Valenciana. The Second Spanish Republic (1931 – 1939) was the second period in Spanish history in which the election of both the positions of Head of State and Head of government were in the hands of the people. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The Spanish Civil War officially ended on 1 April 1939, the day Francisco Franco announced the end of hostilities. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nominally, a Statute of Autonomy is a law hierarchically located under the constitution of a country, and over any other form of legislation (including organic laws). ... Capital Valencia Official languages Valencian (Catalan) and Spanish (Castilian) Area  – total  – % of Spain Ranked 8th  23 255 km²  4,6% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 4th  4 326 708  10,3%  186,05/km² Demonym  – English  – Valencian  – Spanish  Valencian  valenci...

The Valencian Statutes of Autonomy make clear that the Valencian Community is intended to be the modern conception of self-governemnt of the Valencian Country from the first autonomist movements (autogovern) during Second Spanish Republic, but also joining it to the traditional conception of Valencian identity, as being successor to the historical Kingdom of Valencia (furs) ^[6]. In fact, after a bipartisan reform of the Valencian statute of autonomy in 2006, it recovers the foral civil law, because of traditional conception, and, in the other side, it also recognizes Valencia as a nationality, because of modern conception. Anthem: El Himno de Riego The situation near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War Capital Madrid Language(s) Spanish Religion Roman Catholicism Government Republic President of the Government  - April 14, 1931-October 14, 1931 Niceto Alcalá-Zamora  - May 17 1937-January 30 1939 Juan Negrín Legislature Congress of... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Furs of Valencia (Furs de València, in Valencian) were the laws of the Kingdom of Valencia during most of Middle Ages and Early modern Europe. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ...

Demographics

The Valencian population traditionally concentrated in localities with fertile cultivation and growing lowlands by the most important rivers (Júcar, Turia, Segura, Vinalopó), also in harbor cities important to the agricultural trade. Fertile soil or Soil fertility is soil that can support abundant plant life, in particular the term is used to describe agricultural and garden soil. ... The Júcar is a river on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. ... The River Turia (Valencian: Riu Túria; Spanish: Río Turia) is a waterway running through the Valencian Country and reaching the sea at the City of Valencia. ... Segura River. ... The Vinalopó is a small river flowing through the Alicante province, in Spain. ...

The most important population centers used to be, during the Roman times, Sagunt or Dénia; later on in history, Valencia, Alicante, Xàtiva, Orihuela, Elx, Gandia, or Vila-real and, more recently, Alzira and Castellón de la Plana. Saguntum, now Sagunt, (Castilian Sagunto) is an ancient city in the fertile district of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia in eastern Spain. ... The fort of Denia overlooks the city. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Location of Alicante in Spain Alicante (Castillian Spanish) or Alacant (Valencian) is the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacantí, in the southern part of the Valencian community, Spain, a historic Mediterranean port. ... Xàtiva (formerly written Játiva), or San Felipe de Játiva, a town of eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia-Murcia and Valencia-Albacete railways. ... Orihuela is a city and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain. ... Flag of Elx. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Gandia (Valencian) Spanish name Gandía Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Valencia Comarca Safor Geography Land Area 60. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Norte  - Subregion Douro  - District or A.R. Vila Real Mayor Manuel Martins  - Party PSD Area 378. ... Alzira is an opera in a prologue and two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, based on the play Alzire, ou les Américains by Voltaire. ... Castellón de la Plana (in Valencian Castelló de la Plana) is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Land of Valencia, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea (40°N 0°W). ...

The population density which is higher in the central and southern regions and minor in the northern and inner ones, is derived from the traditional distribution of people which originated in the orographic characteristics of the Valencian territory and the possibility to obtain irrigated land agriculture. Demographics were also affected by (being perhaps the exception to the mentioned distribution) the great industrial activity and the commerce of agriculturally derived products during the XXth century of noncoastal cities like Alcoi, Elda, Ontinyent, Petrer, Villena, and Vall d'Uixó. Panoramic photograph of Alcoi taken in 1925. ... ELDA, more correctly ELDA+, is also the acronym for the European Lighting Designers Association. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Ontinyent (Valencian) Spanish name Onteniente Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Valencia Comarca Vall dAlbaida Geography Land Area 125. ... Petrer is a town located in the comarca of El Vinalopó Mitjà, in the province of Alicante, Spain. ... Castle of la Atalaya, in Villena. ...

