Valencia

Valencia: Tower of Santa Catalina

Valencia, Catalan València, comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of eastern Spain. It encompasses the provincias (provinces) of Castellón, Valencia, and Alicante. The autonomous community occupies a long and narrow area aligned on a rough north-south axis along the Mediterranean Sea, which lies to the east. It is bounded by the autonomous communities of Catalonia to the north, Aragon to the northeast, Castile–La Mancha to the west, and Murcia to the south. The autonomous community of Valencia was established by the statute of autonomy of July 1, 1982. Its government consists of an executive council, headed by a president, and a unicameral legislative assembly. The capital is Valencia city. Area 8,979 square miles (23,255 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 4,885,029.