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87-623: According to Valencia's Statute of Autonomy , the Valencian people are a "historical nationality" . Their origins date back to the 1238 Aragonese conquest of the Taifa of Valencia . The newly-founded Kingdom of Valencia enjoyed its own legal entity and administrative institutions as a component of the Crown of Aragon , under the purview of the Furs of Valencia . Valencia experienced its Golden Age in

174-670: A nationality of Spain, and in accordance to the second article of the Spanish Constitution which grants autonomy to the " nationalities and regions " that compose the Spanish nation, Valencia was granted self-government and constituted itself as an autonomous community in 1982, with the promulgation of its first Statute of Autonomy , the basic organic law, later approved by the General Courts of Spain. All autonomous communities were organized politically within

261-521: A parliamentary system ; that is, the executive branch of government. The "President" is dependent on the direct support of the legislative power , whose members elect him by majority . A new Statute of Autonomy was promulgated in 2006. The government of Valencia is represented by the Generalitat Valenciana (statutorily referred to simply as La Generalitat ) constituted by three institutions: The Generalitat can also be integrated by

348-403: A "horse taming god" or "lord of the horses" ( despotes hippon ). The female goddess Ataegina is also widely attested in the inscriptions. Iberians performed their rites in the open and also maintained sanctuaries in holy places like groves, springs and caves. Archaeological evidence suggests the existence of a priestly class and Silius Italicus mentions priests in the region of Tartessos at

435-592: A "senate" by the ancient sources, met in a council of nobles. Kings or chieftains would maintain their forces through a system of obligation or vassalage that the Romans termed "fides". The Iberians adopted wine and olives from the Greeks. Horse breeding was particularly important to the Iberians and their nobility. Mining was also very important for their economy, especially the silver mines near Gader and Cartago Nova,

522-810: A definite end with the Expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609 by the Hispanic Monarchy, which represented the loss of up to one third of the population of the Kingdom of Valencia and took the main agricultural labor force away. In 1707, in the context of the War of the Spanish Succession , and by means of the Nova Planta decrees, king Philip V of Spain abolished the Kingdom of Valencia, and

609-488: A few fortified towns like Numantia . They had a knowledge of writing , metalworking , including bronze , and agricultural techniques. In the centuries preceding Carthaginian and Roman conquest, Iberian settlements grew in social complexity , exhibiting evidence of social stratification and urbanization . This process was probably aided by trading contacts with the Phoenicians , Greeks , and Carthaginians . By

696-763: A part of the Subbaetic Range . The most emblematic mountain of the Valencian Community is the Penyagolosa , in the Alcalatén area. It is widely thought to be the highest peak with 1,813 m, but actually the highest peak is the Calderón (1,839 m) located in the Rincón de Ademuz , a Valencian exclave between Aragon and Castilla–La Mancha . The most emblematic mountain in the southern part of

783-431: A precise study of demographic states and processes. Valencian population traditionally concentrated in localities with fertile cultivation and growing lowlands by the most important rivers ( Júcar or Xúquer , Turia or Túria , Segura , and Vinalopó ), also in harbour cities important to the agricultural trade. In actuality, population is particularly dense along the coast as well as in central and southern regions of

870-407: A temple of Melqart . Evidence from pottery reveals some information about Iberian myth and ritual. Common themes are a celebratory ritual dance described by Strabo [c.f. 3.3.7.] and seen in a relief from Fuerte del Rey known as the "Bastetania dance" and the confrontation between the deceased and a wolf figure. Ritual sacrifice of animals was also common. In Iberian eschatology , "death was seen as

957-458: A very considerable population increase, even greater during the summer season, mainly due to the seasonal migrations of the tourism industry workforce. The main metropolitan areas of the Valencian Community according to their population are three, plus a fourth one shared with the Region of Murcia . The most populous one is the metropolitan area of Valencia , which is located in the central area of

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1044-399: Is evident in their sculptures. The man-bull Bicha of Balazote (possibly a fertility deity) and various depictions of sphinxes and lions bear a resemblance to eastern Mediterranean mythological creatures. The Lady of Elche and Lady of Guardamar show clear Hellenistic influence. Phoenician and Greek deities like Tanit , Baal , Melkart , Artemis , Demeter and Asclepius were known in