In the last years, concentration in the great capitals and its metropolitan areas has augmented considerably (e.g. Torrent, Mislata, Paterna, Burjassot, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, etc.) especially in all the coastal cities and towns. Thus, traditionally small populations such as Benidorm or Torrevieja have undergone a considerable population increase (still more remarkable during summertime) due to the seasonal migration of tourists. Torrent is a municipality located within the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia (capital of both the province and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain). ... Mislata is a municipality of Arabic origin in the community of Valencia , Spain. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Paterna (Valencian) Spanish name Paterna Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Valencia Comarca Horta Oest Geography Land Area 35. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Burjassot (Valencian) Spanish name Bujasot Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Valencia Comarca Horta Nord Geography Land Area 3. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Sant Vicent del Raspeig (Valencian) Spanish name San Vicente del Raspeig Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Alicante Comarca Alacantí Geography Land Area 40. ... Benidorm Skyline Benidorm is a Valencian coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. ... Torrevieja is a seaside city and municipality located on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante, in south-eastern Spain. ...

Therefore, Valencia's population is nowadays clearly urban and coastal, also influenced by seasonal tourism.

Capital Valencia Official languages Valencian (Catalan) and Spanish (Castilian) Area  – total  – % of Spain Ranked 8th  23 255 km²  4,6% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 4th  4 326 708  10,3%  186,05/km² Demonym  – English  – Valencian  – Spanish  Valencian  valenci... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Location of Alicante in Spain Alicante (Castillian Spanish) or Alacant (Valencian) is the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacantí, in the southern part of the Valencian community, Spain, a historic Mediterranean port. ... Flag of Elx. ... Castellón de la Plana (in Valencian Castelló de la Plana) is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Land of Valencia, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea (40°N 0°W). ... Torrevieja is a seaside city and municipality located on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante, in south-eastern Spain. ... Orihuela is a city and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain. ... Torrent is a municipality located within the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia (capital of both the province and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain). ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Gandia (Valencian) Spanish name Gandía Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Valencia Comarca Safor Geography Land Area 60. ... Benidorm Skyline Benidorm is a Valencian coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. ... Saguntum, now Sagunt, (Castilian Sagunto) is an ancient city in the fertile district of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia in eastern Spain. ... Panoramic photograph of Alcoi taken in 1925. ... ELDA, more correctly ELDA+, is also the acronym for the European Lighting Designers Association. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Paterna (Valencian) Spanish name Paterna Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Valencia Comarca Horta Oest Geography Land Area 35. ...

Economics

The Valencian Community conforms an elongated territory, with a rather steep and irregular orography that has made communications and the exploitation of the soil historically difficult, despite the soil being particularly fertile in the coastal plain. This coastal axis has facilitated connections with Europe, either by sea through the Mediterranean, or by land through Catalonia. Fertile soil or Soil fertility is soil that can support abundant plant life, in particular the term is used to describe agricultural and garden soil. ... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Spanish, Catalan and Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ...

The natural resources of the Valencian territory are small with regard to minerals other than the important marble quarrying industry in the Alicante province. Venus de Milo, front. ...

As for hydrological resources (see Geography above) there is a demand of water superior to the supply, making this imbalance especially serious in the Alicante province. In years when drought is particularly severe, the problem is mitigated if necessary, with occasional nocturnal restrictions during Summer and water-bearing subterraneans exploitation. This remains a source of harsh controversy over hydrological resources with neighbouring regions such as Castile-La Mancha and Catalonia. Capital Toledo Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 3rd  79,463 km²  15. ... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Spanish, Catalan and Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ...

