
. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area
is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city
in the European Union
, after London
and Berlin
, and its metropolitan area
is the third largest in the European Union after London
and Paris. The city spans a total of 604.3 km² (233.3 sq mi).
Madrid urban agglomeration has the 3rd largest GDP in the European Union and its influences in politics
, education
, entertainment
, environment
, media
, fashion
, science
, and the arts
all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities
.
Halfway between heaven and hell.
I've cried in Venetia, I've been lost in Manhattan, I've grown up in La Havana, I've been an outcast in Paris, Mexico torments me, Buenos Aires kills me, but there's always a train that goes to Madrid.
Even if the summer dies and winter is in a hurry; spring knows I'll be waiting in Madrid
Let's say I talk about Madrid
And I'm just dialing 3692230 like and idiot just to hear your answering machine say you left Madrid.
I get down in Atocha|Atocha, I stay in Madrid.
Where there are crossroads and you can't conceive the sea; where the fugitive always returns, let's say I'm talking about Madrid
Girls don't want to be princesses, and boys tend to chase the sea in a Gin glass; let's say I'm talking about Madrid
. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area
is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city
in the European Union
, after London
and Berlin
, and its metropolitan area
is the third largest in the European Union after London
and Paris. The city spans a total of 604.3 km² (233.3 sq mi).
Madrid urban agglomeration has the 3rd largest GDP in the European Union and its influences in politics
, education
, entertainment
, environment
, media
, fashion
, science
, and the arts
all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities
. Due to its economic output
, high standard of living
, and market size, Madrid is considered the major financial centre
of Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula
; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Spanish companies. Madrid is the most touristic city of Spain, the fourth-most touristic of the continent, and is the 10th most livable city in the world
according to Monocle magazine, in its 2010 index. Madrid also ranks among the 12 greenest European cities in 2010. Madrid is currently bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympics
.
The city is located on the Manzanares river in the centre of both the country
and the Community of Madrid (which comprises the city of Madrid, its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages); this community is bordered by the autonomous communities
of Castile and León
and Castile-La Mancha
.
As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence
of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political centre of Spain. The current mayor is Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
from the People's Party
(PP).
While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid
; the Teatro Real
(Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen Retiro park, founded in 1631; the 19th-century National Library
building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical archives; an archaeological museum
; and the Golden Triangle of Art
, located along the Paseo del Prado
and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum
, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, housed in the renovated Villahermosa Palace.
Toponym
_16.jpg)
) and was named "Metragirta" or "Mantua Carpetana". Others contend that the original name of the city was "Ursaria" ("land of bear
s" in Latin
), due to the high number of these animals that were found in the adjacent forests, which, together with the strawberry tree , have been the emblem of the city from the Middle Ages
.
The most ancient recorded name of the city Magerit (for *Materit or *Mageterit ?) comes from the name of a fortress built on the Manzanares River in the 9th century AD
, and means "Place of abundant water". If the form is correct, it could be a Celtic place-name from ritu- 'ford' (Old Welsh rit, Welsh rhyd, Old Breton rit, Old Northern French roy) and a first element, that is not clearly identified *mageto derivation of magos 'field' 'plain' (Old Irish mag 'field', Breton ma 'place'), or matu 'bear", that could explain the Latin translation Ursalia.
Nevertheless, it is now commonly believed that the origin of the current name of the city comes from the 2nd century BC. The Roman Empire
established a settlement on the banks of the Manzanares river. The name of this first village was "Matrice" (a reference to the river that crossed the settlement). Following the invasions carried out by the Germanic Sueves
and Vandals
, as well as the Sarmatic Alans
during the 5th century AD, the Roman Empire no longer had the military presence required to defend its territories on the Iberian Peninsula, and as a consequence, these territories were soon overrun by the Visigoths. The barbarian tribes subsequently took control of "Matrice". In the 7th century, the Islamic conquest
of the Iberian Peninsula saw the name changed to "Mayrit", from the Arabic
term ميرا "Mayra" (referencing water as a "trees" or "giver of life") and the Ibero-Roman suffix "it" that means "place". The modern "Madrid" evolved from the Mozarabic
"Matrit", which is still in the Madrilenian gentilic
.
Middle Ages
Although the site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since pre-historictimes, in the Roman era this territory belonged to the diocese
of Complutum
(present-day Alcalá de Henares). There are archeological remains of a small village during the visigoth epoch, whose name might have been adopted later by Arabs. The origins of the modern city come from the 9th century, when Muhammad I
ordered the construction of a small palace
in the same place that is today occupied by the Palacio Real
. Around this palace a small citadel
, al-Mudaina, was built. The citadel was conquered in 1085 by Christian king Alfonso VI of Leon and Castile in his advance towards Toledo
. He reconsecrated the mosque as the church of the Virgin of Almudena (almudin, the garrison's
granary
). In 1329, the Cortes Generales
first assembled in the city to advise Alfonso XI of Castile
. Sephardi Jews
and Moors
continued to live in the city until they were expelled at the end of the 15th century. After troubles and a large fire, Henry III of Castile
(1379–1406) rebuilt the city and established himself safely fortified outside its walls in El Pardo.
The grand entry of Ferdinand and Isabella
to Madrid heralded the end of strife between Castile
and Aragon
, and the beginning of the influence of the Renaissance in Spain
.
Modern Age
The Crown of Castile, with its capital at Toledo
, and the Crown of Aragon
, with its capital at Zaragoza
, were welded into modern Spain
by the Catholic Monarchs
(Queen Isabella of Castile
and King Ferdinand II of Aragon
).
Though their grandson Charles I of Spain
(also known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
) favoured Seville, it was Charles' son, Philip II
(1527–1598) who moved the court to Madrid in 1561. Although he made no official declaration, the seat of the court was the de facto
capital. Seville
continued to control commerce with Spain's colonies, but Madrid controlled Seville.
Aside from a brief period, 1601–1606, when Felipe III
installed his court in Valladolid
, Madrid's fortunes have closely mirrored those of Spain.

(Golden Century), in the 16th/17th century, Madrid knew its ultimate glory; El Escorial
, the great royal monastery built by King Philip II of Spain
, invited the attention of some of Europe's greatest architects and painters. Diego Velázquez
(painter of Las Meninas
and The Surrender of Breda
), regarded as one of the most influential painters of European history and a greatly respected artist in his own time, cultivated a relationship with King Philip IV and his chief minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares
, leaving us several portraits that demonstrate his style and skill. El Greco
, another respected artist from the period, infused Spanish art with the styles of the Italian renaissance and helped create a uniquely Spanish style of painting.
Madrid was one of the cultural centres during the Spanish Golden Century. The Spanish court attracted many top Spanish artists and writers to the city, including Miguel de Cervantes
(author of Don Quixote de la Mancha) and the aforementioned Diego Velázquez
. Furthermore, in the city were born many of the great writers of this period: Lope de Vega
, Francisco de Quevedo
, Calderon de la Barca and Tirso de Molina
, and the last of the great painters of the Golden Age, Claudio Coello
. The renowned Renaissance
architect Juan de Herrera
designed the Plaza Mayor, which was built in the city during the Habsburg period as a central plaza
. It is located near another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol
.
New palaces (including the Palacio Real de Madrid) were built during Philip V
´s reign. However, it would not be until Charles III
(1716–1788) that Madrid would become a modern city. Charles III was one of the most popular kings in the history of Madrid, and the saying "the best mayor, the king" became popular during those times. When Charles IV
(1748–1819) became king the people of Madrid revolted. After the Mutiny of Aranjuez
, which was led by his own son Ferdinand VII against him, Charles IV
resigned, but Ferdinand VII's reign would be short: in May 1808 Napoleon's troops entered the city.
From 19th century to present day
On the second of May , 1808, the people of Madrid rebelled against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a repression by the French Imperial forcesand triggering the Spanish War of Independence
.
After the war of independence (1814) Ferdinand VII came back to the throne, but after a liberal military revolution, Rafael del Riego
made the king swear respect to the Constitution. This would start a period where liberal and conservative government alternated, that would end with the enthronement of Isabellla II
(1830–1904). She could not suppress the political tension that would lead to yet another revolt, the First Spanish Republic
. This was later followed by the return of the monarchy to Madrid, then the creation of the Second Spanish Republic
, preceding the Spanish Civil War
.
