valencia

carte régions espagne Valencià in Catalan, Comunidad Valenciana or País Valenciano in Spanish) is an autonomous community in eastern Spain. Between the Sénia and Segura rivers, it has 518 kilometers of coastline on the Mediterranean and covers 23,255 km² of land with 4.5 million inhabitants (ca. 2004). Valencia also administers the coastal Columbretes islands and Nova Tabarca. To a high degree, these borders reflect those of the historic Kingdom of Valencia.

Valencia's Statute of Autonomy[1] declares the official languages Castilian (name given to Spanish) and Valencian (name given to Catalan). Although the Spanish Constitution of 1978 obligates citizens to know Spanish throughout Spain, the statute grants Catalan special protected status, referring to it as the autonomous community's "own language" (llengua pròpia).

The origins of Valencia date back to the former Kingdom of Valencia, which came into existence in the 13th century. James I "the Conqueror" led Catalan and Aragonese colonization of the Islamic taifas of Valencia and Dénia. The first attempt to gain self-government for Valencian Country in modern-day Spain was during the 2nd Spanish Republic, in 1936 year, but the Civil War broke out and the Valencian autonomist project was suspended. Recently there has been bipartisn movement toward reforming the Valencian statute of autonomy to officially recognize Valencia as a nationality.

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: Castelló, València, and Alacant.

Valencian community