Benidorm's skyline represents the paradigm of mass seasonal tourism in Spain

Due to the secondary and tertiary sectors boom by the times of the Spanish miracle during the 1960s, the agricultural sector has seen its relative importance reduced over time (not so the absolute figures), but it remains to be credited -under the form of citrus cultivation for the export market- for the first economic boom by the late 19th century after centuries of slow development, if not decay. Castellón and Valencia provinces still have thousands of hectares of citrus producing groves and it continues to be a major source of income on the countryside. In the Alicante province, citrus is also present but agriculture is more diversified with a higher presence of vegetables, especially in the Vega Baja del Segura area. Benidorm, Spain Photo by Fruggo, March 2001. ... Benidorm, Spain Photo by Fruggo, March 2001. ... Benidorm Skyline Benidorm is a Valencian coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. ... The secondary sector of industry includes those economic sectors that create a finished, usable product: manufacturing and construction. ... The tertiary sector of industry, also called the service sector or the service industry, is one of the three main industrial categories of a developed economy, the others being the secondary industry (manufacturing and primary goods production such as agriculture), and primary industry (extraction such as mining and fishing). ... A white SEAT 600, an icon of the Spanish Miracle The 1957 built, 142m high, Torre de Madrid somehow heralded the advent of the Spanish Miracle The Spanish miracle (Spanish: Desarrollo económico de España) was the name given to the Spanish economic boom between 1959 and 1973. ... Species & major hybrids Species Citrus aurantifolia - Key lime Citrus maxima - Pomelo Citrus medica - Citron Citrus reticulata - Mandarin & Tangerine Major hybrids Citrus ×sinensis - Sweet Orange Citrus ×aurantium - Bitter Orange Citrus ×paradisi - Grapefruit Citrus ×limon - Lemon Citrus ×limonia - Rangpur lime Citrus ×latifolia - Persian lime See also main text for other hybrids Citrus... Castellón de la Plana (in Catalan/Valencian Castelló de la Plana) is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Valencian autonomous community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, by the Mediterranean Sea (40°N 0°W). ... Location of Alicante province in Spain. ... Vegetables on a market Vegetable is a nutritional and culinary term denoting any part of a plant that is commonly consumed by humans as food, but is not regarded as a culinary fruit, nut, herb, spice, or grain. ... Province Alicante Capital Orihuela Largest city Torrevieja Demonym   Population 325,276 (2001) Area 3820 km2 Population density 85. ...

The high insulation rate and overall stable weather which during the Summer may pose a threat to water supplies either for agricultural or human consumption, conversely allow tourism to be the main economic industry with a very high density of residential housing along the coast occupied by locals, people from inland Spain and from other EU countries (mostly from Britain, Germany, Belgium and Norway) which seasonally boost population (and hydrological demands) in the summertime.

In 2002, the Valencian Community generated 10'5% of the Spanish GDP. In human resources, the rate of unemployment was located around 10'5%, being greater among women, and the rate of activity reached 56'8% in 2002. The typical Valencian business is a small and medium company, mainly family-owned and operated, although there are some multinationals.

In addition to tourism, the Valencian economy is characterized by a marked exporting dimension, being the second exporting Spanish autonomous community, constituting 12% of the national total. The major exports are agricultural products, ceramic tiles, marble products and cars (Ford has an assembly line in Almussafes) among others, which make the port of Valencia the busiest in Spain. Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ...

In 2004, Valencia's GDP was 93.9% of the European Union average^[7] even though this figure may be affected positively by the important presence of foreign residents either from other regions of Europe or economic immigrants which are not properly represented in the official statistics. Growth rates after 2004 have been significant in overall Spain and additional progress from present figures is going on as of 2007.

Languages

Main article: Valencian language

Valencian is the llengua pròpia ("own language") of the Valencian Community, where it is co-official with Spanish.^[8] It is more spoken in the coastal areas than inland, where Spanish tends to predominate. This is particularly true of certain areas which were incorporated into the provinces of Alicante and Valencia at their creation in 1833 and which did not form form part of the historical Kingdom of Valencia. The 1984 Law on the Use and Teaching of the Valencian Language defines certain municipalities as "predominantly Spanish-speaking", and allows them some derogations as to the official use of Valencian, although the right to use and to receive education in Valencian is guaranteed by the Statute of Autonomy (Art. 6.2). This page deals with language. ... The Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (Valencian Academy of Language) is an institution created on September 16, 1998, which depends on the Presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana. ... In addition to its seventeen autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty provinces. ... Location of Alicante province in Spain. ... Valencia province Valencia (Castilian Spanish: Valencia /balenθja/; Valencian Catalan: València /vałεnsia/) is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Country. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Aragonese Empire was the regime... The municipalities of Spain (Spanish: municipios), 8111 in total, are the basic level of Spanish local government. ...