Madrid was one of the most heavily affected cities of Spain in the Civil War (1936–1939). The city was a stronghold of the Republicans
from July 1936. Its western suburbs were the scene of an all-out battle in November 1936 and it was during the Civil War that Madrid became the first European city to be bombed by airplanes (Japan was the first to bomb civilians in world history, at Shanghai in 1932) specifically targeting civilians
in the history of warfare
. (See Siege of Madrid (1936–39)).
During the economic boom in Spain from 1959 to 1973, the city experienced unprecedented, extraordinary development in terms of population and wealth, becoming the largest GDP city in Spain, and ranking third in Western Europe. The municipality is extended, annexing neighbouring council districts, to achieve the present extension of 607 km² (234.36 sq mi). The south of Madrid became very industrialized, and there were massive migrations
from rural areas of Spain into the city. Madrid's newly built north-western districts became the home of the new thriving middle class that appeared as result of the 1960s Spanish economic boom
, while south-eastern periphery became an extensive working class settlement, which was the base for an active cultural and political reform.
After the death of Franco, emerging democratic parties (including those of left-wing and republican ideology) accepted King Juan Carlos I
as both Franco's successor and as the heir of the historic dynasty – in order to secure stability and democracy. This led Spain to its current position as a constitutional monarchy
, with Madrid as capital.
Benefiting from increasing prosperity in the 1980s and 1990s, the capital city of Spain has consolidated its position as an important economic, cultural, industrial, educational, and technological centre on the European continent.
Climate
The Madrid region features a Continental Mediterranean climate (KöppenCsa) with cold winters due to altitude (650 m (2,133 ft) above sea level
in Alicante), including sporadic snowfalls and minimum temperatures often below freezing. Summer tends to be hot with temperatures that consistently surpass 30 °C (86 °F) in July and August and rarely above 40 °C (104 °F). Due to Madrid's altitude and dry climate, diurnal ranges are often significant during the summer. Precipitation
is concentrated in the autumn and spring. It is particularly sparse during the summer, taking the form of one or two showers and/or thunderstorms a month.
Water supply
Madrid derives almost 75 percent of its water supplyfrom dams and reservoirs built on the Lozoya River, such as the El Atazar Dam
.
Districts
Madrid is administratively divided into 21 districts, which are further subdivided into 128 wards (barrios) |
Madrid districts. The numbers correspond with the list in the left |
- CentroCentro (Madrid)Centro is the central district of the city of Madrid, Spain. It is approximately 5,23 km² in size. It has a population of 148,714 and a population density of 28434,8/km².-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 6 wards :...
: Palacio, Embajadores, Cortes, Justicia, UniversidadMalasañaMalasaña is an area of Madrid famous for its creative, countercultural scene. Centred around Plaza de Dos de Mayo, it is reminiscent of Camden Town in London, the East Village in New York City, however despite its similarities, Malasaña is a distinct neighbourhood.-Overview:Malasaña is to the west...
, Sol. - ArganzuelaArganzuelaArganzuela is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain.-Position:Arganzuela is located in central-southern Madrid, separated from Latina, Carabanchel and Usera by the river Manzanares...
: Imperial, AcaciasLas Acacias (Madrid)Las Acacias is a ward of Madrid belonging to the district of Arganzuela. Its code number is 22 and, as of 2006, its population was of 37,727.-Geography:...
, La Chopera, Legazpi, Delicias, Palos de Moguer, Atocha. - RetiroRetiro (Madrid)Retiro is a district located at the southeast of the city centre of Madrid, Spain. Its area is of 5.38 km2, the number of houses is 46,512 and the population, as of 2005, was of 126,058 .-History:...
: Pacífico, Adelfas, Estrella, Ibiza, Jerónimos, Niño Jesús. - SalamancaSalamanca (Madrid)Salamanca is one of the 21 districts that form the city of Madrid, Spain. Salamanca is located to the northeast of the historical center of Madrid.-Overview:...
: Recoletos, Goya, Parque de las Avenidas, Fuente del Berro, Guindalera, Lista, Castellana. - ChamartínChamartínChamartín is an administrative district of Madrid, Spain and consists of the following neighborhoods: El Viso, Prosperidad, Ciudad Jardín, Hispanoamérica, Nueva España, and Pza...
: El Viso, Prosperidad, Ciudad Jardín, Hispanoamérica, Nueva España, Castilla. - TetuánTetuán (Madrid)Tetuán is a district of Madrid, Spain. The district takes its name from Tetouan, Morocco. Which was the capital of the former Spanish protectorate in northern Morocco.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 6 wards :...
: Bellas Vistas, Cuatro Caminos, Castillejos, Almenara, Valdeacederas, Berruguete. - Chamberí: Gaztambide, Arapiles, Trafalgar, Almagro, Vallehermoso, Ríos Rosas.
- Fuencarral-El Pardo: El PardoEl PardoThe Royal Palace of El Pardo is a historical building near Madrid, Spain, in the present-day district of Fuencarral-El Pardo. Owned by the Spanish state and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional agency, the palace began as a hunting lodge.-Overview:...
, Fuentelarreina, PeñagrandePeñagrandePeñagrande is a neighborhood to the north of Madrid's city centre, in the district of Fuencarral-El Pardo. Peñagrande is Madrid's 26th largest neighborhood in terms of land area, its 10th largest in population and 77th largest in population density....
, Barrio del Pilar, La Paz, Valverde, Mirasierra, El Goloso. - Moncloa-AravacaMoncloa-AravacaMoncloa-Aravaca is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 7 wards :*Aravaca*Argüelles*Casa de Campo*Ciudad Universitaria*El Plantío...
: Casa de CampoCasa de CampoThe Casa de Campo is the largest urban park situated west of central Madrid, . It was formerly a royal hunting estate. Its area is more than ....
, Argüelles, Ciudad Universitaria, Valdezarza, Valdemarín, El Plantío, AravacaAravacaAravaca is a barrio of the city of Madrid, in the Moncloa district. It is from the city centre, on the other side of Casa de Campo park. The population of the barrio is 29,547 , divided between three areas: Aravaca , Valdemarín and El Plantío -History:During the Spanish Civil War, Aravaca was on...
. - LatinaLatina (Madrid)Latina is one of the districts of Madrid. Different from La Latina area in the district of Centro, its name comes from Beatriz Galindo La Latina.-Position:...
: Los Cármenes, Puerta del Ángel, Lucero, AlucheAlucheAluche is a barrio of the city of Madrid, situated in the southwest of the city, in the Latina district. It is bounded by the barrios of Campamento, Las Águilas, Lucero, Los Cármenes, and the Carabanchel district. Casa de Campo is also nearby...
, Las Águilas, Campamento, Cuatro VientosCuatro VientosCuatro Vientos is a ward of Madrid belonging to the district of Latina.-Geography:Cuatro Vientos is situated in the south-western area of central Madrid, close to the motorways A5 and M40 and to the homonymous airport.-External links:...
. - CarabanchelCarabanchelCarabanchel is a district in the south western suburbs of Madrid, Spain.-Overview:The area was the scene of fierce fighting during the Spanish Civil War -especially in November 1936, during the Battle of Madrid, when Nationalist troops tried to fight their way into the area. Unacustomed to street...
: Comillas, Opañel, San Isidro, Vista Alegre, Puerta Bonita, Buenavista, Abrantes. - UseraUseraUsera is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 7 wards :*Almendrales*Moscardó*Orcasitas*Orcasur*Pradolongo*San Fermín*Zofío...
: Orcasitas, Orcasur, San Fermín, Almendrales, Moscardó, Zofío, Pradolongo. - Puente de VallecasPuente de VallecasPuente de Vallecas is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain. It forms, with the district of Villa de Vallecas, the geographical area of Vallecas.-Subdivision:...
: EntrevíasEntrevíasEntrevías is a neighborhood in the district of Puente de Vallecas in the southeastern portion of Madrid, Spain.According to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, the population of Entrevías in 2006 was 37,790....
, San Diego, Palomeras Bajas, Palomeras Sureste, Portazgo, Numancia. - MoratalazMoratalazMoratalaz is a district of Madrid, Spain. It is a well known area because musicians such as Melendi and Alejandro Sanz have lived there. Moratalaz is on east of municipality of Madrid, it has 634.42 km² of surface area and is delineated by the highways of M-30 to the west, M-40 to the east, M23 to...