1131-479: Is intended to be the modern conception of self-government of the Valencian Community from the first autonomist movements during Second Spanish Republic , but also joining it to the traditional conception of Valencian identity, as being the successor to the historical Kingdom of Valencia. In fact, after a bipartisan reform of the Valencian Statute of Autonomy in 2006, it records the foral civil law , using

1218-414: Is made up of the municipalities of Castellón de la Plana , Almassora , Villarreal , Benicàssim , Borriol and Burriana or Borriana, and has 309,420 inhabitants (INE 2008) and an area of 340 km²; Castellón de la Plana is the main centre and most populous municipality of this metropolitan area. The Murcia - Orihuela metropolitan area includes the urban area of Orihuela in the Valencian Community, plus

1305-475: Is managed through occasional nocturnal restrictions during summer and exploitation of aquifers. Valencia's water needs result in harsh contention with neighbouring autonomous communities such as Castilla–La Mancha and Catalonia. Agriculture—more specifically, citrus cultivation for the export market—was responsible for Valencia's first economic boom in the late 19th century, after centuries of slow development and even decay. Although in absolute terms

1392-525: Is more diversified with a higher presence of vegetables , especially in the Vega Baja del Segura area. Though the low insulation rate and overall stable weather during the summer may pose a threat to water supplies for agriculture and human consumption, conversely this climate allows tourism to be the province's main industry. Very dense residential housing along the coast, occupied by locals, people from inland Spain and from other EU countries (mostly from

1479-437: Is the town in the Valencian Community with the smallest number of inhabitants. The study of the demographic evolution of the Valencian Community can be divided into two clearly differentiated periods, which belong to two different moments of the demographic transition: the old demographic cycle or regime (until the 18th century), characterized by high mortality and high birth rates, and the modern demographic regime or cycle (from

1566-483: Is very unevenly distributed: it is concentrated on the coastal strip and has an average population density of 224.3 inhabitants/km². The community has shown strong demographic growth from the 1960s until 2023, when it reaches its maximum; 17.03% of its population is of foreign nationality (INE 2023). Despite the high population rate, there are 24 municipalities, most of them in the province of Castellón, that have less than 100 inhabitants. Castell de Cabres with 19 inhabitants

1653-621: The Generalitat Valenciana self-government institution was established in 1982 after the Spanish Transition . Official languages are Spanish and Valencian (the official and traditional name used in the Valencian Community to refer to what is commonly known as the Catalan language ). As of 2020, the population of the Valencian Community comprised 10.63% of the Spanish population. The city of Valencia (capital of

1740-550: The Comité Econòmic i Social (Social and Economic Committee). Prior to the 1833 territorial division of Spain Valencia was divided into four administrative provinces of Spain : Alicante , Castellón , Valencia and Xàtiva . From 1833, the current three-province system was consolidated: The Valencian Community is further divided into 34 comarques (including the city of Valencia) and 542 municipalities (141 in

1827-586: The Ebro river (Iber). The Greeks also dubbed as "Iberians" another people in the Caucasus region, currently known as Caucasian Iberians . It is thought that there is no connection between the two peoples. The Iberians traded extensively with other Mediterranean cultures. Iberian pottery and metalwork has been found in France , Italy , and North Africa . The Iberians had extensive contact with Greek colonists in

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1914-844: The Fall of the Western Roman Empire , during the Barbarian Invasions in the 5th century AD, the region was first invaded by the Alans and finally ruled by the Visigoths (see Valencian Gothic ), until the arrival of the Arabs in 711, which left a broad impact in the region, still visible in today's Valencian landscape and culture. After the fall of the Caliphate of Cordova , two main independent taifas were established at

2001-670: The House of Bourbon , a new Kingdom of Spain was formed implementing a more centralized government and absolutist regime than the former Habsburg Spain . The first attempt to gain self-government , or autonomous government, for the Valencian Community in modern-day Spain was during the Second Spanish Republic , in 1936, but the Civil War broke out and the autonomist project was suspended. In 1977, after Franco 's dictatorship Valencia started to be partially autonomous with

