Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Valencian Community

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

The Valencian Community is a large part of Spain.

Comunidad Valenciana in Spain (including Canarias)
Comunidad Valenciana in Spain (including Canarias)

It sits on the east side of the Iberian Peninsula. The blue Mediterranean Sea is right next to its coast.

Land of Valencia, NASA satellite image
Land of Valencia, NASA satellite image

To the north is Catalonia, and to the south is Murcia. Aragon and Castilla–La Mancha sit along its western border.

Mapa físic del País Valencià
Mapa físic del País Valencià

The area is divided into three provinces: Castellón, Valencia, and Alicante. More than 5 million people live in this region. This means it holds about 10.9% of all people in Spain.

The region has two official languages. People speak Spanish and Valencian.

The name "Valencia" has a long and interesting history. The Romans founded the city of Valentia in 138 BC. The name likely means "strength" or "valour."

Torres quart
Torres quart

Later, the name changed during the time of the Muslim Taifa of Valencia. Today, the region uses the name Valencian Community. This name helps people avoid arguments about other older names. Some people still prefer to call it the Valencian Country.

Many different groups have shaped this land over a long time. First, the Iberians lived here in different groups. Then, the Greeks set up colonies in coastal towns.

Tossal-plantagral
Tossal-plantagral

After the Romans, the Visigoths ruled for a while. In 711, the Arabs arrived and stayed for many years.

Castillo villena
Castillo villena

Their time there left a lasting mark on the local culture. Later, James the Conqueror led a Christian conquest in 1238. This led to the start of the Kingdom of Valencia.

The Kingdom of Valencia was very important in the past. It reached a Golden Age during the 15th century.

During this time, it was a major center for money and trade. The silk trade helped the kingdom grow very wealthy. However, things changed after the Spanish War of Succession in 1707. The king abolished the kingdom and its special laws. This was a difficult time for the local institutions.

Today, the Valencian Community has its own way to govern itself. This system is called the Generalitat Valenciana.

Palau generalitat9
Palau generalitat9

It was officially set up in 1982 after a big change in Spain. The people here have a strong sense of their own identity. They call themselves a "historical nationality."

Escut- del País Valencià als Torres dels Serrans
Escut- del País Valencià als Torres dels Serrans

You can see this pride in their modern cities and traditions. It is a place where old history meets a new, modern life.

378 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (23)
Himne_de_l'Exposició.ogg
File:Comunidad Valenciana in Spain (including Canarias).svg
Comunidad Valenciana in Spain (including...
File:Tossal-plantagral.jpg
Tossal-plantagral.jpg
File:Castillo villena.JPG
Castillo villena.JPG
File:Torres quart.jpg
Torres quart.jpg
File:Land of Valencia, NASA satellite image.jpg
Land of Valencia, NASA satellite image.jpg
File:Mapa_físic_del_País_Valencià.png
Mapa_físic_del_País_Valencià.png
File:Comunidad-Valenciana Densidad.png
Comunidad-Valenciana Densidad.png
File:Palau generalitat9.jpg
Palau generalitat9.jpg
File:La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias de Valencia.jpg
La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias de...
File:Benidorm vista 04.JPG
Benidorm vista 04.JPG
File:7. Vistes des de la muntanya de les Raboses (País Valencià).jpg
7. Vistes des de la muntanya de les...

+ 11 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.