: Pavones, Horcajo, Marroquina, Media Legua, Fontarrón, Vinateros. - Ciudad LinealCiudad LinealCiudad Lineal is a district in Madrid .-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 9 wards :*Atalaya*Colina*Concepción*Pinar de Chamartín *Pueblo Nuevo*Quintana...
: Ventas, Pueblo Nuevo, Quintana, La Concepción, San Pascual, San Juan Bautista, Colina, Atalaya, Costillares. - HortalezaHortalezaHortaleza is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 6 wards :*Apóstol Santiago*Canillas*Palomas*Pinar del Rey*Piovera*Valdefuentes...
: Palomas, Valdefuentes, Canillas, Pinar del Rey, Apóstol Santiago, Piovera. - VillaverdeVillaverde (Madrid)Villaverde is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 5 wards :*Butarque*Los Ángeles*Los Rosales*San Cristóbal de los Ángeles*Villaverde Alto...
: San Andrés, San CristóbalSan Cristóbal de los ÁngelesSan Cristóbal de Los Ángeles is a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Madrid, belonging to the working-class district of Villaverde. The growing immigration rate has boosted its population to 18,000 inhabitants.-Personalities:...
, Butarque, Los Rosales, Los Ángeles. - Villa de VallecasVilla de VallecasVilla de Vallecas is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain. It forms, with the district of Puente de Vallecas, the geographical area of Vallecas.-Subdivision:...
: Casco Histórico de Vallecas, Santa Eugenia. - VicálvaroVicálvaroVicálvaro is a district in the southeast of Madrid, Spain, and a former municipality in its own right.-History:When Spain's Civil Guard was established in 1844, the first headquarters of its cavalry was in Vicálvaro. Franco converted it into an artillery barracks for the Brunete Armored Division,...
: Casco Histórico de Vicálvaro, Ambroz. - San BlasSan Blas (Madrid)San Blas is a district at the east of Madrid's city centre. The population of the district is estimated in 149,909.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 8 wards :*Amposta*Arcos*Canillejas*Hellín*Rejas*Rosas*Salvador...
: Simancas, Hellín, Amposta, Arcos, Rosas, Rejas, CanillejasCanillejasCanillejas is a suburb of Madrid, Spain, lying to the east of the city. It is located in San Blas district which formerly composed the old town of Canillejas that was annexed to Madrid in 1949. The Fiestas de Canillejas takes place from the 1 to 7 of September...
, Salvador. - BarajasBarajas (district)Barajas is the name of a district belonging to the city of Madrid, Spain.-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 5 wards :*Aeropuerto*Alameda de Osuna *Casco Histórico de Barajas...
: Alameda de Osuna, Aeropuerto, Casco Histórico de Barajas, Timón, Corralejos.
Metropolitan area
The Madrid Metropolitan Areacomprises the city of Madrid and forty surrounding municipalities. It has a population of slightly more than 6.271 million people and covers an area of 4.609,7 km². It is the largest metropolitan area
in Spain and the third largest in European Union.
As with many metropolitan areas of similar size, two distinct zones of urbanisation can be distinguished:
- Inner ring (primera corona): AlcorcónAlcorcónAlcorcón is a city in the metropolitan area of Madrid, Spain; , it had a population of 168,229. It is located 13 km to the south-west of Madrid....
, LeganésLeganésLeganés is a city in central Spain. Part of the greater Madrid conurbation - mainly a satellite-city with a population of 186,066 it is located about 11 km southwest of the city centre....
, GetafeGetafeGetafe is a city in the southern zone of the Madrid metropolitan area, Spain, and one of the most populated and industrialized cities in the municipality. The city is home to one of the oldest Spanish military air bases, as well as the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid...
, MóstolesMóstolesMóstoles is the second-largest city in population belonging to the autonomous community of Madrid. It is located 18 kilometres southwest from central Madrid. Móstoles was for a long time only a small village, but expanded rapidly in the twentieth century....
, FuenlabradaFuenlabradaFuenlabrada is a city and municipality located in the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located to the southwest of the community, 22,5 km far from the capital, and had a population of 197,836 in 2009. Is the fourth biggest town of Madrid after the capital, Móstoles...
, CosladaCosladaCoslada is a city in the autonomous community of Madrid. , the mayor of Coslada is Raul Lopez Vaquero .The Dry Port of the Community of Madrid is located in Coslada, which turns the city into a strategic point. The majority of the companies which transport important commodities that operate in...
, AlcobendasAlcobendasAlcobendas is a city located in the Community of Madrid, central Spain. It is located roughly 13 km north of Madrid and 7 km from the Barajas International Airport. It includes a central urban zone, a recently built district known as Valdelasfuentes, La Moraleja and El Soto de la...
, Pozuelo de AlarcónPozuelo de AlarcónPozuelo de Alarcón is a suburb of over 85,000 inhabitants near the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. It is surrounded by large Mediterranean pine-tree forests: la Casa de Campo, el Monte del Pardo and el Monte del Pilar...
, San Fernando de HenaresSan Fernando de Henares, MadridSan Fernando de Henares is a municipality in Spain, in the province and autonomous community of Madrid.It has an area of 39.9 km² and 36,244 inhabitants.Its agrigultural products include olives, cereals, vegetables, cattle and wool... - Outer ring (segunda corona): Villaviciosa de Odón, ParlaParlaParla is a municipality of the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain. It is located in the southern part of the autonomous community, approximately 20 km from the capital, Madrid. , it has a population of 120,182.- History :- Origins :...
, PintoPinto, MadridPinto is a town in the south of the autonomous community of Madrid, central Spain.Formerly, the belief was that Pinto sat on the geographic middle of the Iberian Peninsula, hence its name comes from the Latin Punctum, "point".-Limits:...
, ValdemoroValdemoroValdemoro is a municipal district, located in the Southern zone of the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain. Located 27 kilometers from the capital, Valdemoro is officially part of the comarca of La Sagra, though it is generally also included in the Madrid metropolitan area.The municipality has...
, Rivas-VaciamadridRivas-VaciamadridRivas-Vaciamadrid is a municipality situated at the meeting point of the Jarama and Manzanares rivers in the Alcalá comarca in the autonomous community of Madrid...
, Torrejón de ArdozTorrejón de ArdozTorrejón de Ardoz is a town in the urban area of Madrid, Spain that has about 110,000 inhabitants.It is a town 20 km east of Madrid on the NII highway . It is essentially a dormitory town, mostly consisting of apartments. It can be reached by bus from Av...
, Alcalá de HenaresAlcalá de HenaresAlcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
, San Sebastián de los ReyesSan Sebastián de los ReyesSan Sebastián de los Reyes is a municipality in the Community of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1492, it is located 20 km north of Madrid. The city is twinned with Baunatal in Germany. It is geographically joined with neighboring Alcobendas and they share a common RENFE commuter line to Madrid Atocha...
, Tres CantosTres CantosTres Cantos is a township and municipality located in the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain, some 22 km north of the capital city, Madrid. As a "satellite city" of Madrid which was conceived by urban planners as recently as the 1970s, it is the youngest incorporated municipality in Spain, with...
, Las Rozas de MadridLas Rozas de MadridLas Rozas de Madrid is one of the larger townships and municipalities in the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain, with an area of between 58.8 and 59.14 km²...
, MajadahondaMajadahondaMajadahonda is a municipality in Spain, situated 16 km northwest of Madrid, in the Community of Madrid. In 2009 the population was 66,585 inhabitants .It lies alongside the motorway A6 Madrid-A Coruña....
, Boadilla del MonteBoadilla del MonteBoadilla del Monte is a town in Spain. It is located in the center of the Community of Madrid. It had a population of 41,807 in 2008.-External links:* * *...
The largest suburbs are to the South, and in general along the main routes leading out of Madrid.
