Seville is located in the South of Spain. It is the provincial capital, seat of the government and parliament of the Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía (Regional Government). It has more than 700,000 inhabitants, nearly half the population of the whole province. The city of Seville is located on the plain of the Guadalquivir river which crosses the city from North to South. The river can be navigated from Seville all the way to its outlet near Sanlúcar de Barrameda, on the Atlantic coast. In the past the port of Seville played an important role in commerce between Spain and the Americas and it remains today one of the most active river ports of the Iberian Peninsula.
Its origins go back to the Tartessian civilization, but several civilizations had its settlement in what today we all know as Sevilla. During the Roman period it was known as Hispalis, and later, with the Moors, its name was changed to Isbiliya. However, it was with the Catholic Monarchs when the city got its maximum magnificence because of the discovery of America in 1492.