2088-792: The Iberian Peninsula , that corresponds to the northwestern shores of the Mediterranean Sea (see the map), roughly in today's Catalonia , Eastern, Northeastern and Northern Aragon , Valencian Community , Murcia Region , Eastern Andalucia , and the Balearic Islands (in Spain ), and also in today's Roussillon and parts of Languedoc (in France ). The peninsula has this name because ancient Greeks , Romans and other mediterranean peoples first contacted with peoples (tribes or tribal confederacies) that were Iberians in

2175-694: The Punic wars was made up of Iberians and Celtiberians . Iberian warfare was endemic and based on intertribal raiding and pillaging. In set piece battle, Iberians were known to regularly charge and retreat, throwing javelins and shouting at their opponents without actually committing to full contact combat. This sort of fighting was termed concursare by the Romans. The Iberians were particularly fond of ambushes and guerrilla tactics . Ancient sources mention two major types of Iberian infantry, scutati and caetrati . Scutati were heavily armored and carried large Italic style scutum shields . The caetrati carried

2262-681: The Segura in the province of Alicante, whose source is in Andalusia , and the Júcar (or Xúquer ) in the province of Valencia, whose source is in Castilla–La Mancha . Both are subjected to very intense human regulation for cities, industries and, especially, agricultural consumption. The river Turia (or Túria ) is the third largest and has its source in Aragon . Most rivers in the area, such as

2349-557: The Vinalopó , are usually short, have little current (due to agricultural usage, climatic reasons or both) and are often completely dry during the summer. Other Valencian rivers are the Serpis and Sénia . The Valencian Community is, with 5,216,195 inhabitants (INE 2023), the fourth autonomous community in Spain by population, and represents 10.85% of the national population. Its population

2436-426: The constitution of a country and, usually, over any other form of legislation. This legislative corpus concedes autonomy ( self-government ) to a subnational unit , and the articles usually mimic the form of a constitution, establishing the organization of the autonomous government, the electoral rules, the distribution of competences between different levels of governance and other regional-specific provisions, like

2523-473: The desertic climate ( Köppen BWh ) are also found in the Valencian Community. The Csb climate is more common and is found in inland, high altitude areas (generally starting above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)) across the 3 provinces of the Valencian Community, especially in the interior of Castellón but also in El Rincón de Ademuz and the north of Los Serranos comarcas in the province of Valencia . In

2610-522: The occlusives and signs with monophonemic value for the rest of the consonants and vowels . As writing systems , they are neither alphabets nor syllabaries , but mixed scripts that normally are identified as semi-syllabaries . There is no agreement between researchers concerning the origin of the Iberian writing systems: for some they are only linked to the Phoenician alphabet while for others

2697-586: The 15th century, as it became the Crown's economic capital. Local institutions and laws continued during the dynastic union of the early modern Spanish Monarchy , but were suspended in 1707 as a result of the Spanish War of Succession . Valencian nationalism emerged towards the end of the 19th century, leading to the modern conception of the Valencian Country . The current autonomous community under

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2784-449: The 20th century, including Alcoy or Alcoi , Elda , Ontinyent , Petrer , Villena , and La Vall d'Uixó . In recent decades, the concentration of population around the large capitals has increased and large metropolitan areas have been formed, although the demographic concentration has also occurred in coastal towns and cities, so that traditionally small populations, such as Benidorm , Gandia , Calpe or Torrevieja have experienced

2871-576: The 6th century BCE. They are described in Greek and Roman sources (among others, by Hecataeus of Miletus , Avienius , Herodotus and Strabo ). Roman sources also use the term Hispani to refer to the Iberians. The term Iberian , as used by the ancient authors, had two distinct meanings. One, more general, referred to all the populations of the Iberian peninsula without regard to ethnic differences ( Pre-Indo-European , Celts and non-Celtic Indo-Europeans ). The other, more restricted ethnic sense and

2958-549: The British Isles, Benelux, Germany and Scandinavia), boosts the summertime population (and hydrological demands). In 2004, Valencia's GDP was 93.9% of the European Union average, although this figure may be too low because of the important presence of foreign residents either from other regions of Europe or as economic immigrants, who are not properly represented in the official statistics. As in all of Spain, there