Submetropolitan areas
A new project, has stated there are more submetropolitan areas inside Madrid metropolitan area:

|
(km²) |
(pop.) |
(pop./km²) |
---|---|---|---|
Madrid – Majadahonda Majadahonda Majadahonda is a municipality in Spain, situated 16 km northwest of Madrid, in the Community of Madrid. In 2009 the population was 66,585 inhabitants .It lies alongside the motorway A6 Madrid-A Coruña.... |
996.1 | 3,580,828 | 3,595.0 |
Móstoles Móstoles Móstoles is the second-largest city in population belonging to the autonomous community of Madrid. It is located 18 kilometres southwest from central Madrid. Móstoles was for a long time only a small village, but expanded rapidly in the twentieth century.... – Alcorcón Alcorcón Alcorcón is a city in the metropolitan area of Madrid, Spain; , it had a population of 168,229. It is located 13 km to the south-west of Madrid.... |
315.1 | 430,349 | 1,365.6 |
Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada is a city and municipality located in the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located to the southwest of the community, 22,5 km far from the capital, and had a population of 197,836 in 2009. Is the fourth biggest town of Madrid after the capital, Móstoles... – Leganés Leganés Leganés is a city in central Spain. Part of the greater Madrid conurbation - mainly a satellite-city with a population of 186,066 it is located about 11 km southwest of the city centre.... – Getafe Getafe Getafe is a city in the southern zone of the Madrid metropolitan area, Spain, and one of the most populated and industrialized cities in the municipality. The city is home to one of the oldest Spanish military air bases, as well as the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid... – Parla Parla Parla is a municipality of the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain. It is located in the southern part of the autonomous community, approximately 20 km from the capital, Madrid. , it has a population of 120,182.- History :- Origins :... – Pinto Pinto, Madrid Pinto is a town in the south of the autonomous community of Madrid, central Spain.Formerly, the belief was that Pinto sat on the geographic middle of the Iberian Peninsula, hence its name comes from the Latin Punctum, "point".-Limits:... – Valdemoro Valdemoro Valdemoro is a municipal district, located in the Southern zone of the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain. Located 27 kilometers from the capital, Valdemoro is officially part of the comarca of La Sagra, though it is generally also included in the Madrid metropolitan area.The municipality has... |
931.7 | 822,806 | 883.1 |
Alcobendas Alcobendas Alcobendas is a city located in the Community of Madrid, central Spain. It is located roughly 13 km north of Madrid and 7 km from the Barajas International Airport. It includes a central urban zone, a recently built district known as Valdelasfuentes, La Moraleja and El Soto de la... |
266.4 | 205,905 | 772.9 |
Arganda del Rey Arganda del Rey Arganda del Rey is a municipality in Madrid, Spain. It is connected to Madrid by metro line 9, underground.-History:The first definitive habitation in the area dates back to the Arabic presence in the Iberian Peninsula... – Rivas-Vaciamadrid Rivas-Vaciamadrid Rivas-Vaciamadrid is a municipality situated at the meeting point of the Jarama and Manzanares rivers in the Alcalá comarca in the autonomous community of Madrid... |
343.6 | 115,344 | 335.7 |
Alcalá de Henares Alcalá de Henares Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain... – Torrejón de Ardoz Torrejón de Ardoz Torrejón de Ardoz is a town in the urban area of Madrid, Spain that has about 110,000 inhabitants.It is a town 20 km east of Madrid on the NII highway . It is essentially a dormitory town, mostly consisting of apartments. It can be reached by bus from Av... |
514.6 | 360,380 | 700.3 |
Colmenar Viejo Colmenar Viejo Colmenar Viejo is a town of about 44,000 inhabitants, located in the Community of Madrid, Spain, 30 kilometers north of Madrid on the M-607 motorway.-Main sights:The most important tourist attractions places in Colmenar Viejo are:... – Tres Cantos Tres Cantos Tres Cantos is a township and municipality located in the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain, some 22 km north of the capital city, Madrid. As a "satellite city" of Madrid which was conceived by urban planners as recently as the 1970s, it is the youngest incorporated municipality in Spain, with... |
419.1 | 104,650 | 249.7 |
Collado Villalba Collado Villalba Collado Villalba is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located 39 kilometres north-west of Madrid the capital city of Spain, at an altitude of 917m above sea level. It has a population density of about 2,184.49 hab./km². The climate of Collado Villalba is... |
823.1 | 222,769 | 270.6 |
Madrid metropolitan area | 4,609.7 | 5,843,031 | 1,267.6 |
Architecture

Around this palace there was built a small citadel (al-Mudaina). The palace was built overlooking the River Manzanares, which the Muslims called Mayrit meaning source of water (which in turn became Magerit, and then eventually Madrid). The citadel was conquered in 1085 by Alfonso VI in his advance towards Toledo. He reconsecrated the mosque as the church of the Virgin of Almudena (almudin, the garrison's granary), now the Catedral de la Almudena. In 1329 the Cortes first assembled in Madrid to advise Fernando IV
. Jews and Moors continued to live in the city in their quarter, still known today as the "Moreria", until they were expelled.

, stylistic heir of Juan de Herrera and their sober traces, but he began to use Baroque elements.The work of this stage is the Plaza Mayor, and many Baroque religious buildings.
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and the buildings and monuments of the Paseo del Prado
(Salón del Prado and Alcalá Gate) deserve special mention. They were constructed in a sober Baroque
international style, often mistaken for neoclassical, by the Bourbon kings. Neoclassical also appears at this time, with Juan de Villanueva
, who designed the building for El Prado Museum.
In the early 20th century began the construction of Gran Vía
, with the task of freeing the old town. They used different styles that evolve over time: art nouveau, art deco, expressionist, etc. The Edificio Telefónica, of American inspiration, at the highest part of Gran Vía, is usually considered the first skyscraper in Europe. And finally (in Franco's period) the totalitarian style, the two skyscrapers in the Plaza de España.
Plans for the construction of a new cathedral for Madrid dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena
began in the 16th century, but the slow construction did not begin until 1879. Francisco de Cubas, the Marquis of Cubas, was the architect who designed and directed the construction in a Gothic revival
style. Construction ceased completely during the Spanish Civil War
. The project was abandoned until 1950, when Fernando Chueca Goitia adapted the plans of de Cubas to a neoclassical
style exterior to match the grey and white façade of the Palacio Real
, which stands directly opposite. and was not completed until 1993, when the cathedral was consecrated
by Pope John Paul II
. On Calle Princesa, in the heart of the district of Moncloa, lies el Ejército del Aire, the headquarters of the Spanish Air Force. A scaled-down replica of the famous Monastery San Lorenzo del Escorial which lies about 50 kilometres northeast of Madrid, el Ejército del Aire is a classic example of Fascist Neoclassicism in Madrid.
The financial district in downtown Madrid between the streets Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, Orense, General Perón and Paseo de la Castellana
, its original conception (and its name) to the "Plan General de Ordenación Urbana de Madrid", approved in 1946. The purpose of this plan was to create a huge block of modern office buildings with metro and railway connections in the expansion area of northern Madrid, just in front of Real Madrid stadium (currently named the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
) and beside the brand new government complex of Nuevos Ministerios. A botanical garden
, a library and an opera house were also included in the plans, but these were never built.
Cuatro Torres Business Area is a business park
that was completed in 2008. This block contains the tallest skyscrapers in Madrid and Spain (Torre Espacio
, Torre de Cristal
, Torre Sacyr Vallehermoso
and Torre Caja Madrid
). A new commercial and economic area with plenty of skylines is expected to be constructed during the next ten years according to the "Enlargement of Castellana Street Project".
Madrid Barajas International Airport Terminal 4, designed by Antonio Lamela and Richard Rogers
(winning them the 2006 Stirling Prize
), and TPS Engineers, (winning them the 2006 IStructE Award
for Commercial Structures) was inaugurated on 5 February 2006. Terminal 4 is one of the world's largest terminal areas, with an area of 760,000 square metres (8,180,572 square feet) in two separate terminals: a main building, T4 (470,000 square metres), and satellite building, T4S (290,000 square metres), which are separated by approximately 2.5 km (2 mi). The new terminal is meant to give passengers a stress-free start to their journey. This is managed through careful use of illumination, available by glass panes instead of walls and numerous domes in the roof which allow natural light to pass through. With the new addition, Barajas is designed to handle 70 million passengers annually.
