Valencians

Valencians
Valencians
Total population
	4,185,000 (Spain nationals) ; (for a total population of 5,111,706)
Regions with significant populations
	Valencian Community
Languages
	Valencian, Spanish and Valencian Sign
Religion
	Predominantly Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
	Spaniards, Balearics, Aragonese, Catalans, Occitans and other Romance-speaking peoples

Last updated April 22, 2024

Valencians (Valencian : valencians) are the native people of the Valencian Community, in eastern Spain. Legally, Valencians are the inhabitants of the community.^[2] Since 2006, the Valencian people are officially recognised in the Valencian Statute of Autonomy as a nationality "within the unity of the Spanish nation".^[3] The official languages of Valencia are Valencian and Spanish.^[4]

Historical background

In 1237, the Moorish taifa of Valencia was taken by king James I the Conqueror of the Crown of Aragon. The population of the new kingdom was by far mostly Muslim, so the crown started a campaign of repopulation of the lands with Christians, as usual in the Reconquista . The new Christian arrivals came from Catalonia and Aragon. Aragonese presence was most dominant in the interior parts of the kingdom (as can be assumed by geographical factors); those Aragonese from the eastern comarcas of Aragon (Matarranya, Casp, Baix Cinca, Llitera and Ribargorça) would have brought with them Catalan language varieties, whereas the rest of Aragonese settlers would've brought eastern Spanish and Aragonese varieties which would mix into Churro Spanish, which in much of the interior is the traditional language, as Valencian is in the coast, where most of the new inhabitants had Catalan or, less usual, Occitan origins.

The Baix Segura and Vinalopó comarcas were a lands disputed between the crowns of Castile and Aragon since the Reconquista, this being because they were conquered by Aragon but reserved for Castile under a treaty, hence they were repopulated by people from both crowns at different times, and the Alt Vinalopó (Villena influence area) was actually part of Murcia (Albacete province) until the nineteenth century. Following the Black Death and later the Expulsion of the Moriscos, the then Valencian-speaking Bajo Segura (to which Orihuela and Torrevieja belong) is said to have been resettled mostly by people from Murcia, eventually defining the language border there (see Panocho dialect). The Requena comarca was, like the Alt Vinalopó, part of Castile (Cuenca province) until the mid-nineteenth century (1851).

Moorish presence in the Kingdom of Valencia was very high, making one third of the entire population at the time of the expulsion (the highest proportion in all of Spain). The coexistence between the Christian and Muslim was mostly good, despite some chapters of religious intolerance like the massive Baptism of Muslims during the first Revolt of the Brotherhoods; however, Valencian Moors never ceased to speak Arabic. The Christian Valencian elites disapproved of King Philip's plans of Expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, because the sudden lack of the traditional workforce would lead to the kingdom's ruin.

Demographics

The Valencian population traditionally concentrated in localities with fertile cultivation and growing lowlands by the most important rivers (Júcar, or Xúquer in Valencian, Turia, or Túria, Segura and Vinalopó), also in harbour cities important to the agricultural trade.

The most important population centers used to be, during the Roman times, (Sagunt) or Dénia; later on in history, (València), (Alacant), Xàtiva, Orihuela (Oriola), (Elx), Gandia, or Vila-real and, more recently, Alzira and (Castelló de la Plana).

The population density which is higher in the central and southern lands and minor in the northern and inner ones, is derived from the traditional distribution of people which originated in the orographic characteristics of the Valencian lands and the possibility to obtain irrigated land agriculture. Demographics were also affected by (being perhaps the exception to the mentioned distribution) the great industrial activity and the commerce of agriculturally derived products during the 20th century of noncoastal cities like (Alcoi), Elda, Ontinyent, Petrer, Villena, and La Vall d'Uixó.

In the last years, concentration in the great capitals and its metropolitan areas has augmented considerably (e.g. Torrent, Mislata, Paterna, Burjassot, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, etc.) especially in all the coastal cities and towns. Thus, traditionally small populations such as Benidorm or Torrevieja have undergone a considerable population increase (still more remarkable during summertime) due to the seasonal migration of tourists.