3045-680: The Ebro river, the Carthaginians occupied the whole region. The dispute over the hegemony of Saguntum , a Hellenized Iberian coastal city with diplomatic contacts with Rome, destroyed by Hannibal in 219 BC, ignited the Second Punic War , which ended with the incorporation of the region to the Roman Empire. The Romans founded the city of Valentia in 138 BC, which, over the centuries overtook Saguntum in importance. After

3132-527: The Gulf of Valencia, around the Valencian Community's capital. It is the third largest in Spain, with 1,774,201 inhabitants (INE 2011). The metropolitan area of Alicante - Elche has 757,085 inhabitants (INE 2014) and is the eighth metropolitan area in Spain by population; it is the sum of the urban areas of Alicante (468,581 inhabitants) and Elche-Crevillent (288,504 inhabitants), therefore a bipolar metropolitan area. The metropolitan area of Castellón de la Plana

3219-596: The H. Citerior province. After securing these regions, Rome invaded and conquered Lusitania and Celtiberia . The Romans fought a long and drawn out campaign for the conquest of Lusitania. Wars and campaigns in the northern regions of the Iberian peninsula would continue until 16 BCE, when the final rebellions of the Cantabrian Wars were defeated. Iberian society was divided into different classes, including kings or chieftains (Latin: "regulus"), nobles, priests, artisans and slaves. Iberian aristocracy, often called

3306-466: The INE, the largest metropolitan areas are: In the process whereby democracy was restored in Spain between 1975 and 1978, the nationalist and regionalist parties pressed to grant home rule to certain territories in Spain. The constitution of 1978 opened a legal way for autonomous communities to be formed from provinces with common historical and cultural links. In recognition of the Valencian Community as

3393-590: The Iberian Ilergetes tribe north of the Ebro who were allied with Carthage, conquered the Iberian oppidum of Tarraco and defeated the Carthaginian fleet. After the arrival of Publius Scipio, Tarraco was fortified and, by 211 BCE, the Scipio brothers had overrun the Carthaginian and allied forces south of the Ebro. However, during this campaign, Publius Scipio was killed in battle and Gnaeus died in

3480-621: The Iberians sent emissaries to Alexander the Great in 324 BCE, along with other embassies of Carthaginians , Italics and Gauls , to request his friendship. After the First Punic war , the massive war debt suffered by Carthage led them to attempt to expand their control over the Iberian peninsula. Hamilcar Barca began this conquest from his base at Cádiz by conquering the Tartessian Guadalquivir river region, which

3567-740: The Iberians south of the Ebro. In his first campaign, Hannibal defeated the Olcades , the Vaccaei and the Carpetani expanding his control over the river Tagus region. Hannibal then laid siege to Roman ally of Saguntum and this led to the beginning of the Second Punic War . The Iberian theater was a key battleground during this war and many Iberian and Celtiberian warriors fought for both Rome and Carthage, though most tribes sided with Carthage. Rome sent Gnaeus and Publius Cornelius Scipio to conquer Iberia from Carthage. Gnaeus subsequently defeated

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3654-540: The Kingdom of Valencia as a third independent country within the Crown of Aragon in 1238. The kingdom developed intensively in the 14th and 15th centuries, which are considered the Golden Age of the Valencian culture, with significant works like the chivalric romance of Tirant lo Blanch . Valencia developed into an important kingdom in Europe economically through the silk trade. It also rose to power politically with

3741-544: The Levantine group displays the most Greek influence. Iberian pottery and painting was also distinct and widespread throughout the region. A distinct feature of the culture, the pottery was primarily decorated with geometric forms in red but in some areas (from Murcia to the south of Catalonia ) it also included figurative images. The Iberian polytheistic religion was influenced by the Greek and Phoenician practices, as it

3828-523: The Mediterranean, or by land through Catalonia . The Valencian territory has few natural resources; the only important mineral deposit is the marble quarried in Alicante province. Hydrological resources (see Geography above) are also lacking: the demand for water exceeds the supply, with this imbalance especially serious in Alicante province. In particularly severe drought years, the problem