Environment
Madrid is the European city with the highest number of trees and green surface per inhabitant and it has the second highest number of aligned trees in the world, with 248,000 units, only exceeded by Tokyo. Madrid's citizens have access to a green area within a 15 minute walk. Since 1997, green areas have increased by 16%. At present, 8.2% of Madrid’s grounds are green areas, meaning that there are 16m2 of green area per inhabitant, far exceeding the 10m2 per inhabitant recommended by the World Health Organization.Parque del Retiro, formerly the grounds of the palace built for Felipe IV
, is Madrid's most popular park and the largest park in central Madrid. Its area is more than 1.4 km2 (350 acres) and it is located very close to the Puerta de Alcalá
and not far from the Prado Museum. A magnificent park, filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, galleries, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events, it is one of Madrid's premier attractions. The park is entirely surrounded by the present-day city. Its lake in the middle once staged mini naval sham battles to amuse royalty; these days the more tranquil pastime of pleasure boating is popular. Inspired by London's crystal palace, the palacio de cristal can be found at the south-eastern end of the park.
In the Retiro Park is also the Forest of the Departed
(Spanish Bosque de los Ausentes), a memorial monument to commemorate the 191 victims of the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks.
Atocha Railway Station is not only the city's first and most central station
but also home to a distinctive indoor garden with 4,000 square metres of tropical plants. Atocha station has become a hothouse destination in itself for plant lovers, with more than 500 species of plant life and ponds with turtle and goldfish in, as well as shops and cafes. It's a nice place to visit on a cold or wet day with its even temperature of 24 degrees Celsius, or even on a scorching summer day as a retreat from the heat.
Casa de Campo
is an enormous urban parkland to the west of the city, the largest in Spain
and Madrid's main green lung. Its area is more than 1,700 hectares (6.6 sq mi). It is home to a fairground, the Madrid Zoo
, an amusement park, the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, and an outdoor municipal pool, to enjoy a bird's eye view of the park and city take a cable car trip above the tree tops. Casa de Campo's vegetation is one of its most important features. There are, in fact, three different ecosystems: oak, pine and river groves. The oak is the dominant tree species in the area and, although many of them are over 100 years old and reach a great height, they are also present in the form of chaparral and bushes. The pine-forest ecosystem boasts a large number of trees that have adapted perfectly to the light, dry conditions in the park. In addition, mushrooms often emerge after the first rains of autumn. Finally, the river groves, or riparian forests, are made up of various, mainly deciduous, species that grow in wetter areas. Examples include poplars, willows and alder trees. As regards fauna, this green space is home to approximately 133 vertebrate species.
The Royal Botanic Garden
or Real Jardin Botanico is an 8-hectare botanical garden
located in the Plaza de Murillo, next to the Prado Museum. It was an 18th century creation by Carlos III and it was used as a base for the plant species being collected across the globe. There is an important research facility that started life as a base to develop herbal remedies
and to house the species collected from the new-world trips, today it is dedicated to maintaining Europe's ecosystem.
The Royal Palace
is surrounded by three green areas. In front of the palace, are the gardens of the Plaza de Oriente; to the north, the gardens of Sabatini and to the west up to the Manzanares river, the famous Campo del Moro. Campo del Moro gardens has a surface area of 20 hectares and is a scenic garden with an unusual layout filled with foliage and an air of English romanticism. The Sabatini Gardens
have a formal Neoclassic style, consisting of well-sheared hedges, in symmetric geometrical patterns, adorned with a pool, statues and fountains, with trees also disposed in a symmetrical geometric shape. Plaza de Oriente can distinguish three main plots: the Central Gardens, the Cabo Noval Gardens and the Lepanto Gardens. The Central Gardens are arranged around the central monument to Philip IV, in a grid, following the barroque model garden. They consist of seven flowerbeds, each packed with box hedges, forms of cypress, yew and magnolia of small size, and flower plantations, temporary. These are bounded on either side by rows of statues paths, popularly known as the Gothic kings, and mark the dividing line between the main body of the plaza and the Cabo Noval Gardens at north, and the Lepanto Gardens at south.
Monte de El Pardo
is a mediterranean forest inside the city of Madrid. It is one of the best preserved Mediterranean Forests in Europe. The European Union has designated the Monte de El Pardo as a Special Protection Area
for bird-life. This meadow, which has been used as hunting grounds by the royalty given the variety of game animals that have inhabited it since the Middle Ages, is home to 120 flora species and 200 vertebrae species. Rabbits, red partridges, wild cats, stags, deer and wild boars live among ilexes, cork oaks, ash trees, black poplars, oaks, junipers and rockroses. Monte del Pardo is part of the Regional Park of the High Basin of the Manzanares, spreading out from the Guadarrama Mountains range to the centre of Madrid, and protected by strong legal regulations. Just before crossing the city, the River Manzanares forms a valley composed by sandy elements and detritus from the mountain range.
Soto de Viñuelas
, also known as Mount Viñuelas, is a meadow-oak forest north of the city of Madrid and east of the Monte de El Pardo. It is a fenced property of 3,000 hectares, which includes important ecological values, landscape and art. Soto de Viñuelas is part of the Regional Park of the High Basin of the Manzanares, a nature reserve which is recognised as a biosphere reserve
by UNESCO
, where it has been classified as Area B, the legal instrument that allows agricultural land use. Soto de Viñuelas also received the statement of Special Protection Area for Birds.
El Capricho is a 14-hectare garden located in the area of Barajas
district. It dates back to 1784. The art of landscaping in El Capricho is displayed in three different styles of classical gardenscapes: the ‘parterre’ or French garden, English landscaping and the Italian giardino.
Madrid Rio is a linear park that runs along the bank of the Manzanares River, in the middle of Madrid. It is an area of parkland 10 kilometres long and covers 649 hectares in six districts: Moncloa-Aravaca
, Centro
, Arganzuela
, Latina
, Carabanchel
and Usera
. It is a large area of environmental, sporting, leisure and cultural interest. Madrid Río provides a link with other green spaces in the city such as Casa de Campo
and the Linear Park of the Manzanares River. The main landscaped area in Madrid Río is the Arganzuela Park, covering 23 hectares where pedestrian and cycling routes cover the whole park. The Madrid Río cycle network covers some 30 kilometres and is linked to another bike routes. To the north, Madrid Rio connects to the Senda Real, the Green Ring for Cyclists and the E 7 (GR 10) trail, which goes as far as the Sierra de Madrid
mountain range. To the south, Madrid Río provides access to the Enrique Tierno Galván Park and the Linear Park of the Manzanares River, an extensive green zone running parallel to the river as far as Getafe. As well as the cycle routes there are 42 kilometres of paths for walkers and runners. In the Salón de Pinos, a 6-kilometre long tree-lined promenade, there are circuits for aerobic and anaerobic exercise, while near the Puente de Praga bridge a tennis court and seven padel tennis courts.
The theme park Faunia, is a natural history museum and zoo combined, aimed at being fun and educational for children. It comprises eight eco-systems from tropical rain forests
to polar region
s, and contains over 1,500 animals, some of which roam freely.
Middle Ages to 20th century
During the end of the Middle Ages, Madrid experienced astronomic growth as a consequence of its establishment as the new capital of the Spanish Empire. As Spain (like many other European countries) continued to centralize royal authority, this meant that Madrid took on greater importance as a center of administration for the Spanish Kingdom
. It evolved to become an important nucleus of artisan
al activity that eventually experienced industrial revolution during the 19th century. The city made even greater strides at expansion during the 20th century, especially after the Spanish Civil War
, reaching levels of industrialization found in other European capital cities. The economy of the city was then centred on diverse manufacturing industries such as those related to motor vehicle
s, aircraft, chemicals, electronic devices, pharmaceuticals, processed food
, printed materials, and leather goods.
1992 to 2008

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and commerce. It is one of Europe's largest financial centres and the largest in Spain.
During the period from 1992 to 2006, Madrid experienced very significant growth in its service sector. The most notable of these services are those geared towards companies, followed by transport and communications, property and financial services. These four groups generate 51% of gross value added for Madrid’s economy and 62% of gross value added for the services sector. The importance of the Barajas Airport to the city's economy is substantial. The construction of housing and public works
, such as the ringroads and train network, constituted a major pillar of the economy up to 2006.
As Spain has become decentralized politically, Madrid has taken on a smaller administrative profile as compared to the rest of the Spanish state. Even so, the Community of Madrid (centred upon the city of Madrid) experienced the highest growth of all the Spanish regions between 2004 to 2006. Its growth rate was higher than for the country as a whole by 1.4% during the period 2000–2006, and that of the Eurozone
by 13%.
