Valencia is in the country of Spain.
Spain ( España [ esˈpaɲa ] ) , officially the Kingdom of Spain ( [ Reino de España , links = no ] ) , is a sovereign state located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe , with two large archipelagoes , the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands off the North African Atlantic coast , two cities Ceuta and Melilla in the North African mainland and several small islands in the Alboran Sea near the Moroccan coast . Spain 's capital and largest city is Madrid ; other major urban areas include Barcelona , Valencia , Seville , Bilbao and Málaga . Valencia ( [ vəˈlɛnsiə ] [ baˈlenθja ] ) , officially València ( [ vaˈlensia ] ) , 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 . Valencia was the capital of Spain when Joseph Bonaparte moved the Court there in the summer of 1812 . 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 .