Hispania Citerior was a province of the Roman Republic which existed from 197 BC to 19 BC, now consisting of Catalonia and the Valencian Community on the eastern coast of Spain. The province, along with Hispania Ulterior to the south, was formed after Rome's conquest of Carthage's Spanish lands during the Punic Wars. In 19 BC, Emperor Augustus replaced Hispania Citerior with Hispania Tarraconensis.