Madrid has become the 23rd richest city in the world and third richest in Europe in terms of absolute GDP; the economic output for the year 2005 was of $201.5 billion, behind the considerably larger cities of Paris ($460 billion) and London ($452 billion) and ahead of Moscow
and Barcelona
. Additionally in terms of GDP per capita
, Madrid, in specific the Madrid region is the richest in Spain and one of the richest in Europe. At 133.9% of the European average of 25,800€ (34,572€/$48,313) Madrid is ahead of the all other 8 Spanish regions above 100%. Similarly, Madrid is just 97.8% of New York's purchasing power
.
Madrid is a world´s financial leader, rising to the top five Centres of Commerce in Europe. Madrid continues its upward trajectory as a key European city, rising from its 2007 spot at number 16 to number 11 globally and from number 6 to the number 5 spot in Europe. Madrid's stable GDP, exchange rate and strong bond market, coupled with a high standard of living, place this city in the company of Europe's most prominent cities: London
, Paris
, Frankfurt
and Amsterdam
.
Madrid is one of the cities in the Iberian Peninsula
that attracts most foreign investment
and job seekers. The average salary
in Madrid during 2007 was 2540€, clearly above the Spanish average of 2085€. In terms of net earnings, Madrid also places first in Spain
; Madrid is 28th in the world, at 78.6%.
Demographics
Year | Municipality | Community | % |
---|---|---|---|
1897 | 542,739 | 730,807 | 74.27 |
1900 | 575,675 | 773,011 | 74.47 |
1910 | 614,322 | 831,254 | 73.90 |
1920 | 823,711 | 1,048,908 | 78.53 |
1930 | 1,041,767 | 1,290,445 | 80.73 |
1940 | 1,322,835 | 1,574,134 | 84.04 |
1950 | 1,553,338 | 1,823,418 | 85.19 |
1960 | 2,177,123 | 2,510,217 | 86.73 |
1970 | 3,120,941 | 3,761,348 | 82.97 |
1981 | 3,158,818 | 4,686,895 | 67.40 |
1991 | 3,010,492 | 4,647,555 | 64.78 |
2001 | 2,938,723 | 5,423,384 | 54.19 |
2005 | 3,155,359 | 5,964,143 | 52.90 |
2006 | 3,128,600 | 6,008,183 | 52.07 |
2007 | 3,132,463 | 6,081,689 | 51.51 |
2008 | 3,213,271 | 6,271,638 | 51.23 |
2009 | 3,255,944 | 6,386,932 | 50.98 |
2010 | 3.273.049 | 6.458.684 | 50.68 |
Source: INE |
The population of Madrid generally increased from when the city became the national capital in the mid-16th century and stabilised at about 3 million from the 1970s.
From around 1970 until the mid 1990s, the city's population dropped. This phenomenon, which also affected other European cities, was caused in part by the growth of satellite suburbs at the expense of the downtown. Another reason might have been the slowdown in the rate of growth of the European economy.
The demographic boom
accelerated in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century due to international immigration, in response to a surge in Spanish economic growth
. According to census data, the population of the city grew by 271,856 between 2001 and 2005.
As the capital city of Spain, the city has attracted many immigrants from around the world. About 83.8% of the inhabitants are Spaniards, while people of other origins, including immigrants from Latin America, Europe, Asia, North Africa and West Africa, represented 16.2% of the population in 2007.
The ten largest immigrant groups include: Ecuador
ian: 104,184, Romanian
: 52,875, Bolivia
n: 44,044, Colombia
n: 35,971, Peru
vian: 35,083, Chinese
: 34,666, Moroccan
: 32,498, Dominican
: 19,602, Brazil
ian: 14,583, and Paraguay
an: 14,308. There are also important communities of Filipinos
, Equatorial Guinea
ns, Bulgaria
ns, India
ns, Italians
, Argentines
, Senegal
ese and Poles
.
Districts that host the largest number of immigrants are Usera
(28.37%), Centro
(26.87%), Carabanchel
(22.72%) and Tetuán
(21.54%). Districts that host the smallest number are Fuencarral-El Pardo (9.27%), Retiro
(9.64%) and Chamartin
(11.74%).
Government
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consists of 57 members, one of them being the Mayor, currently Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jiménez
. The Mayor presides over the Council.
The Plenary of the Council, is the body of political representation
of the citizens in the municipal government
. Some of its attributions are: fiscal matters, the election and deposition of the Mayor, the approval and modification of decrees and regulations, the approval of budgets, the agreements related to the limits and alteration of the municipal term, the services management, the participation in supramunicipal organizations, etc. Nowadays, mayoral team
consists of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and 8 Delegates; all of them form The Board of Delegates (the Municipal Executive Committee).
Madrid has tended to be a stronghold of the People's Party
, which has controlled the city's mayoralty since 1989. In the 2007 regional and local elections, the conservative People's Party
(PP, centre-right political party) obtained 34 seats, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE, centre-left political party) obtained 18 and United Left
(IU, left political party) obtained 5.
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jiménez
has been in office since 2003, when he left the Presidency of the Autonomous Community of Madrid and stood as the candidate to replace outgoing mayor José María Álvarez del Manzano
, also from the PP. In the last local elections of 2007, Ruiz-Gallardón increased the PP majority in the City Council to 34 seats out of 57, taking 55.5% of the popular vote and winning in all but two districts.
Culture
Madrid is one of Spain's most popular destinations and is renowned for its large quantity of cultural attractions.Art galleries and museums
Madrid is considered one of the top European destinations concerning art museums. Best known is the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado
and comprising three museums. The most famous one is the Prado Museum
, known for such highlights as Diego Velázquez
's Las Meninas
and Francisco de Goya
's La maja vestida
and La maja desnuda
. The other two museums are the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, established from a mixed private collection, and the Reina Sofia Museum
, where Pablo Picasso
's Guernica
hangs, returning to Spain from New York after more than two decades.
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is a museum
and art gallery
that features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection. The collection currently comprises around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints and 8,200 drawings, in addition to a large number of works of art and historic documents. El Prado is one of the most visited museums in the world, and it is considered to be among the greatest museums of art. It has the best collection of artworks by Goya, Velázquez, El Greco
, Rubens
, Titian
, Hieronymus Bosch, José de Ribera and Patinir; and works by Rogier van der Weyden, Raphael
, Tintoretto
, Veronese
, Caravaggio
, Van Dyck, Albrecht Dürer
, Claude Lorrain
, Murillo
and Zurbarán, among others.

(MNCARS) is the Spain
's national museum
of 20th century art
. The museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art. Highlights of the museum include excellent collections of Spain's greatest 20th century masters, Pablo Picasso
, Salvador Dalí
, Joan Miró
, Juan Gris
and Julio González
. Certainly the most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's painting Guernica
. The Reina Sofía also hosts a free-access library specializing in art, with a collection of over 100,000 books, over 3,500 sound recordings and almost 1,000 videos.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is an art museum that fills the historical gaps in its counterparts' collections: in the Prado's case this includes Italian primitives and works from the English
, Dutch
and German schools, while in the case of the Reina Sofia the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, once the second largest private collection in the world after the British Royal Collection
, includes Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the second half of the 20th century, with over 1,600 paintings.
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando
currently functions as a museum and gallery that houses a fine art collection of paintings from the 15th to 20th century: Giovanni Bellini
, Correggio, Rubens
, Zurbarán, Murillo
, Goya, Juan Gris
, Pablo Serrano. The academy is also the headquarters of the Madrid Academy of Art. Francisco Goya
was once one of the academy's directors, and, its alumni include Pablo Picasso
, Salvador Dalí
, Antonio López García
, Juan Luna
, and Fernando Botero
.

is the official residence of Juan Carlos I of Spain
, but he uses it only for official acts. It is a baroque palace full of artworks is one of the largest European Royal Palaces, which is characterized by its luxurious rooms and its rich collections of armors and weapons, pharmaceutical, silverware, watches, paintings, tapestries and the most comprehensive collection of Stradivarius
in the world
The National Archaeological Museum of Spain
collection includes, among others, Pre-historic
, Celt
ic, Iberian
, Greek
and Roman
antiquities and medieval
(Visigoth
ic, Muslim and Christian) objects. Highlights include a replica of the Altamira
cave (the first cave in which prehistoric cave paintings were discovered), Lady of Elx
(an enigmatic polychrome stone bust), Lady of Baza
(a famous example of Iberian sculpture), Biche of Balazote
(an iberian sculpture) and Treasure of Guarrazar
(a treasure that represents the best surviving group of Early Medieval Christian votive offerings and the high point of Visigothic goldsmith's work).