3915-480: The Province of Alicante, 135 in the Province of Castellón, and 266 in the Province of Valencia). Valencia is long and narrow, running mainly north–south; historically, its rather steep and irregular terrain has made communications and the exploitation of the soil difficult, although the soil of the coastal plain is particularly fertile . This coastal axis has facilitated connections with Europe, either by sea through

4002-486: The Spanish territory's degree of autonomy. The original such statute was granted by the Spanish Republic in 1932. This article about politics in Spain is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Iberians The Iberians ( Latin : Hibērī , from Greek : Ἴβηρες , Iberes ) were an ancient people settled in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula , at least from

4089-816: The Valencian Community were the Iberians , who were divided in several groups (the Contestani , the Edetani , the Ilercavones and the Bastetani ). The Greeks established colonies in the coastal towns of Saguntum and Dianium beginning in the 5th century BC, where they traded and mixed with the local Iberian populations. After the end of the First Punic War between Carthage and Rome in 241 BC, which established their limits of influence in

4176-616: The Valencian Community) was founded by the Romans under the name of Valentia Edetanorum , or simply Valentia , which translates to "strength" or "valour", in full "strength of the Edetani " (the centre of Edetania was Edeta , an important old Iberian settlement 25 km north of Valencia, in what is now modern day Llíria , other important nearby settlements included Arse–Saguntum , Saetabis and Dianium ). With

4263-440: The agricultural sector has continued to grow, the boom in the secondary and tertiary sectors during the Spanish miracle of the 1960s, has meant that its relative importance has decreased over time. The provinces of Castellón and Valencia still have thousands of hectares of citrus-producing groves and citrus continues to be a major source of income on the countryside. Province of Alicante also grows citrus, but its agriculture

4350-480: The caetra, a small Iberian buckler . Iberian armaments included the famed Gladius Hispaniensis , a curved sword called the falcata , straight swords, spears, javelins and an all iron spear called the Soliferrum . Iberian horsemen were a key element of Iberian forces as well as Carthaginian armies. Spain was rich with excellent wild horses and Iberian cavalry was some of the best in the ancient Mediterranean. Iberians dwelt along eastern and southern coastal regions of

4437-406: The colonies of Emporion , Rhode , and Hemeroskopeion . The Iberians may have adopted some of the Greeks ' artistic techniques. Statues such as the Lady of Baza and the Lady of Elx are thought to have been made by Iberians relatively well acquainted with Greek art . Thucydides stated that one of the three original tribes of Sicily , the Sicani , were of Iberian origin, though "Iberian" at

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4524-438: The conflict between two competing names: "Valencian Country" and "Former Kingdom of Valencia". On one hand, "Valencian Country" represented the modern conception of nationality that resurged in the 19th century. It became well-established during the Second Spanish Republic and later on with the works of Joan Fuster in the 1960s, implying the existence of the "Catalan Countries" ( Països Catalans ). This nationalist subtext

4611-482: The creation of the Council of the Valencian Country ( Consell del País Valencià ), and in 1982 the self-government was finally extended into a Statute of Autonomy ( Estatut d'Autonomia ) creating several self-government institutions under the Generalitat Valenciana . The first democratically elected President of the Generalitat Valenciana , Joan Lerma , took office in 1982 as part of the transition to autonomy. The Valencian Statute of Autonomy make clear that Valencia

4698-559: The dunes, thus forming now protected areas of remarkable ecologic value. In addition to mainland Valencia, the Valencian territory administers the tiny Columbretes Islands and the coastal inhabited islet of Tabarca . Valencia has a generally pleasant climate, with mild winters and hot summers, heavily influenced by the neighbouring Mediterranean sea. Still, there are important differences between areas: The warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csb ), humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ) and

4785-440: The end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th), in which the drop in mortality initially caused a demographic transition, with strong increases in the population, which passed in its final moments of demographic stability thanks to the drop in birth rates. In the case of the Valencian Community, and in Spain as a whole, both cycles temporarily coincided with the non-presence of reliable population censuses, which would not allow

