Seville (/səˈvɪl/; Spanish: Sevilla [seˈβiʎa] (listen)) is the
capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of
Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower
reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian
Peninsula.Seville has a municipal population of about 690,000 as of
2016[update], and a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million,
making it the largest city in Andalusia, the fourth-largest city in
Spain and the 30th most populous municipality in the European Union.
Its old town, with an area of 4 square kilometres (2 sq mi), contains
three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace complex, the
Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. The Seville harbour,
located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean, is the
only river port in Spain. Seville experiences high temperatures in the
summer, with daily maximums routinely above 35 °C (95 °F) in July
and August.Seville was founded as the Roman city of Hispalis. It
became known as Ishbiliyah after the Muslim conquest in 711. During
the Muslim rule in Spain, Seville came under the jurisdiction of the
Caliphate of Córdoba before becoming the independent Taifa of
Seville; later it was ruled by the Muslim Almoravids and the Almohads
until finally being incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of Castile
under Ferdinand III in 1248. After the discovery of the Americas,
Seville became one of the economic centres of the Spanish Empire as
its port monopolised the trans-oceanic trade and the Casa de
Contratación (House of Trade) wielded its power, opening a Golden Age
of arts and literature. In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan departed from
Seville for the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Coinciding with
the Baroque period of European history, the 17th century in Seville
represented the most brilliant flowering of the city's culture; then
began a gradual economic and demographic decline as silting in the
Guadalquivir forced the trade monopoly to relocate to the nearby port
of Cádiz.
capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of
Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower
reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian
Peninsula.Seville has a municipal population of about 690,000 as of
2016[update], and a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million,
making it the largest city in Andalusia, the fourth-largest city in
Spain and the 30th most populous municipality in the European Union.
Its old town, with an area of 4 square kilometres (2 sq mi), contains
three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace complex, the
Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. The Seville harbour,
located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean, is the
only river port in Spain. Seville experiences high temperatures in the
summer, with daily maximums routinely above 35 °C (95 °F) in July
and August.Seville was founded as the Roman city of Hispalis. It
became known as Ishbiliyah after the Muslim conquest in 711. During
the Muslim rule in Spain, Seville came under the jurisdiction of the
Caliphate of Córdoba before becoming the independent Taifa of
Seville; later it was ruled by the Muslim Almoravids and the Almohads
until finally being incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of Castile
under Ferdinand III in 1248. After the discovery of the Americas,
Seville became one of the economic centres of the Spanish Empire as
its port monopolised the trans-oceanic trade and the Casa de
Contratación (House of Trade) wielded its power, opening a Golden Age
of arts and literature. In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan departed from
Seville for the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Coinciding with
the Baroque period of European history, the 17th century in Seville
represented the most brilliant flowering of the city's culture; then
began a gradual economic and demographic decline as silting in the
Guadalquivir forced the trade monopoly to relocate to the nearby port
of Cádiz.
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