The Museum of the Americas
is a National museum that holds artistic, archaeological and ethnographic collections from the whole American continent, ranging from the Paleolithic
period to the present day. The permanent exhibit is divided into five major thematical areas: an awareness of America, the reality of America, society, religion and communication.
The National Museum of Natural Sciences
is the National Museum
of Natural History
of Spain
. The research departments of the museum are: Biodiversity
and Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Ecology
, Paleobiology
, Vulcanology and Geology
.
The Naval Museum is managed by the Ministry of Defence. The Museum's mission is to acquire, preserve, investigate, report and display for study, education and contemplation, parts, sets and collections of historical, artistic, scientific and technical related to naval activity in order to disseminate the story sea of Spain; to help illustrate, highlight and preserve their traditions and promote national maritime awareness.

The Museo Lázaro Galdiano
houses an encyclopedic collection specializing in decorative arts.
The collection includes paintings by Leonardo da Vinci
, Claudio Coello
, Goya, Pedro Berruguete
, El Greco
, Hieronymus Bosch, Rembrandt, Thomas Gainsborough
, Thomas Lawrence
and Joshua Reynolds
, sculptures by Giambologna
and Verrocchio; 10th century Byzantine enamel; Arab and Byzantine ivory chests; Hellenistic, Roman, medieval, renaissance, baroque and romantic jewerly; Pisanello
and Pompeo Leoni medals; Spanish and Italian ceramics; Italian and Arab clothes; and an interesting collection of weapons including the sword of Pope Innocent VIII.
The Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (National Museum of Decorative Arts) is one of the oldest museums in the city. It illustrates the evolution of the called "minor arts" (furniture, ceramics and glass, textile, etc.). Its 60 rooms expones 15,000 objects, of the approximate 40,000 which it has.
The Museo Nacional del Romanticismo (National Museum of Romanticism) contains a large collection of artefacts and art, focusing on daily life and customs of the 19th century, with special attention to the aesthetics about Romanticism.
The Museo Cerralbo houses a private collection of ancient works of art, artifacts and other antiquities collected by Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, XVII Cerralbo Marquis.
The Museo Nacional de Antropología
(National Museum of Antropology) provides an overview of the different cultures in the world, with objects and human remains from around the world, highlighting a Guanche
mummy of the island of Tenerife.
The Museo Sorolla is located in the building in which the Valencian Impressionist painter had his home and workshop. The collection includes, in addition to numerous works of Joaquín Sorolla, a large number of objects that possessed the artist, including sculptures by August Rodin.
CaixaForum Madrid
is a post-modern art gallery in the centre of Madrid. It is sponsored by the Catalan-Balearic bank la Caixa and located next to the Salón del Prado. Although the CaixaForum is a modern building, it also exhibits retrospectives of artists from earlier time periods and has evolved into one of the most visited museums in Madrid. It was constructed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron from 2001 to 2007, which combined an old unused industrial building and hollowed it out at the base and inside and placed on top further floors which are encased with rusted steel. Next to it is an art installation of green plants growing on the wall of the neighbouring house by French botanist Patrick Blanc. The red of the top floors with the green of the wall next to it form a contrast. The green is in reflection of the neighbouring Royal Botanical Gardens.
Another art galleries and museums in Madrid are, among others:
- Casa-Museo José Padilla
- Casa-Museo Manuel Benedito
- Museo de Antropologia Médica
- Museo De La Farmacia Hispana
- Museo Del Reloj Grassy, at Edificio GrassyEdificio GrassyThe Edificio Grassy is a building located in Gran Vía 1, in Madrid, Spain.-Architecture:Situated just off Calle de Alcalá, at the very beginning of Gran Vía, the Edificio Grassy was built between 1916 and 1917. It was constructed on a triangular piece of land, in the same way as the Edificio...
- Museo Casa de la Moneda
- Museo de Historia de Madrid
- Museo de los Orígenes
- Royal Palace of El Pardo
Churches
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The oldest church that survives today is San Nicolás de los Servitas
, whose oldest item is the bell tower (12th century), in Mudejar style. The next oldest temple is San Pedro el Real
, with its high brick tower.
St. Jerome Church
is a gothic church next to El Prado Museum. The Catholic Monarchs
ordered its construction in the 15th century, as part of a vanished monastery. The monastery's cloister is preserved. It has recently been renovated by Rafael Moneo
, with the goal to house the neoclassical collection of El Prado Museum, and also sculptures by Leone Leoni
and Pompeo Leoni.
The Bishop Chapel is a gothic chapel which was built in the 16th century by order of the Bishop of Plasencia, Gutierre de Vargas. It was originally built to house the remains of Saint Isidore Laborer
(Madrid's patron saint), but it was used as the Vargas family mausoleum. Inside are the altairpiece and the tombs of the Vargas family, which were the work of Francisco Giralte, a disciple of Alonso Berruguete
. They are considered masterpieces of Spanish Renaissance sculpture.
St. Isidore Cathedral
was built between 1620–1664 by order of Empress Maria of Austria, daughter of Charles V of Germany and I of Spain
, to become part of a school run by the Jesuits which still exists today. Its dome is the first example of a dome drawing on a wooden frame covered with plaster, which, given its lightness makes it easy to support the walls. It was the cathedral of Madrid between 1885 and 1993, which is the time it took to build the Almudena. The artwork inside were mostly burned during the Spanish Civil War
, but it retained the tomb that holds the incorrupt body of Saint Isidore Laborer
and the urn containing the ashes of his wife Maria Torribia
.
Royal Convent of La Encarnación
is an Augustinian Recollect convent. The institution, which belonged ladies of the nobility, was founded by Queen Margaret of Austria, wife of Philip III of Spain
, in the early 17th century. Due to the frescoes and sculptures which houses is one of the most prominent temples in the city. The building's architect was Fray Alberto de la Madre de Dios, who built it between 1611 and 1616. The façade responds to an inspiring Herrerian
style, with great austerity,and it was imitated by other Spanish churches. The church's interior is a sumptuous work by the great Baroque architect Ventura Rodriguez
.
In the church are preserved shrines containing the blood of St. Januarius and St. Pantaleon, the second (according to tradition) liquefies every year on the saint's day on 27 July.
San Antonio de los Alemanes (St. Anthony Church) is a pretty 17th century church which was originally part of a Portuguese hospital. Subsequently it was donated to the Germans living in the city.
The interior of the church has been recently restored. It has some beautiful frescoes painted by Luca Giordano, Francisco Carreño and Francisco Rizi
. The frescoes represent some kings of Spain, Hungary, France, Germany and Bohemia. They all sit looking at the paintings in the vault, which represent the life of Saint Anthony of Padua.
Royal Chapel of St. Anthony of La Florida
is sometimes named the "Goya's Sixtine Chapel". The chapel was built on orders of King Charles IV of Spain
, who also commissioned the frescoes by Goya. These were completed over a six month period in 1798. The frescoes portray miracles by Saint Anthony of Padua, including one which occurred in Lisbon, but which the painter has relocated to Madrid. On every June 13, the chapel becomes the site of a lively pilgrimage in which young unwed women come to pray to St. Anthony and to ask for a partner.
San Francisco el Grande Basilica
was built in neoclassical style in the second half of the 18th century by Francesco Sabatini
. It has the fifth largest diameter dome to Christianity. (33 meters in diameter: it's smaller than the dome of the Rome's Pantheon (43.4meters), St. Peter's Basilica
(42.4 meters), the Florence Cathedral (42 meters)and the Rotunda of Mosta
(37.2 meters) in Malta, but it's larger than St. Paul's Cathedral (30.8 meters) in London and Hagia Sophia
(31.8 meters) in Istanbul).
The church is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, who according to legend was established in Madrid during his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
. Its sumptuous interior features many artworks, including paintings by Goya and Zurbarán.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena is the episcopal seat of the Archdiocese of Madrid. It is a temple of 102 meters long and 73 high, built during the 19th and 20th century in a mixture of different styles: neoclassical exterior, neo-Gothic interior and neo-Romanesque crypt and neo-Byzantine abse's paints.
