Sevilla , English Seville ancient Hispalis, City (pop., 2008 est.: city, 690,160), capital of Sevilla province and Andalusia autonomous community (comunidad autónoma), Spain. Located on the Guadalquivir River, it is Spain’s leading inland port and fourth largest city. Originally an Iberian town, Sevilla prospered under the Romans in the 2nd century bce. In the 5th–8th centuries ce it was the chief city in southern Spain under the Vandals and the Visigoths. In 711 it fell to the Moors, and under Muslim rule it was a cultural and commercial centre until the 13th century, when Spanish Christians under Ferdinand III captured it. About 1500 Sevilla became the centre of the Spanish colonial trade with the Americas. The French occupied the city (1808–12), and during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) it was held by the Nationalists. It is one of Spain’s main tourist centres, with historic mosques, cathedrals, and the 12th-century Alcázar Palace. It was the site of the Iberoamerican Exposition in 1929 and the Universal Exposition in 1992. The University of Sevilla was founded in 1502.
