Welcome to Land of Valencia!
The Valencian Community (Catalan: Comunitat Valenciana), sometimes also known as the Valencian Country, is an autonomous community or region of Spain in the central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula.
For many people, the region conjures up images of endless fine beaches, unspoiled water and beautiful weather. Alongside this, the wonderful eating, spectacular festivals, traditional Spanish cities and surprising cultural scene offer a true taste of Spain with a Valencian twist. Further inland, the incredibly varied geography of the region means that there are plenty of natural wonders to surprise any visitor.
The region is made up of three provinces, with a shared history as part of the historic Crown of Aragon. As such, they have a common culture which also shares much with Catalonia and Aragon. This culture and the beautiful, varied landscape makes it an attractive destination for tourists, with millions visiting from Spain and the rest of Europe each year.
The Valencian Community (Catalan: Comunitat Valenciana), or simply Valencia (Valencian: València, Spanish: Valencia), is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and Madrid with more than five million inhabitants. Its homonymous capital Valencia is the third largest city and metropolitan area in Spain. It is located along the Mediterranean coast on the east side of the Iberian Peninsula. It borders with Catalonia to the north, Aragon and Castilla–La Mancha to the west, and Murcia to the south. The Valencian Community consists of three provinces which are Castellón, Valencia and Alicante.
According to Valencia's Statute of Autonomy, the Valencian people are a nationality. Their origins date back to the Aragonese reconquest of the Moorish Taifa of Valencia, which was taken by James I of Aragon in 1238 during the Reconquista. The newly founded Kingdom of Valencia was granted wide self-government under the Crown of Aragon. Valencia experienced its Golden Age in the 15th century, as it became the Crown's economic capital. Self-government continued after the unification of the Spanish Kingdom, but was eventually suspended in 1707 by Philip V of Spain as a result of the Spanish War of Succession. Valencian nationalism resurged towards the end of the 19th century, which led to the modern conception of the Valencian Country. Self-government under the Generalitat Valenciana was finally reestablished in 1982 after Spanish transition to democracy.
Many Valencian people speak Valencian, a Romance language which is the region's own co-official language, also known as Catalan in other regions. Valencian was repressed and persecuted during Franco's dictatorship (1939–1975) in favor of Spanish. Since it regained official status in 1982 in the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, Valencian has been implemented in public administration and the education system, leading to a dramatic increase in knowledge of its formal standard. According to the general survey from 2015, Valencian is understood by almost the entire population living within the Valencian Community and is spoken by a wide majority, but almost half of the population cannot write it. As of 2020, the population of the Valencian Community comprised 10.63% of the Spanish population.