Valencia ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the
Autonomous Community
of Valencia
and the third largest city in
Spain
, with a population of 810,064 in 2008. It is
the
22nd-most populous municipality in the
European Union and
35th-most populous
urban area in the European Union with a population of 1,175,000
or 1,564,145. 1,705,742 or 2,300,000 people live in the Valencia
metropolitan area.
It forms
part of an industrial area on the Costa del Azahar
. Its main festival, the
Falles, has a reputation throughout Spain, while the
world famous Spanish dish
paella originated
around Valencia.
The city
contains a dense monumental heritage (including the Llotja de la
Seda
(World Heritage
Site since 1996), but its landmark is undoubtedly the City of Arts
and Sciences
an avant-garde and
futuristic museum complex.
Name
The original
Latin name of the city was
(/wa'lentia/), meaning "strength", "valour", the city being named
for the roman practice of recognizing the valour of former Roman
soldiers after a war. The Roman historian
Titus
Livius (Livy) explains that the foundation of Valentia in the
2nd century BC was due to the
settling of the Roman soldiers who fought against Iberian local
rebel Viriatus.
During the rule of the Muslim Empires in Spain, it was known as
(
Balansiya) in
Arabic.
By regular
sound changes, this has
become
Valencia (/ba'lenθja/) in
Spanish and
València (/va' nsia/)
in
Valencian. The Valencian pronunciation
in the local dialect (in Valencian) is /ba' ensia/.
History

Quart Towers, is one of the twelve
doors that was part of the ancient City Walls.
The city of Valencia, is in the province known in ancient days as
Edetania. The Roman historian
Florus
says that
Junius Brutus, transferred
there (140 BC) the soldiers who had fought under him. Later it was
a Roman military colony. In punishment for its adherence to
Sertorius it was destroyed by
Pompey, but was later rebuilt, and
Pomponius Mela says that it was one of the
principal cities of
Tarraconensis
province.
The city was founded by the Romans in 137 BC on the site of a former
Iberian town, by the river Turia
.
The city has been occupied by the
Visigoths,
Moors, and the
Aragonese.
The Moors occupied the territory peacefully in 714 A.D. When
Islamic culture settled in, Valencia – then Balansiya – prospered
thanks to a booming trade in paper, silk, leather, ceramics, glass
and silver-work. The architectural legacy from this period is
abundant in Valencia and can still be appreciated today in the
remains of the old walls, the Baños del Almirante bath house,
Portal de Valldigna street and even the Cathedral and the tower, El
Micalet, which was the minaret of the old mosque.