Even in areas which formed part of the old Kingdom of Valencia, the knowledge and use of Valencian has been diluted by immigration from other parts of Spain and by the lasting effects of the suppression of regional languages since the XVIII century (Nueva Planta decrees), and, in recent times, under the Franco dictatorship (1936–75). The knowledge of Valencian in those areas defined as "predominantly Valencian-speaking" by the Generalitat Valenciana (83% can understand, 58% can speak)^[9] is scarcely any higher than in the Valencian Community as a whole (see table). Of those who can speak Valencian, less than two-thirds do so "habitually", e.g. within the family.^[10] Dispite the efforts of the Generalitat, there has been little progression in the knowledge of Valencian (as a proportion of the total population) in recent years.^[11] The Nueva Planta decrees (Spanish:Decretos de Nueva Planta, Catalan: Decrets de Nova Planta) were a number of decrees signed between 1707 and 1716 by Philip V—the first Bourbon king of Spain—shortly after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. ... Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892–20th (or possibly 19th) November[1] 1975), commonly abbreviated to Francisco Franco (pron. ... Capital Valencia Official languages Valencian (Catalan) and Spanish (Castilian) Area  – total  – % of Spain Ranked 8th  23 255 km²  4,6% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 4th  4 326 708  10,3%  186,05/km² Demonym  – English  – Valencian  – Spanish  Valencian  valenci...

Standard Valencian differs only slightly from standard Catalan,^[12]. The Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua considers them to be part of the same "linguistic system",^[13] as does the Institut d'Estudis Catalans. However, within the Valencian Community, conservative forces (specially blaverists) oppose to the suggestion that the Valencian and Catalan are "the same language", seen notably on the occasion of the referendum in 2004 to approve the proposed Constitution of the European Union where the Spanish government at first distributed identical translations of the Constitutional Treaty in Catalonia and the Valencian Community.^{[citation needed]} Other Spanish government documents contain seperate translations into Catalan and Valencian, particularly where there are differences in orthography between the two standards.^[14] The Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (Valencian Academy of Language) is an institution created on September 16, 1998, which depends on the Presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana. ... The Institut dEstudis Catalans (IEC) is an academic institution. ... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Spanish, Catalan and Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ... The orthography of a language specifies the correct way of writing in that language. ...

Valencian Symbols

Valencian Coat of Arms over the entrance of the Torres dels Serrans.

Top of the Towers of Serrans (city of Valencia).

The flag of the Valencian Community is the traditional Valencian crowned Senyera, composed of four red bars on a yellow background, crowned with a blue strip next to the spear. The official Anthem is the Hymn of the Regional Exhibition of 1909, in whose composition the old hymn of the City of Valencia of the XVI century is included. The emblem of the Valencian Generalitat includes the seal of King Peter IV of Aragon, representative of the historical Kingdom of Valencia, whose shield is inclined towards the right, or, four bars Gules. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2032x1524, 318 KB) Source: http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2032x1524, 318 KB) Source: http://www. ... Download high resolution version (946x768, 63 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (946x768, 63 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Different flags of territories of the former Crown of Aragon are based upon the Senyera. ... Peter IV of Aragon (1319-1387), king of Aragon (1336-1387), the Ceremonious or el del punyalet (the one of the little dagger). ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Aragonese Empire was the regime...

The official flag, also known as Senyera Coronada or crowned senyera is the same as Valencia's City flag, which, in turn, is a historical derivation of the Senyera, the heraldic symbol of the Crown of Aragon, also used today with few variations in all the former Kingdoms and Counties which were a part of this crown. There are also a number of Valencian private and civil entities such as trade unions,^[15] cultural associations,^[16] or political parties^[17] which simply use the Senyera as Valencian flag. Different flags of territories of the former Crown of Aragon are based upon the Senyera. ... King of Aragons arms in 15th century The Crown of Aragon or Aragonese Empire was the regime of a large portion of what is now Spain, plus numerous Mediterranean possessions, for much of the later Middle Ages. ...

