Valencia

(və-lĕnˈshē-ə, -chə, -sē-ə)

1. also (bä-lĕnˈthyä) A region of eastern Spain on the Mediterranean coast south of Catalonia. Inhabited by Iberian peoples in early times, it was colonized by Greek and Carthaginian traders and fell to the Moors in the eighth century. The Cid ruled the region and the city of Valencia from 1094 until his death in 1099.
2. also (bä-lĕnˈthyä) A city of eastern Spain on the Gulf of Valencia, a wide inlet of the Mediterranean Sea. First mentioned as a Roman colony in 138 B.C., Valencia was taken by the Visigoths in A.D. 413, the Moors in 714, and James I of Aragon in 1238, after which it flowered commercially and culturally. The city was the seat (1936-1937) of the Loyalist government during the Spanish Civil War. Spain's third-largest city, it is a popular resort and a commercial and industrial center. Population: 798,000.
3. also (bä-lĕnˈsyä) A city of northern Venezuela west-southwest of Caracas on the western shore of Lake Valencia. Founded in 1555, it is a major industrial center. Population: 1,190,000.