4872-417: The entire south of the peninsula. After this victory, the Ilergetes and other Iberian tribes revolted and it was only after this revolt that the Romans conquered the rest of the Carthaginian territories in southern Spain. After the Carthaginian defeat, the Iberian territories were divided into two major provinces, Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior . In 197 BCE, the Iberian tribes revolted once again in

4959-418: The establishment of the Muslim Taifa of Valencia , during the Al-Andalus period, the name developed to بلنسية ( Balansiya ). The modern names of the city are Valencia (Spanish) and València (Valencian). The older spellings Valençia , Ualençia and Ualència are also found in pre-reform Spanish and Valencian texts. To distinguish it from its capital city, a number of names have been used for

5046-442: The ethnic and linguistic sense, although the majority of the Iberian Peninsula 's peoples, that dwelt in the Northern, Central and Western regions (the majority of the peninsula's area), were not Iberians themselves in the ethnic and linguistic sense (they could only be considered Iberians in the geographical sense, i.e. they dwelt in the Iberian Peninsula). The Iberian tribes or tribal confederacies were: The Iberian language, like

5133-536: The fifth to the third millennium BCE in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula. The Iberians lived in villages and oppida (fortified settlements) and their communities were based on a tribal organization. The Iberians in the Spanish Levant were more urbanized than their neighbors in the central and northwestern regions of the Iberian peninsula . The peoples in the central and northwest regions were mostly speakers of Celtic dialects, semi-pastoral and lived in scattered villages, though they also had

5220-421: The former wetlands and salt evaporation ponds in the Santa Pola and Torrevieja area. All of them are key Ramsar sites which make Valencia of high relevance for both migratory and resident seabirds and waterbirds. There are many important coastal dunes in the Saler area near the Albufera and in the Guardamar area, both of them were planted with thousands of trees during the 19th century in order to fix

5307-404: The institutions that the Valencian Courts create. The Courts have approved the creation of the Síndic de Greuges ( Ombudsman ), the Sindicatura de Comptes (Public Audit Office), the Consell Valencià de Cultura (Valencian Council of Culture), the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (Valencian Academy of the Language), the Consell Jurídic Consultiu (Juridic and Consultative Council) and

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5394-491: The iron mines in the Ebro valley, as well as the exploitation of tin and copper deposits. They produced fine metalwork and high quality iron weapons such as the falcata . The Iberians produced sculpture in stone and bronze, most of which was much influenced by the Greeks and Phoenicians, and other cultures such as Assyrian, Hittite and Egyptian influences. The styles of Iberian sculpture are divided geographically into Levantine, Central, Southern, and Western groups, of which

5481-468: The landscape and the political space." The settlement of Castellet de Banyoles in Tivissa was one of the most important ancient Iberian settlements in the north eastern part of the Iberian peninsula that was discovered in 1912. Also, the 'Treasure of Tivissa', a unique collection of silver Iberian votive offerings was found here in 1927. Lucentum was another ancient Iberian settlement, as well as Castelldefels Castle . Mausoleum of Pozo Moro near

5568-402: The late 5th and early 4th centuries BCE a series of important social changes led to the consolidation of an aristocracy and the emergence of a clientele system. "This new political system led, among other things, to cities and towns that centered around these leaders, also known as territorial nucleation . In this context, the oppidum or fortified Iberian town became the centre of reference in

5655-421: The media and Spanish written language. However, the variant of "Valencian Country" ( País Valencià ) that emphasizes the nationality status of the Valencian people is still the preferred one by left-wing parties, civil associations, Valencian written language and major Valencian public institutions. "Valencian Community" is a neologism that was specifically adopted after democratic transition in order to solve

5742-565: The metropolitan agglomerations of Murcia, Molina de Segura and Alcantarilla, in the neighboring Region of Murcia . This supraregional metropolitan area has a total population of 776,784 inhabitants (INE 2009), an area of 1,787 km² and a density of 445.54 inhabitants/km², making it the seventh largest in Spain. In recent decades the concentration of the population in the provincial capitals and in their metropolitan areas has increased considerably, in cities such as Torrent , Mislata , Paterna , Burjassot , or San Vicente del Raspeig . According to