View of the bell towers of Micalet and
Santa Catalina Church
After the death of
Almanzor
and the unrest that followed
'the Cid'
conquered Valencia for the short period from 15 June 1094 – July
1099. He turned nine mosques into churches, and installed the
French monk Jérôme as bishop (this victory was immortalised in the
Lay of the Cid). On the death of the
Cid (July 1099), his wife, Doña Ximena, retained power for two
years, when Valencia was besieged by the Almoravids, and the city
returned to the
Almoravids in 1102.
Although the 'Emperor of Spain' Alfonso drove them from the city,
he was not strong enough to hold it. The Christians set fire to it,
abandoned it, and the Almoravid Masdali took possession of it on 5
May 1109. The event was commemorated in a poem by
Ibn Khafaja in which he thanked
Yusuf ibn Tashfin for the liberation of
the city. The
Almoravid and the
Almohad dynasty would rule Valencia
for more than a century. In 1238 King
James I of Aragon the Conqueror, with an
army composed of French, English, Germans, and Italians, laid siege
to Valencia, and on 28 September in that same year forced a
surrender. 50,000 Moors were forced to leave. Poets like
Ibn al-Abbar and
Ibn
Amira mourned their exile from their beloved Valencia. On 9
October, King James, followed by his retinue and army, took
possession. The principal mosque was purified, Mass was celebrated,
and the "Te Deum" sung. James incorporated city and territory into
the new formed
Kingdom of
Valencia, one of the kingdoms forming the
Crown of Aragon and populate the new Kingdom
with Catalan people on the coast and Aragon people on the
interior.
Catholic sources state that Saint
Vincent
Ferrer preached so successfully (sometime between 1390 and
1411), converting thousands of
Jews, that he
was permitted to employ the synagogue for his newly-founded
hospital of San Salvador.
In the
15th and 16th centuries, Valencia was one of the major cities in
the Mediterranean
. The writer
Joanot Martorell, author of
Tirant lo Blanch, and the poet
Ausias March are famous Valencians of
that era.
The first printing press in the Iberian Peninsula was located in
Valencia. The first printed Bible in a Romance language,
Valencian, was printed in Valencia circa 1478,
attributed to Bonifaci Ferrer. See
Spread of the printing
press.
Valencian bankers loaned funds to
Queen Isabella for
Columbus' trip in 1492.
In 1519–1522 the
Guilds
revolts took place. in 1609, the
Moriscos were expelled from the city.
During the
War of the
Spanish Succession, Valencia sided with Charles of Austria. On
24 January 1706,
Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, 1st Earl of
Monmouth, led a handful of English cavalrymen into the city
after riding south from Barcelona, capturing the nearby fortress at
Sagunt, and bluffing the Spanish Bourbon army into
withdrawal.
The English held the city for 16 months and defeated several
attempts to expel them. English soldiers advanced as far as Requena
on the road to Madrid.
After the victory of the Bourbons at the
Battle of
Almansa
(25 April 1707), the English army evacuated
Valencia and the city subsequently lost its privileges including
important civil rights called furs by the way the Bourbons
decided to burn important cities like Xativa, where actually is
still the picture of the Spanish Bourbon turned back as
protest.

A narrow street of the Old Medieval
City.
During the
Peninsular War Valencia
was besieged by the French under Marshal Suchet from Christmas Day
1811, until it fell on
January 8 the next
year.
The last victim of the
Spanish
Inquisition, a local schoolteacher called
Cayetano Ripoll, was executed in Valencia in
July 1826 accused of being a
deist and
freemason.
During the
Spanish Civil War, the
capital of the Republic was moved to Valencia, and the city
suffered from the blockade and siege by Franco's forces. However,
the postwar period was hard for Valencians. During the Franco
years, speaking or teaching
Valencian was
prohibited (in a significant reversal it is now compulsory for
every child studying in Valencia).
Modern history
In 1957 the city suffered a severe flood by the Turia River, with
in some streets. One consequence of this was that a decision was
made to drain and reroute the river and it now passes around the
Western and southern suburbs of the city. A plan to turn the
drained area into a motorway was dropped in favour of a picturesque
park which bisects the city.
Valencia was granted Autonomous Statutes in 1982.-->
On 9 July 2006, during Mass at Valencia's Cathedral,
Our Lady of the Forsaken Basilica, Pope
Benedict XVI used, at the World
Day of Families, the
Santo Caliz, a
1st-century Middle-Eastern artifact believed by many to be
the
Holy Grail. It was supposedly brought
to that church by
Emperor
Valerian in the 3rd century, after having been brought from
Jerusalem by
St. Peter to Rome. The
Santo Caliz ("Holy Chalice") is a simple, small stone cup.
Its base was added in
medieval times
and consists of fine gold, alabaster, and gem stones.
Valencia was selected in 2003 to host the historic
America's Cup yacht race becoming the first
European city to do so.
The America's Cup matches
took place in summer 2007. On 3 July 2007,
Alinghi defeated
Team New Zealand, and
successfully defended the America's Cup. 22 days later, on 25 July
2007, the leaders of the
Alinghi syndicate,
holder of the
America's Cup,
officially announced that Valencia would be the host city for the
33rd America's Cup, held in June 2009.
Architecture

