Valencia

City and capital of Valencia province in the Valencian Community, eastern Spain, on the estuary of the Guadalaviar River; population (2001 est) 746,600. It is the centre of a very rich agricultural plain noted for the high quality of its citrus fruits, particularly oranges; industries include textiles, metal products, chemicals, ship repair, motor vehicles, furniture, coloured tiles, and wine.

Valencia was a Roman colony, first mentioned in the 2nd century BC. It was under Moorish rule from the 8th to the 13th centuries, except during 1094-99, when it was ruled by El Cid. After its conquest by James I of Aragón in 1238, Valencia rose to great commercial and cultural importance, rivalling Barcelona. It was the seat of the Valencia school of painting in the 16th and 17th centuries, and experienced an economic revival during the 19th and 20th centuries. During the Spanish civil war, Valencia was the seat of the Republican government in 1936-37. There is a Gothic and baroque cathedral (13th-15th centuries), called La Seo; the Torres de Serranos, 14th-century fortified towers built on Roman foundations; La Lonja, the Gothic silk exchange; and a university founded in 1501.