Seville is a place.
Seville ( [ səˈvɪl ] Sevilla [ seˈβiʎa ] , [ seˈβi ʝa ] ) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville , Spain . Seville has a municipal population of about 703,000 , and a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million , making it the fourth-largest city in Spain and the 30th most populous municipality in the European Union . Seville was founded as the Roman city of Hispalis . 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 . The 20th century in Seville saw the tribulations of the Spanish Civil War , decisive cultural milestones such as the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and Expo ' 92 , and the city 's election as the capital of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia .