Valencia, natively also València, is a province of Spain, in the central part of the autonomous Valencian Community. Of the province's 2.6 million people, one-third live in the capital, Valencia, which is also the capital of the autonomous community and the 3rd biggest city in Spain, with a metropolitan area of 2,522,383 people it is also one of the most populated cities of Southern Europe. There are 265 municipalities in the province.