Escola Pia, Valencia
The
ancient winding streets of the Barrio del Carmen contain buildings
dating to Roman and Arabic
times. The Cathedral
, built between the 13th and 15th century, is
primarily of Gothic style but
contains elements of Baroque
and Romanesque
architecture. Beside the Cathedral is the Gothic
Basilica of the Virgin (Basílica De La
Virgen De Los Desamparados). The 15th century
Serrano and
Quart towers are part of what was once the wall
surrounding the city.
UNESCO
has
recognised the Late Gothic silk exchange (La Lonja de la
Seda
) as a World
Heritage Site. The
modernist Central Market (
Mercado Central) is one of the largest
in Europe. The main railway station
Estación Del Norte is
built in
modernisme (the Spanish version
of
Art Nouveau) style.
World-renowned (and city-born) architect
Santiago Calatrava produced the
futuristic City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de
les Arts i les Ciències
), which contains an opera house/performing
arts centre, a science museum, an IMAX
cinema/planetarium, an oceanographic park and other structures such
as a long covered walkway and restaurants. Calatrava is also
responsible for the bridge named after him in the center of the
city. The Music Palace (
Palau De La Música) is another
good example of modern architecture in Valencia.

Façade of Real Colegio del Corpus
Christi.
The cathedral was called Iglesia Mayor in the early days of the
Reconquista, then Seo (from Latin
sedes, i.e.
(archiepiscopal) see), and in virtue of the papal concession of 16
October 1866, it was called the Basilica metropolitana. It is
situated in the centre of the ancient Roman city where some believe
the temple of Diana stood. In Gothic times, it seems to have been
dedicated to the most Holy Saviour;
the Cid
dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin; King
Jaime the Conqueror did likewise, leaving
in the main chapel the image of the Blessed Virgin which he carried
with him and which is believed to be the one which is now preserved
in the sacristy. The Moorish mosque, which had been converted into
a
Christian church by the
conqueror, appeared unworthy of the title of the cathedral of
Valencia, and in 1262 Bishop Andrés de Albalat laid the cornerstone
of the new Gothic building, with three naves; these reach only to
the choir of the present building. Bishop Vidal de Blanes built the
magnificent chapter hall, and Jaime de Aragón added the tower,
called "Miguelete" because it was blessed on St. Michael's day in
1418, which is about high and finished at the top with a
belfry.

Old station of Nord.
In the fifteenth century the dome was added and the naves extended
back of the choir, uniting the building to the tower and forming a
main entrance. Archbishop Luis Alfonso de los Cameros began the
building of the main chapel in 1674; the walls were decorated with
marbles and bronzes in the over-ornate style of that decadent
period. At the beginning of the eighteenth century the German
Conrad Rudolphus built the façade of the main entrance. The other
two doors lead into the transept; one, that of the Apostles in pure
pointed Gothic, dates from the
fourteenth
century, the other is that of the Paláu. The additions made to
the back of the cathedral detract from its height. The eighteenth
century-restoration rounded the pointed arches, covered the Gothic
columns with
Corinthian pillars,
and redecorated the walls. The dome has no lantern, its plain
ceiling being pierced by two large side windows. There are four
chapels on either side, besides that at the end and those that open
into the choir, the transept, and the presbyterium. It contains
many paintings by eminent artists. A magnificent silver
reredos, which was behind the altar, was carried
away in the war of 1808, and converted into coin to meet the
expenses of the campaign. Behind the Chapel of the
Blessed Sacrament is a beautiful little
Renaissance chapel built by
Calixtus III. Beside the cathedral is the
chapel dedicated to the "Virgen de los desamparados".
In 1409, a hospital was founded and placed under the patronage of
Santa María de los Inocentes; to this was attached a confraternity
devoted to recovering the bodies of the unfriended dead in the city
and within a radius of three miles (5 km) around it. At the
end of the fifteenth century this confraternity separated from the
hospital, and continued its work under the name of "Cofradia para
el ámparo de los desamparados". King
Philip IV of Spain and the
Duke of Arcos suggested the building of the
new chapel, and in 1647 the
Viceroy,
Conde de Oropesa, who had been
preserved from
the bubonic plague,
insisted on carrying out their project. The Blessed Virgin was
proclaimed
patroness of the city under the
title of "Virgen de los desamparados" 'Virgin of the abandonees',
and Archbishop Pedro de Urbina, on 31 June 1652, laid the
corner-stone of the new chapel of this name. The archiepiscopal
palace, a grain market in the time of the Moors, is simple in
design, with an inside cloister and a handsome chapel. In 1357 the
arch which connects it with the cathedral was built. In the council
chamber are preserved the portraits of all the prelates of
Valencia.
Among the parish churches those deserving special mention are:
Saints John (Baptist and Evangelist), rebuilt in 1368, whose dome,
decorated by Palonino, contains some of the best frescoes of Spain;
El Templo 'the Temple', the ancient church of the
Knights Templar, which passed into the hands
of the
Order of Montesa and which
was rebuilt in the reigns of
Ferdinand
VI and
Charles III; the
former convent of the
Dominicans, at
present the headquarters of the "capital general", the cloister of
which has a beautiful Gothic wing and the chapter room, large
columns imitating
palm trees; the Colegio
del Corpus Christi, which is devoted to the exclusive worship of
the Blessed Sacrament, and in which
perpetual adoration is carried on; the
Jesuit college, which was destroyed
(1868) by the revolutionary Committee, but rebuilt on the same
site; the Colegio de San Juan (also of the Society), the former
college of the nobles, now a provincial institute for secondary
instruction.
Squares and gardens