5829-422: The one dealt with in this article, refers to the people living in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula , which by the 6th century BCE had absorbed cultural influences from the Phoenicians and the Greeks . This pre-Indo-European cultural group spoke the Iberian language from the 7th to at least the 1st century BCE. The rest of the peninsula, in the northern, central, and northwestern areas,

5916-455: The origin of the Iberian language. According to the Catalan theory, the Iberian language originated in northern Catalonia , from where it expanded north and south. The Iberians use three different scripts to represent the Iberian language . Northeastern Iberian script and southeastern Iberian script share a common distinctive typological characteristic, also present in other paleohispanic scripts : they use signs with syllabic value for

6003-444: The protection of cultural or lingual realities. In Spain , the process of devolution after the transition to democracy (1979) created 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities , each having its own Statute of Autonomy. The two autonomous cities are Ceuta and Melilla , both on the north coast of Africa. On 18 June 2006, Catalonia approved by referendum a new but controversial Catalan Statute of Autonomy , enhancing

6090-445: The province of Alicante this climate is only found in the highest altitudes of Serra de Mariola and Sierra de Aitana . Both Cfa and Cfb climates can be only found in the interior of the province of Castellón, with marginal presence in the Valencian province, only in the Rincón de Ademuz comarca. The presence of the desertic climates ( BWh ) is marginal to scarcely populated areas south of Elche . There are only two major rivers:

6177-493: The region and worshiped. Currently few native Iberian gods are known, though the oracular healing deity "Betatun" is known from a Latin inscription at Fuertes del Rey. There was clearly an important female deity associated with the earth and regeneration as depicted by the Lady of Baza and linked with birds, flowers and wheat. The horse was also an important religious figure and an important sanctuary dedicated to Horses has been found in Mula ( Murcia ). There are many depictions of

6264-590: The region, Valencia and Dénia , along with the small and short living taifas of Orihuela , Alpuente , Jérica and Sagunt and the short Christian conquest of Valencia by El Cid . However, the origins of present-day Valencia date back to the Kingdom of Valencia , which came into existence in the 13th century. James I of Aragon led the Christian conquest and colonization of the existing Islamic taifas with Aragonese and Catalan colonizers in 1208; they founded

6351-514: The region. After the Christian conquest, it became the Kingdom of Valencia . In the last decades, Valencian Community has become the preferred name to avoid any controversy . "Valencian Community" is the standard translation of the official name in Valencian recognized by the Statute of Autonomy of 1982 ( Comunitat Valenciana ). This is the name most used in public administration, tourism,

6438-645: The rest of the paleohispanic languages , became extinct by the 1st to 2nd centuries AD, after being gradually replaced by Latin . The Iberian language remains an unclassified non-Indo European language. A 1978 study claimed many similarities between Iberian and the Messapic language . Iberian languages also share some elements with the Basque language . Links have also been found with the Etruscan language and Minoan Linear A . There are different theories about

6525-467: The rest of the states belonging to the former Crown of Aragon and which had retained some autonomy, and subordinated it to the structure of the Kingdom of Castile and its laws and customs. As a result of this, the institutions and laws created by the Law of Valencia ( Furs de València ) were abolished and the usage of the Valencian language in official instances and education was forbidden. Consequently, with

6612-606: The retreat. The tide turned with the arrival of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in 210 BCE. Scipio attacked and conquered Carthago Nova and defeated the army of Hasdrubal Barca at the Battle of Baecula (209–208). The war dragged on with Carthage sending more reinforcements until the Battle of Ilipa (modern Alcalá del Río in Sevilla province ), which was a decisive victory for Publius Scipio Africanus. The Carthaginians retreated to Gades , and Publius Scipio gained control over

6699-726: The rise of the Crown of Aragon, (within which the Kingdom of Valencia had achieved the largest population and the greatest economic power at that time) and the ascension of the Valencian House of Borja in Rome (see Route of the Borjas , Route of the Monasteries and Route of the Classics ). After a slow decline following the dynastic union of the Crown of Aragon with the Kingdom of Castile, Valencia's successful status came to