Languages

Valencian and Spanish are the official languages of the Valencian Community. Spanish (or Castilian) is the official language of Spain, while Valencian, that is, the varieties of Catalan spoken in the Community, is the language considered by the Statute of Autonomy as llengua pròpia ("native language"). Valencian is traditionally spoken in the densely populated coastal areas rather than inland, where many places have Spanish as their traditional language, also those areas incorporated into the provinces of Alicante and Valencia at their creation in 1833 and which did not form part of the historical Kingdom of Valencia. Consequently, the 1984 Law on the "Use and Education of Valencian" defines certain municipalities as "predominantly Spanish-speaking", and allows them some few optional exceptions as to official use of Valencian, even though the right to use and to receive education in Valencian is guaranteed by the Statute of Autonomy (Art. 6.2) anywhere in Valencia.

Cuisine

Paella is a rice dish which originated in Valencia near lake Albufera, a lagoon in eastern Spain.^[5] Valencians consider paella their main national dish.

Other famous Valencian dishes are the orxata drink, and the bunyols: the sweet pastry eaten in falles.

Related Research Articles

Paella is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. Paella is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine.

Valencian or the Valencian language is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community of Spain to refer to the Romance language also known as Catalan, either as a whole or in its Valencia-specific linguistic forms. The Valencian Community's 1982 Statute of Autonomy and the Spanish Constitution officially recognise Valencian as the name of the regional language.

Alicante is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community are located in this province.

The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self-government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organized.

Villena is a city in Spain, in the Valencian Community. It is located at the northwest part of Alicante, and borders to the west with Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia, to the north with the province of Valencia and to the east and south with the province of Alicante. It is the capital of the comarca of the Alto Vinalopó. The municipality has an area of 345.6 km² and a population of 34,928 inhabitants as of INE 2008.

The Kingdom of Valencia, located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon.

Valencian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine as cooked in the Valencian Community, Spain. Its basic ingredients are vegetables, seafood and meat. It is famous worldwide for its rices, such as paella, and its citrus fruits. The cuisine of neighbouring regions have given and received important contributions from Valencian gastronomy, amongst them Balearic cuisine, Catalan cuisine, Aragonese cuisine, Manchego cuisine and Murcian cuisine.

The majority of languages of Spain belong to the Romance language family, of which Spanish is the sole one with official status as the national language. Others, including Catalan/Valencian and Galician, enjoy official status in their respective autonomous regions, similar to Basque in the northeast of the country. A number of other languages and dialects belonging to the Romance continuum exist in Spain, such as Aragonese, Asturian, Fala and Occitan.

Valencian Sign Language, or LSV, is a sign language used by deaf people in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is closely related to Catalan Sign Language (LSC); they are variously described as similar languages or as dialects of a single language.

Vega Baja del Segura or Baix Segura is a comarca in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain.

Vall d'Albaida is a comarca in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain.

Caudete is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Albacete, Castilla–La Mancha. It has a population of 10.163. It is part of the Altiplanicie de Almansa comarca.

Arroz a la valenciana or Valencian rice is a name for a multitude of rice dishes from diverse cuisines of the world, which originate from the rice-cooking tradition of the Valencian Community, in eastern Spain.

The names of the Valencian Community are diverse, even though Comunitat Valenciana is the only denomination with official status in its Statute of Autonomy. Nonetheless, this legal document includes in its Preamble other legal denominations that portray the history and nature of the territory: Regne de València and País Valencià.

Simat de la Valldigna is a municipality in the comarca of Safor in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is 50 km from Valencia, and 20 km from Cullera and Gandia. It is also near Xàtiva and Alzira.

Blaverism is a Valencian regionalist ideology in the Valencian Community (Spain) that emerged with the Spanish transition to democracy characterised by strong anti-Catalanism, born out of its opposition to Joan Fuster's book Nosaltres, els valencians (1962), which promoted the concept of the Catalan Countries which includes Valencia. They consider Fuster's ideas as an imperialist Catalan nationalist movement that tries to impose Catalan domination upon Valencia.

The flag of the Valencian Community and of the city of Valencia, known as Reial Senyera, is the traditional Senyera, composed of four red bars on a yellow background, crowned with a blue strip party per pale next to the hoist. It was adopted on 1 July 1982.

