sentences:  The county, which was formerly much larger in area, lost almost 81 percent of its territory on 19 June 1981, upon the creation of Cibola County, which occupies the westernmost portion of Valencia County's former area.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.It is the second-smallest county in New Mexico by area.