Other symbols are used at different levels by the Valencian society, like the heraldic animals of rat-penat (a bat) and drac alat (a winged dragon which was the emblem of James I), or the music of the Muixeranga, among others. Depicting a morera (mulberry tree) The Muixeranga (pronounced mooh-eeh-sheh-rang-gah, IPA ) is the collective name given to the performance of ancient street dances and human castles, originating in the Land of Valencia, which are still preserved in the town of Algemesí, 30 km southwest from Valencia. ...

Gastronomy

Valencian Paella

The Valencian gastronomy is of great variety, although their more international dishes are rice based, like the worldwide known Valencian paella. The rice is a basic ingredient in many of the typical dishes, like the "arrós (rice) a banda", the "arrós a la pedrera", "arrós negre", "arrós amb costra", "arrós caldòs", among many. Image File history File links Paella_rosemary. ... Image File history File links Paella_rosemary. ... Valencian paella. ... Valencian paella. ...

The Valencian Mediterranean climate favors the cultivation of citrus fruits and vegetables, with the cultivation of the orange being perhaps of highest importance as one of the typical fruits of Valencian agriculture. Binomial name Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck Orange—specifically, sweet orange—refers to the citrus tree Citrus sinensis (syn. ...

Drinks

The horchata, whose traditional nucleus of elaboration is Alboraia, is a typical drink, accompanied with "fartons". Also traditional is the production of coffee liquor (typical of Alcoi), and mistela (in Marina Baixa and la Hoya de Buñol). Two large jars of aguas frescas in a taqueria in Seattle, Washington, USA. On the left is a jar of jamaica and on the right is a jar of horchata. ... Alboraia is a town very close to the city of Valencia, Spain. ... Panoramic photograph of Alcoi taken in 1925. ... Comarcas of Valencian Country Capital La Vila Joiosa Population (2002) 147,039 inhab. ...

Turron from Alicante

ImageMetadata File history File links Turrón. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Turrón. ... Location of Alicante in Spain Alicante (Castillian Spanish) or Alacant (Valencian) is the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacantí, in the southern part of the Valencian community, Spain, a historic Mediterranean port. ...

Desserts

The great majority of desserts have their origin in Arabic times and play and important part in the local festive activities. Some, nowadays are internationally famous. Xixona is the place of traditional manufacture of turrón (a soft nougat) dessert consumed during Christmas in Spain and the rest of the Hispanic world. In Xàtiva, the "Arnadí", a dessert elaborated with pumpkin is made. In Orihuela and its region the "almojábenas", and in Alcoi the "peladillas" (sugared almonds) are produced. Xixona (spanish Jijona) is a town in the Valencian Country on the eastern coast of Spain. ... Turrón de Alicante Turrón (Spanish), torrone (Italian), or torró (Valencian or Catalan), is a nougat confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, coated in crushed, toasted almonds, and usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake. ... Xàtiva (formerly written Játiva), or San Felipe de Játiva, a town of eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia-Murcia and Valencia-Albacete railways. ... Orihuela is a city and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain. ... Panoramic photograph of Alcoi taken in 1925. ...