Town Hall
The
largest square is
the
Plaça de
l'Ajuntament, which contains the town hall (ajuntament), a
cinema which shows classic movies (La Filmoteca), and many
restaurants and bars. This is where the noisy fireworks of the
mascletà can be heard every afternoon during the
Las Fallas.
The
Plaça de la
Verge contains the Basilica of the Virgin and the Turia
fountain, and is a popular spot for locals and tourists. Around the
corner is the Plaça de la Reina, with the Cathedral, orange trees,
and many bars and restaurants.
The
Turia
River
was diverted in the 1960s, after severe flooding,
and the old river bed is now the Turia gardens, which contain a
children’s playground, a fountain, and sports fields. The
Palau de la Música is adjacent to the Turia gardens and the City of
Arts and Sciences lies at one end.
Other gardens in Valencia include the Real, Monforte, and Botanical
gardens.
Famous people born in Valencia and Valencia province
- Pope Alexander VI, Pope from
1492 to 1503.
- Alfonso III, King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona (as Alfons II).
- King James II of Aragon.
- King Peter III of Aragon
(Peter the Great).
- Josu De Solaun Soto,
classical music pianist
- Guillén de
Castro, famous Spanish writer of the Spanish Golden Age (1569-1631).
- Joanot Martorell(1413–1468),
knight and writer the author of the novel Tirant lo Blanch.
- Vicente Blasco
Ibáñez, Spanish realist novelist writing in Spanish, a
screenwriter and occasional film
director (1867 – 1928).
- Joaquin Sorolla,
painter,who excelled in the painting of portraits, landscapes, and
monumental works of social and historical themes.
- Joan Lluís Vives, a scholar and
humanist.
- Saint Vincent Ferrer, Dominican
missionary and logician.
- Nino Bravo (birth name, Luis Manuel
Ferri Llopis), popular singer (1944-1973)
- Santiago Calatrava,
internationally recognized and award-winning architect.
- Larissa Knudson, internationally
recognized special education
teacher.
- Josep Maria Bayarri,
linguist, poet and writer.
- Joaquin Rodrigo, Music Composer.
- Manuel Palau, Music Composer.
- María
Teresa Fernández de la Vega, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
politician and the first female First Deputy Prime Minister of
Spain.
Economy
Valencia has enjoyed strong
economic
growth over the last decade, much of it spurred by tourism and
the
construction industry.
Air Nostrum, a
regional airline, is headquartered in
Valencia.
Port

Monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes
(Saint Michael of the Kings), Valencia
Valencia’s port is the biggest on the Mediterranean Western coast,
the first of Spain in Container Traffic as 2008 and the second of
Spain in total traffic, handling 20% of Spain’s exports. The main
exports are food and drink (the Valencian region is famous for its
oranges), furniture, ceramic tiles,
fans, textiles and iron products. Valencia’s
manufacturing sector focuses
on metallurgy, chemicals, textiles, shipbuilding and brewing.
Unemployment is lower than the Spanish average. Small and medium
sized industries are an important part of the local economy.
Following the announcement that the 32nd
America's Cup would be held in Valencia in
2007, the port underwent radical changes in which the port was
divided into two parts, one part remaining unchanged while the
other section would be used exclusively for the America's Cup
festivities. The two sections are now divided by a wall that goes
deep into the water in an attempt to maintain
clean water for the America's Cup side.

Detail of the Dosaigues's door
Tourism
Formerly an industrial city, Valencia saw rapid development that
started in the mid-1990s, expanding its cultural and touristic
possibilities, which turned it into a vibrant city, restoring old
landmarks like the old Towers of the medieval city
(
Serrano Towers and
Quart Towers), monasteries
like the
San Miguel de
los Reyes monastery, which now holds a specialized library, the
whole
Malvarrosa beach, with the
construction of a long
paseo or complete quarters, like
the old Carmen Quarter, which has seen extensive renovation.
Another appealing feature of the city is its numerous
convention centres, like the Valencia Fair
(
Feria de Valencia), the Conference Palace (
Palau de
Congressos) and several 5 star hotels.
The first America's Cup competitions took place in June and July
2005 and were key attractions during the summer of 2005. According
to official data from the organizing committee, as many as 150,000
visitors flocked to Valencia's port each day during the two-week
events.
Demographics
One notable demographic change in Valencia in the last decade has
been the growth in the
foreign born
population which has risen from 1.5% in the year 2000 to 15.1% in
2009, a trend that has also occurred in the two larger cities of
Madrid and Barcelona The main countries of origin were Ecuador,
Bolivia, Colombia, Morocco and Romania. Between 2007 and 2008 there
was a 14% increase in the foreign born population with the largest
numeric increases by country being from Bolivia, Romania and
Italy.
Climate
Valencia experiences a hot-summer
Mediterranean climate (
Koppen climate classification
Csa), with
Semi-arid
climate (BSh) influences. Its average annual temperature is :
during the day and at night. In the coldest month - January, the
average sea temperature is . In the warmest month - August, the
typically temperature during the day ranges from , above at night,
the average sea temperature is .
Average number of days above is 200, average number of days above
is 11 (1 in June, 4 in July, 4 in August and 2 in September).
Average morning
relative humidity:
82%, evening relative humidity: 55%. Sunshine hours is till 2,594
per year, from 150 in November (5 hours of sunshine every day) to
310 in August (10 hours of sunshine every day).
Culture
Valencia
is known for Las Fallas, which is a famous
local festival held in March, for paella
valenciana, traditional Valencian ceramics, intricate
traditional dress, and the striking new architecture of the
City of Arts and Sciences
designed by its own son, architect Santiago Calatrava.
La
Tomatina, an annual tomato fight, draws
crowds to the nearby town of Buñol in August. There are also a
number of well preserved Catholic fiestas throughout the year.
Holy week celebrations in Valencia are
considered the most colourful in Spain. Valencia has a
metro system, the
Valencia Metro.
Valencia is also famous for its football club
Valencia C.F., which won the
Spanish league in 2002 and 2004 (in which year it
also won the
UEFA Cup), and was
also a
UEFA Champions League
runner-up in 2000 and 2001, it is one of
the most famous
football clubs in
Spain and Internationally. Its city rival
Levante UD currently plays in the second
division.