6786-568: The starting point for a journey symbolised by a crossing of the sea, the land or even the sky. Supernatural and mythical beings, such as the Sphinx or the wolf, and sometimes Divinity itself, accompanied and guided the deceased on this journey". The Iberians incinerated their dead and placed their ashes in ceremonial urns, the remains were then placed in stone tombs. Iberian soldiers were widely employed by Carthage and Rome as mercenaries and auxiliary troops. A large portion of Carthaginian forces during

6873-859: The territory is the Aitana (1,558 m). The rather thin coastal strip is a very fertile plain without remarkable mountains except those around the Cap de la Nau area in northern Alicante province and the Peñíscola area in the Castellón province. Typical of this coastal area are wetlands and marshlands such as L'Albufera close to Valencia, El Fondo in Elche and Crevillent , La Marjal near Pego , Albufera of Gayanes in Gayanes or El Prat in Cabanes , also

6960-469: The territory, and more sparse around the inner and northern regions. Important historical cities include Sagunto and Dénia in Roman times; Valencia , Alicante , Xàtiva , Orihuela , Elche , Gandia , and Villarreal or Vila-real later on in history and, more recently, Alzira and Castellón de la Plana . Another set of noncoastal cities increased significantly in numbers due to industrialization in

7047-525: The time could have included what we think of as Gaul . The Iberians also had contacts with the Phoenicians , who had established various colonies in southern Andalucia . Their first colony on the Iberian Peninsula was founded in 1100 BCE and was originally called Gadir , later renamed by the Romans as Gades (modern Cádiz ). Other Phoenician colonies in southern Iberia included Malaka ( Málaga ), Sexi and Abdera . According to Arrian ,

7134-472: The town of Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón in Castile-La Mancha seems to mark the location of another big settlement. Sagunto is the location of an ancient Iberian and later Roman city of Saguntum, where a big fortress was built in the 5th century BCE. Greek colonists made the first historical reference to the Iberians in the 6th century BCE. They defined Iberians as non-Celtic peoples south of

7221-555: The traditional conception of a kingdom, and, on the other hand, it also recognizes Valencia as a nationality , in accordance with the modern conception. Valencia was affected by the 2024 Spanish floods . The inland part of the territory is craggy, with some of the highest peaks in the Valencia and Castellón provinces forming part of the Iberian Mountain Range . The mountains in the Province of Alicante are in turn

7308-465: Was inhabited by Vascones , Celts or Celtiberians groups and the possibly Pre-Celtic or Proto-Celtic Indo-European Lusitanians , Vettones , and Turdetani . Starting in the 5th century BCE, Iberian soldiers were frequently deployed in battles in Italy, Greece and especially Sicily due to their military qualities. The Iberian culture developed from the 6th century BCE, and perhaps as early as

7395-695: Was opposed by anti-Catalan blaverists , who proposed "Former Kingdom of Valencia" ( Antic Regne de València ) instead, in order to emphasize Valencian independence from Catalonia. Currently, blaverists have accepted the official denomination. The autonomous community can be homonymously identified with its capital "Valencia". However, this could be disregarding of the provinces of Alicante and Castellón. Other more anecdotal translations have included "Land of Valencia", "Region of Valencia" and "Valencian Region". The term "Region", however, carries negative connotations among many Valencians because it could deny their nationality status. The pre-Roman autochthonous people of

7482-450: Was rich in silver. After Hamilcar's death, his son-in-law Hasdrubal the Fair continued his incursions into Iberia, founding the colony of Qart Hadasht (modern Cartagena ) and extending his influence all the way to the southern bank of the river Ebro . After Hasdrubal's assassination in 221 BCE, Hannibal assumed command of the Carthaginian forces and spent two years completing the conquest of

7569-412: Was significant growth in the years immediately following 2004, at least until the 2008–13 Spanish financial crisis . Statute of Autonomy Nominally, a statute of autonomy ( Spanish : estatuto de autonomía , Catalan : estatut d'autonomia , Galician : estatuto de autonomía , Asturian : estatutu d'autonomía , Basque : autonomia estatutua ) is a law hierarchically located under

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