Sports

Valencian pilota match

The autoctonous Valencian sport is the Valencian pilota, which features a professionalValencian Pilota Squad for international matches with related ball games all around the world. This sport has many variants, that may be played at the streets or at special courtfields like the trinquet.It may also be played by teams or on individual challenges. An amazing trait of this sport is that spectators may sit very close or even in the middle of the court. Even while the match is ongoing bookmakers take bets for reds or blues, since these are the colours players must wear, red being the colour of the strongest team or player. The Valencian pilota can be traced to the XV century, but it was abandoned during modern times, this decadence is being fought back with TV broadcasts, new built colleges have courtfields and a new professional players firm, ValNet. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Pilota Valenciana or Valencian pilota (pilota means ball in Valencian) is a traditional handball sport played in the Valencian Community. ... Pilota Valenciana or Valencian pilota (pilota means ball in Valencian) is a traditional handball sport played in the Valencian Community. ... The Valencian Pilota Squad are the Valencian pilota professional or amateur players chosen to take part in the Handball International Championships representing Spain, even though they use the Valencian flag, [1]. This is the list, not yet complete, of the players: // Pigat II of El Genovés, coach Álvaro of... Alternate uses: See Ball (disambiguation) A ball is a round object that is used most often in sports and games. ... Trinquet ready for an Escala i corda game Valencian trinquet (or simply trinquet) is the court used in the Land of Valencia for two different modalities of Valencian pilota: the Escala i corda and the Raspall. ... A bookmaker, bookie or turf accountant, is an organisation or a person that takes bets and may pay winnings depending upon results and, depending on the nature of the bet, the odds. ... ValNet is the company gathering all Valencian pilota professional players. ...

Another relevant game is the pigeon sport, with an autoctonous dove race being trained, the gavatxut valencià. There are at least four main types of competitive pigeon sport: Pigeon racing Tumbling Mumbling Tippler Though not quite a sport, fancy breeds of pigeons are also bred to standards and judged in a competitive fashion. ... Subfamilies see article text Feral Rock Pigeon beside Weiming Lake, Peking University Dove redirects here. ...

Petanca and its variant Calitx are traditional sports as well, especially in towns or among older people. Next to the beach at Nice, France In Hakaniemi, Helsinki Pétanque is a form of boules where the goal is to throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (piglet). ...

Motorcycle races are very popular, as the Circuit de Valencia race track and its hosted Valencian Community Grand Prix prove. // Classic Road Racing Road Racing on (temporary closed) public roads Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. ... The Circuit de Valencia (officially named Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo) is a motorsport race track located in Cheste (Valencia, Spain) and built in 2000. ... The Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. ...

Football is the most known sport. There are many teams in every town or village, but only three of them are playing now in La Liga, the Spanish Premiership: Levante UD, Valencia CF and Villarreal CF. There are many big teams elsewhere, such as CD Alcoyano, CD Castellón, Elche CF or Hércules CF. Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The La Liga 2006/2007 season starts August 27, 2006 and finishes June 17, 2007. ... Liga de Fútbol Profesional (Professional Football League), commonly known as La Liga, is the professional football league in Spain. ... Levante Unión Deportiva is a football club that has won promotion to the Primera División (First Division) of the Spanish Football League for the 2006–2007 season after finishing 3rd in the Segunda División (Second Division). ... Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia CF or Valencia) is a Spanish professional football team based in Valencia, Spain. ... Villarreal Club de Fútbol SAD, usually abbreviated to Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a small town close to Castellón de la Plana. ... Club Deportivo Alcoyano is a football team based in Alcoi in the autonomous community of Valencia. ... Club Deportivo Castellón is a Spanish football team formed in 1922 and based in Castellón. ... Elche CF is a Spanish football team formed in 1923 and based in Elche. ... Hércules Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team formed in 1922 and based in Alicante. ...

Professional Basketball is represented by two teams, the CB Lucentum Alicante and the Valencia BC in the top league, the ACB. Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... Club Name CB Lucemtum Alicante Image Founded 1994 Arena Centro De Tecnificacion, Alicante, Land of Valencia, Spain. ... Club Name Valencia Basket Club Image Founded 1986 Arena Fuente San Luis, Valencia, Land of Valencia, Spain. ... The ACB (Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto) is the premier professional basketball league in Spain. ...

Regarding female professional sports, Valencian Handball rules the Spanish Honor division league with more than half of the teams, such as Astroc Sagunt, Orsan Elda Prestigio and Cementos La Union Ribaroja. Handball player leaps towards the goal prior to throwing the ball, while the goalkeeper extends himself trying to stop it. ...

Provinces

Traditionally the land is divided into comarques, and in 1883 was, along with the rest of Spain, divided into provinces. There are 32 comarques, and three provinces: Castellón/Castelló, Valencia/València, and Alicante/Alacant. This is a list of the comarques (singular comarca) of Catalonia. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... In addition to its seventeen autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty provinces. ... Comarcas of Spain In Spain traditionally and historically, some provinces are also divided into comarcas (singular comarca). ... Castellón province. ... Valencia province Valencia (Castilian Spanish: Valencia /balenθja/; Valencian Catalan: València /vałεnsia/) is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Country. ... Location of Alicante province in Spain. ...