The coat of arms of the Valencian Community is the official emblem of the self-government institutions of the Valencian Community. It is based on the armorial achievement used from the reign of King Peter IV to John II, called the Great. In 1978 the former Council of the Valencian Country approved it “...for being the oldest known representative emblem of the former Kingdom of Valencia, that had located on the Xerea Gate of the city of Valencia”.

The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with more than five million inhabitants. Its homonymous capital Valencia is the third largest city and metropolitan area in Spain. It is located along the Mediterranean coast on the east side of the Iberian Peninsula. It borders Catalonia to the north, Aragon and Castilla–La Mancha to the west, and Murcia to the south, and the Balearic Islands are to its east. The Valencian Community is divided into three provinces: Castellón, Valencia and Alicante.

There is a variety of Vernacular languages spoken in Spain. Spanish, the official language in the entire country, is the predominant native language in almost all of the autonomous communities in Spain. Six of the seventeen autonomous communities in Spain have other co-official languages in addition to Spanish. Bilingualism in different degrees and in distinct communicative situations between Spanish and another language is a habitual practice for many of the Spanish people who reside in one of these autonomous communities.

References

↑ "Interactivo: Creencias y prácticas religiosas en España". La Vanguardia. 2 April 2015.
↑ Art. 3 of the Valencian Statute of Antonomy: "1. A los efectos de este Estatuto, gozan de la condición política de valencianos todos los ciudadanos españoles que tengan o adquieran vecindad administrativa en cualquiera de los municipios de la Comunitat Valenciana. 2. Los ciudadanos españoles residentes en el extranjero que hayan tenido su última vecindad administrativa en la Comunitat Valenciana y acrediten esta condición en el correspondiente Consulado de España gozarán de los derechos políticos definidos en este Estatuto. Este mismo régimen se aplicará a sus descendientes, inscritos como españoles, si así lo solicitan en los términos en los que lo determine la Ley del Estado. 3. Las comunidades de valencianos asentadas fuera de la Comunitat Valenciana tendrán derecho a solicitar, como tales, el reconocimiento de su valencianidad (...)"
↑ Art. 1 of the Valencian Statute of Antonomy: "El poble valencià, històricament organitzat com a Regne de València, es constituïx en Comunitat Autònoma, dins de la unitat de la nació espanyola, com a expressió de la seua identitat diferenciada com a nacionalitat històrica i en l'exercici del dret d'autogovern que la Constitució Espanyola reconeix a tota nacionalitat, amb la denominació del País Valencià."
↑ Art. 6.2 of the Valencian Statute of Autonomy Archived 27 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Info about Paella on About.com

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[1] "Interactivo: Creencias y prácticas religiosas en España". La Vanguardia. 2 April 2015.

[2] Art. 3 of the Valencian Statute of Antonomy: "1. A los efectos de este Estatuto, gozan de la condición política de valencianos todos los ciudadanos españoles que tengan o adquieran vecindad administrativa en cualquiera de los municipios de la Comunitat Valenciana. 2. Los ciudadanos españoles residentes en el extranjero que hayan tenido su última vecindad administrativa en la Comunitat Valenciana y acrediten esta condición en el correspondiente Consulado de España gozarán de los derechos políticos definidos en este Estatuto. Este mismo régimen se aplicará a sus descendientes, inscritos como españoles, si así lo solicitan en los términos en los que lo determine la Ley del Estado. 3. Las comunidades de valencianos asentadas fuera de la Comunitat Valenciana tendrán derecho a solicitar, como tales, el reconocimiento de su valencianidad (...)"

[3] Art. 1 of the Valencian Statute of Antonomy: "El poble valencià, històricament organitzat com a Regne de València, es constituïx en Comunitat Autònoma, dins de la unitat de la nació espanyola, com a expressió de la seua identitat diferenciada com a nacionalitat històrica i en l'exercici del dret d'autogovern que la Constitució Espanyola reconeix a tota nacionalitat, amb la denominació del País Valencià."

[official-languages-4] Art. 6.2 of the Valencian Statute of Autonomy Archived 27 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine

[Info_about_Paella_on_About.com-5] Info about Paella on About.com

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