Claim: Spain is part of Europe.

Valencia -LRB- -LSB- vəˈlɛnsiə -RSB- -LSB- baˈlenθja -RSB- -RRB- , officially València -LRB- -LSB- vaˈlensia -RSB- -RRB- , is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona , with around 800,000 inhabitants in the administrative centre . Its urban area extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of around 1.5 -- 1.6 million people . Valencia is Spain 's third largest metropolitan area , with a population ranging from 1.7 to 2.5 million . The Port of Valencia is the 5th busiest container port in Europe and the busiest container port on the Mediterranean Sea . The city is ranked at Gamma in the Globalization and World Cities Research Network .   Valencia was founded as a Roman colony by the consul Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus in 138 BC , and called Valentia Edetanorum . In 714 Moroccan and Arab Moors occupied the city , introducing their language , religion and customs ; they implemented improved irrigation systems and the cultivation of new crops as well , being capital of the Taifa of Valencia . In 1238 the Christian king James I of Aragon reconquered the city and divided the land among the nobles who helped him conquer it , as witnessed in the Llibre del Repartiment . He also created a new law for the city , the Furs of Valencia , which were extended to the rest of the Kingdom of Valencia . In the 18th century Philip V of Spain abolished the privileges as punishment to the kingdom of Valencia for aligning with the Habsburg side in the War of the Spanish Succession . Valencia was the capital of Spain when Joseph Bonaparte moved the Court there in the summer of 1812 . It also served as capital between 1936 and 1937 , during the Second Spanish Republic .   The city is situated on the banks of the Turia , on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula , fronting the Gulf of Valencia on the Mediterranean Sea . Its historic centre is one of the largest in Spain , with approximately 169 hectares ; this heritage of ancient monuments , views and cultural attractions makes Valencia one of the country 's most popular tourist destinations .   Valencia is integrated into an industrial area on the Costa del Azahar -LRB- Orange Blossom Coast -RRB- . Valencia 's main festival is the Falles . The traditional Spanish dish , paella , originated in Valencia .