• Valencia (Valencian València), population 796,549, capital of the province of the same name, on the river Turia. Famous festival of the Fallas on March 19.
• Alicante (Valencian Alacant), population 319,380, capital of the province of the same name, in the Mediterranean coast. Famous for its hard nougat or turrón duro (Valencian torró dur) and Postiguet, Albufereta and San Joan Beaches. The famous festival of the Bonfires of Saint John is in June. Its city hall and the Santa Barbara Castle are historic monuments.
• Elx (Spanish Elche), population 215,137, famous for the wood of the palm tree called Palmeral, and for the Misteri d'Elx, two-day festival of singing and street drama that acts out the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, declared by UNESCO as part of all humankind's oral heritage.
• Castellón de la Plana (Valencian Castelló de la Plana), population 167,455, capital of the province of Castellón.
• Torrevieja (Valencian Torrevella), population 84,348, in the south, important tourist center with many hotels, apartments and tourist accommodations; includes La Mata Beach.
• Gandia, population 77,943, is another important tourist center, situated on the Costa del Azahar.
• Orihuela (Valencian Oriola), population 75,009, on the Segura River, historic city with palaces, churches and the Cathedral, on the "Vega Baja" (Valencian Baix Segura), a highly productive area for farm products such as oranges, lemons and the like.
• Benidorm, population 67,492, a major holiday resort, dubbed Beniyork because of its many skyscrapers, including Spain's tallest, the 52-story Gran Hotel Bali.
• Elda, population 55,571, important production center for shoes and wine in the Vinalopo area.
• Xixona (Spanish Jijona), population 7,494, near Alicante, famous for its soft nougat or torró de Xixona (Spanish turrón de Jijona).
• Villena, population 34.000, important production of shoes and wine, with many historical and monumental visits. Also, fiestas of "Moros y Cristianos", one of the most important in the Community
• Vila-real (Spanish Villarreal), population 46,696, important producer of ceramics and brick.
• Buñol (Valencian Bunyol), population 9,404, famous for the tomatina, a town-wide tomato fight held the last Wednesday of August.
• Ibi, population 23,059, a toy production center.

Major rivers: This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A Falla prior to being burned Falles (in Catalan/Valencian) or Fallas (in Spanish) is a Valencian tradition which celebrates Saint Josephs Day (March 19th) in Valencia, Spain. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... Location of Alicante in Spain Alicante (Castillian Spanish) or Alacant (Valencian) is the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacantí, in the southern part of the Valencian community, Spain, a historic Mediterranean port. ... Nougat is a term used to describe a variety of similar confectioneries made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts are common) and sometimes chopped candied fruit. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Flag of Elx. ... Castellón de la Plana (in Valencian Castelló de la Plana) is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Land of Valencia, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea (40°N 0°W). ... Castellón province. ... Torrevieja is a seaside city and municipality located on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante, in south-eastern Spain. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Gandia (Valencian) Spanish name Gandía Administration Country Spain Autonomous Community Valencian Community Province Valencia Comarca Safor Geography Land Area 60. ... Costa del Azahar (Spanish for Orange Blossom Coast) is the name for the coast of the provinces Castellón and Valencia and part of Alicante in Spain, from Alcanar to the Cabo de la Nao. ... Orihuela is a city and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain. ... Benidorm Skyline Benidorm is a Valencian coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Gran Hotel Bali. ... ELDA, more correctly ELDA+, is also the acronym for the European Lighting Designers Association. ... Xixona (spanish Jijona) is a town in the Valencian Country on the eastern coast of Spain. ... Castle of la Atalaya, in Villena. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Norte  - Subregion Douro  - District or A.R. Vila Real Mayor Manuel Martins  - Party PSD Area 378. ... Buñol is a small-sized (112 km²) industrial and agricultural (Carob trees, almond trees, fruit trees, olive trees and grapes. ... Tomatoes in midair La Tomatina is a festival held on a Wednesday towards the end of August in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region in Spain. ... Ibi is a town located in the comarca of Alcoià, in the province of Alicante, Spain. ...