Sant Joan del Mercat

Historical central market of
Valencia
Valencia
is the current location of the Formula
One European
Grand Prix
, first hosting the event on August 24, 2008.
The city will host the event until at least 2014.
Languages
The two
official languages spoken
in the city are
Valencian and
Spanish.
Due to political and demographic pressure
in the past, the predominant language is Spanish, but Valencian is
predominant in most of the surrounding metropolitan area and province of
Valencia
. In fact the government weakly emphasizes
the usage of the local language. It does this, for example, by
posting all signs and announcements of the Metro in Valencian and
Spanish translations in smaller type underneath. Valencian is also
used when naming streets. New street signs, when erected, are
always given the Valencian name for street (Carrer). However the
older
street names bearing the Spanish
names are only replaced when necessary. This results in a situation
where in longer streets both languages can often be seen on
street signs.
Nightlife
Valencia is famous for its vibrant nightlife. In the 1980s and
1990s the town was famous for the so called
ruta del
bakalao.
Today, the more alternative/bohemian bars
and nightclubs are concentrated in the Carmen, while the student
nightlife is found around Blasco Ibáñez and Benimaclet
, the more mainstream weekend nightlife has its
clusters in the areas of Cánovas and Joan Llorens. In the
summer, there is also nightlife on the beach and at the Port.
Agua de Valencia is the city's
unofficial cocktail.
Food
Valencia is famous for its wonderful gastronomic culture.
Paella – a simmered rice dish that includes seafood
or meat (chicken and rabbit),
horchata,
fartons,
buñuelos,
Spanish omelette,
rosquilletas and
squid (calamares) are some examples of typical
Valencian foods.
Museums

Palau de les Arts Reina
Sofia

The IMAX 3D-cinema
L'Hemisfèric.
- Ciutat de
les Arts i les Ciències
City of Arts and Sciences
- : The City of Arts and Sciences was designed by the Valencian
architect Santiago Calatrava. It
is situated in the former Túria river-bed and comprises the
following monuments:
- :*
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía

- :*: A flamboyant opera and music palace with four halls and a
total area of 37,000 m2.
- :*:
- :*
L'Oceanogràfic

- :*:
Biggest aquarium in Europe, with a variety of ocean beings from
different environments: from the Mediterranean
, fishes from the ocean and reef inhabitants,
sharks, mackerel
swarms, dolphinarium, inhabitants of
the polar regions (belugas,walruses,
penguins), coast inhabitants (sea lions), etc. L'Oceanogràfic exhibits also
smaller animals as coral, jellyfish, sea
anemones, etc.
- Museu de Prehistòria de València Prehistory Museum of
Valencia
- Museu Valencià d'Etnologia
Valencian Museum of Ethnology
- House Museum Blasco
Ibáñez
- IVAM – Institut Valencià d'Art Modern – Centre Julio González
Julio González Centre – Valencian Institute of Modern
Art
- Museu de Belles Arts "San Pío V" Museum of Fine
Arts
- Museu Faller Fallas Museum
- Museu d'Història de València Museum of History of
Valencia
- Museu Taurí de València – Bullfighting Museum
- MuVIM – Museu Valencià de la Il·lustració i la Modernitat
Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity
- Museo Nacional de Cerámica y de las Artes Suntuarias González
Martí - National Museum of Pottery and Sumptuary Arts González
Martí
Transportation
Public transport is provided by the
Ferrocarrils
de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) which operates the
Valencia Metro and other rail and bus
services.
The Valencia Airport
is situated west of downtown Valencia.
Districts of Valencia
- CIUTAT VELLA: La Seu, La Xerea, El Carmen, El Pilar, El
Mercado, San Francisco.
- EXTENSIÓ: Russafa, El Pla del Remei, Gran Via.
- EXTRAMURS: El Botànic, La Roqueta, La Pechina,
Arrancapins.
- CAMPANAR: Campanar, Les Tendetes, El Calvari, Sant Pau.
- LA SAÏDIA: Marxalenes, Morvedre, Trinitat, Tormos, Sant
Antoni.
- PLA DEL REAL: Exposició, Mestalla, Jaume Roig, Ciutat
Universitària
- OLIVERETA: Nou Moles, Soternes, Tres Forques, La Fontsanta, La
Luz.
- PATRAIX: Patraix, Sant Isidre, Vara de
Quart, Safranar, Favara.
- JESUS: La Raiosa, L'Hort de Senabre, The Covered Cross, Saint
Marcelino, Real Way.
- QUATRE CARRERES: Montolivet, En Corts,
Malilla
, La Font de
Sant Lluís, Na Rovella, La Punta, Ciutat de
les Arts i les Ciències
.
- POBLATS MARÍTIMS: El Grau, El Cabanyal, El Canyameral, La
Malva-Rosa, Beteró, Nazaret.
- CAMINS DEL GRAU: Aiora, Albors, Creu del Grau, Camí Fondo,
Penya-Roja.
- ALGIRÒS: Illa Perduda, Ciutat Jardí, Amistat, Vega Baixa, la
Carrasca.
- BENIMACLET: Benimaclet
, Camí de Vera.
- RASCANYA: Orriols, Torrefiel, Sant Llorenç.
- BENICALAP: Benicalap, Ciutat Fallera.
- POBLES DEL NORD: Benifaraig, Poble Nou, Carpesa, Cases de
Bàrcena, Mauella, Massarrojos, Borbotó.
- POBLES DE L'OEST: Benimàmet, Beniferri.
- POBLES DEL SUD: Forn d'Alcedo, Castellar-l'Oliveral, Pinedo, el
Saler, el Palmar, el Perellonet, la Torre,
Gallery
File:VALENCIA ES Lonja inside.jpg|Llotja de la
Seda
File:Valenciabasilica.jpg|Basilica Virgen de
los DesamparadosFile:Valencia01 11-2-03.JPG|The Micalet
File:Catedral
valencia.jpg|View of the cathedral
File:Valencia ES L Hemisferic
BIG.jpg|L'Hemisfèric, a 3-D CinemaFile:Pontfayw2.jpg|"Pont de
l'assut de l'or" bridge and the "Ágora" in constructionFile:Ciudad
de las Artes y las Ciencias (189719903).jpg|One of the many
sculptures in the riverFile:Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències -
L'Umbracle.jpg|L'UmbracleFile:Falla egipcia plorant.jpg|A
fallaFile:Girls in historical Valencian
costumes.jpg|Valencian girls with its historical
costumesFile:Paella de marisco 01.jpg|The
paella was originated in Valencia, and after had its
variants around SpainFile:Passeig de l'Albereda
(eixample).jpg|Albereda avenue, Valencia
International relations
Twin towns - Sister cities
Valencia is
twinned with:
See also
References
- Demographia: World Urban Areas
- Eurostat -
Larger
Urban Zones: Urban
Audit.org
- Valencia (1,583,331) and Sagunto (122,411)
- Datos de áreas urbanas en 2006 según el
proyecto AUDES5
- Conurbaciones en 2006 según el proyecto
AUDES5
- Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development, Competitive Cities in the Global Economy, OECD
Territorial Reviews, (OECD Publishing, 2006), Table 1.1
- NB: NOT pronounced with a [v]; see Spanish
phonology
- About the Santo Caliz (Holy Chalice)
- Announcement of the election as host city for 33rd
America's Cup
- La
Lonja listing on Unesco site
- " Contact List." Air Nostrum. Retrieved on May 20,
2009.
- NY Times, 30 July 2008
- foreign born population in 2001
- Foreign born population in 2008, p7
- Table 1.1 foreign born population
- Table 1.5 foreign born population 2007
- Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Valencia,
Spain
- Institut Valencià d'Estadística
External links