• Turia River (Valencian Túria)
• Júcar River (Valencian Xúquer)
• Segura River

The River Turia (Valencian: Riu Túria; Spanish: Río Turia) is a waterway running through the Valencian Country and reaching the sea at the City of Valencia. ... The Júcar is a river on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. ... Segura River. ...

Other articles

• Nationalities in Spain
• Seaports in the Valencian Community

Historically, the modern country of Spain was formed by the accretion of several independent Iberian realms through dynastic inheritance, conquest and the will of the local elites. ... This is a list of ports and harbours in the Valencian Community of Spain. ...

External links

• http://www.avl.gva.es/ Language Valencian Academy
• http://www.comunitatvalenciana.com Official tourism webpage.
• Valencia on Wikitravel
• Travelturisme. Guide for professional tourism in the Region of Valencia with tourism news
• subway metropolitan area
• Valencia information in English
• Valencia search engine
• Datos y cifras de los municipios de la provincia de Alicante. Unidad de Documentación de la Diputación de Alicante (Spanish)
• Web de la Diputación Provincial de Alicante (Spanish)

References

1. ^ Art. 1.1 of the Statute of Autonomy of 2006-04-10, as effected by Art. 2°, Ley Orgánica 1/2006, de 10 de abril, de Reforma de la Ley Orgánica 5/1982, de 1 de julio, de Estatuto de Autonomía de la Comunidad Valenciana
2. ^ The names in both languages are official as per Ley 25/1999, de 6 de julio, por la que se declaran cooficiales las denominaciones Alacant, Castelló y València para las provincias que integran la Comunidad Valenciana.
3. ^ Vila i Moreno, F. Xavier (2004). El coneixement del català. Barcelona: Institut d’Estudis Catalans. See also Llei 4/1983, del 23 de novembre, d'Ús i Ensenyament del Valencià, which designates certain municipalities as predominantly Spanish-speaking.
4. ^ s:es:Proyecto de Estatuto de Autonomía para el País Valenciano (1937)
5. ^ s:es:Real Decreto-Ley 10/1978, de 17 de marzo, por el que se aprueba el Régimen Preautonómico del País Valenciano
6. ^ Preamble on Valencian Statutes of Autonomy 1982 and 2006: "Aprovada la Constitució Espanyola, va ser, en el seu marc, on la tradició valenciana provinent de l'històric Regne de València es va trobar amb la concepció moderna del País Valencià i va donar origen a l'autonomia valenciana [...]"
7. ^ Eurostat GDP figures 2004
8. ^ Art. 6, 2006 Statute of Autonomy
9. ^ Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (2004). Enquesta sobre la situació del valencià.
10. ^ Miquel Strubell (1981). Llengua i població a Catalunya.
11. ^ F. Xavier Vila i Moreno (2004). El coneixement del català. Barcelona: Institut d'Estudis Catalans.
12. ^ One of the more easily recognisable differences is the feminine form of the word for "his" or "her": seua in Valencian, seva in (standard) Catalan. See Valencian language for more discussion and examples.
13. ^ Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (2005-02-09). Dictamen sobre els principis i criteris per a la defensa de la denominació i l’entitat del valencià. Annex 1 to the Dictamen provides a selection of definitions for the term "linguistic system"; Annexes 2–7 provide a selection of sources for the different names which have been used for the language spoken in the Valencian Community.
14. ^ For example, the temporary driver's licence issued immediately after the practical driving test.
15. ^ See logo of one of major trade unions: CCOO-PV
16. ^ See usage of the Senyera by a Valencian cultural association: ACPV
17. ^ See usage of Senyera by political parties EUPV, BNV, Green Parties, amongst others, whose combined participation in the Autonomous Elections of 2003 achieved 11% of the total votes.

v • d • e Catalan-speaking regions
Catalan as the only official language	Andorra
Catalan as co-official language	Balearic Islands · Catalonia · L'Alguer · Valencia (as Valencian)
Spoken without official status	Carxe · La Franja · Northern Catalonia