The cathedral was built in the same place which was built the Moorish citadel (al-mudayna) in Madrid. It was consecrated by Pope John Paul II on his fourth trip to Spain on June 15, 1993, thus being the only Spanish cathedral dedicated by a pope.
Literature

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(Fuente Ovejuna
, The Dog in the Manger
, The Knight of Olmedo), who reformed the Spanish theater, a work continued by Calderon de la Barca (Life is a Dream), Francisco de Quevedo
, Spanish nobleman and writer famous for his satires, which criticized the Spanish society of his time, and author of ´El Buscón
. And finally, Tirso de Molina
, who created the famous character Don Juan
. In addition, Cervantes
and Góngora
also lived in the city, although they not born there. The homes of Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Gongora and Cervantes are still preserved, and they are all in the Barrio de las Letras (Letters Neigtbourhood).
Other writers born in Madrid in later centuries have been Leandro Fernandez de Moratín
, Mariano José de Larra
, Jose de Echegaray (Nobel Prize in Literature), Ramón Gómez de la Serna
, Dámaso Alonso
, Enrique Jardiel Poncela
and Pedro Salinas
.
Madrid is home to the Royal Academy of Spanish Language
, internationally important cultural institution dedicated to language planning by enacting legislation aimed at promoting linguistic unity within and among the several Hispanic states; ensure a common linguistic standard, in accordance with its founding statutes "to ensure that the changes undergone [by the language] [...] not break the essential unity that keeps all the Hispanic. ".
Madrid is also home to another internationally cultural institution, the Instituto Cervantes
, whose task is the promotion and teaching of Spanish language
as well as the dissemination of the culture of Spain
and Latin America
.
The National Library of Spain
is a major public library, the largest in Spain. The library's collection consists of more than 26,000,000 items including 15,000,000 books and other printed materials, 30,000 manuscripts, 143,000 newspapers and serials, 4,500,000 graphic materials, 510,000 music scores, 500,000 maps, 600,000 sound recording, 90,000 audiovisuals, 90,000 electronic documents, more than 500,000 microforms, etc.".
Nightlife
The nightlife in Madrid is undoubtedly one of the city's main attractions. Tapas bars, cocktail bars, clubs, jazz lounges, live music venues, flamenco theatres and establishments of all kinds cater for all tastes and ages. Every night, venues pertaining to the Live Music Venues Association La Noche en Vivo host a wide range of live music shows. Everything from acclaimed to up-and-coming artists, singer-songwriters to rock bands, jazz concerts or electronic music sessions to enjoy music at its best.Nightlife and young cultural awakening flourished after the death of Franco
, especially during the 80s while Madrid's mayor Enrique Tierno Galván (PSOE
) was in office, at this time is well-known the cultural movement called la movida
and it initially gathered around Plaza del Dos de Mayo
. Nowadays, the Malasaña
area is known for its alternative scene.
Some of the most popular night destinations include the neighbourhoods of: Bilbao, Tribunal, Atocha, Alonso Martinez or Moncloa, together with Puerta del Sol area (including Opera and Gran Via, both adjacent to the popular square) and Huertas (barrio de Las Letras), destinations which are also filled with tourists day and night. The district of Chueca
has also become a hot spot in the Madrilenian night life
, especially for the gay population. Chueca
is popularly known as the gay quarter, comparable to The Castro district in San Francisco.
What is also popular is the practice of meeting in parks or streets with friends and drinking alcohol together (this is called 'botellón
', from 'botella', bottle), but in recent years, drinking in the street is punished with a fine and now young madrileños drink together all around the city instead of in better-known places.
Bohemian Culture
The city has venues for performing alternative art and expressive art. They are mostly located in the centre of the city include in Opera, Anton Martin, Chuecaand Malasaña
. There are also several festivals in Madrid including the Festival of Alternative art the Festival of the Alternative Scene.
The neighbourhood of Malasaña
as well as Anton Martin and Lavapies
hosts several bohemian cafe/galleries. These cafes are typified with period or retro furniture or furniture found on the street, a colourful non traditional atmosphere inside, and usually art displayed each month by a new artist, often for sale. Cafes include the retro cafe "Lolina" and bohemian cafes "La Ida", "La Paca" and "Cafe de la Luz" in Malasaña, "La Piola" in Huertas and "Cafe Olmo" and "Aguardiente" in Lavapies.
In the neighbourhood of Lavapies
, there are also "hidden houses", which are illegal bars or abandoned spaces where concerts, poetry reading and the famous Spanish Botellon
(a street party or gathering now illegal but rarely stopped).
Classical music and opera
The Auditorio Nacional de Músicais the main venue for classical music concerts in Madrid. It is home to the Spanish National Orchestra, the Chamartín Symphony Orchestra
and the venue for the symphonic concerts of the Community of Madrid Orchestra
and the Madrid Symphony Orchestra
. It is also the principal venue for orchestras on tour playing in Madrid.
The Teatro Real
is the main opera house in Madrid, located just in front of the Royal Palace
, and its resident orchestra is the Madrid Symphony Orchestra
. The theatre stages around seventeen opera titles (both own productions and co-productions with other major European opera houses) per year, as well as two or three major ballets and several recitals.
The Teatro de la Zarzuela
is mainly devoted to Zarzuela
(the Spanish traditional musical theatre genre), as well as operetta
and recital
s. The resident orchestra of the theatre is the Community of Madrid Orchestra
.
The Teatro Monumental
is the concert venue of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra
.
Other concert venues for classical music are the Fundación Joan March and the Auditorio 400
, devoted to contemporary music.
Bullfighting
Madrid hosts the largest Plaza de Toros (bullring) in Spain, Las Ventas, established in 1929. Las Ventas is considered by many to be the world centre of bullfighting and has a seating capacity
of almost 25,000. Madrid's bullfighting
season begins in March and ends in October. Bullfights are held every day during the festivities of San Isidro
(Madrid's patron saint
) from mid May to early June, and every Sunday, and public holiday
, the rest of the season. The style of the plaza is Neomudéjar
. Las Ventas also hosts music concerts and other events outside of the bullfighting season.
Local festivities
- 15 May, San Isidro LabradorIsidore the LaborerIsidore the Laborer, also known as Isidore the Farmer, , was a Spanish day laborer known for his goodness toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid and of La Ceiba, Honduras....
(Madrid's patron saint). - 13 June, San Antonio de la Florida (Moncloa neighbourhood's patron saint)..
- 16–25 July, Virgen del Carmen festivities (Vallecas neighbourhood's patron saint).
- 6–14 August, Virgen de la Paloma festivities (Madrid's popular patron saint)
- 7 August, San Cayetano (Cascorro neighbourhood's patron saint).
- 10 August, San Lorenzo (Lavapiés neighbourhood's patron saint).
- 9 November, Virgen de la Almudena festivities (Madrid's patron saint).
Sport
Madrid is home to La Ligafootball club Real Madrid
, who play their home games at the Santiago Bernabéu
. Their supporters are referred to as Madridistas or Merengues (Merengues). Real Madrid is one of the most prestigious football clubs
in the world (FIFA selected Real Madrid the best team of the 20th century), having won a record 9 European Cups
. Their hometown rivals, Atlético Madrid, are also well supported in the city. The players (and supporters) are referred to as Colchoneros (The Mattress Makers), in reference to the team's red & white jersey colours, which were determined by mattress material being the cheapest at the time of the club's formation. In 1982, Madrid hosted the FIFA World Cup Final
. Along with Barcelona
, Glasgow
and Lisbon
, Madrid is one of only four cities in Europe to contain two UEFA 5-star stadia: Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu
and Atlético Madrid's Vicente Calderón
both meet the said criteria. Rayo Vallecano
and Getafe CF
are two further teams from the Madrid area playing currently in La Liga
.
Some of Spain's top footballers are Madrileños (born in Madrid), including Real Madrid former player Emilio Butragueño
and co (La Quinta del Buitre
, "The Vulture's Quint"), Premier League's Pepe Reina, Fernando Torres
and Real Madrid veterans Raúl González
, Guti Hernandez and Iker Casillas
.

has won 30 Spanish League championships, 22 Spanish Cup
championships, 8 Euroleague Championships
, 4 Saporta Cup
s, 4 Intercontinental Cups
and have won 2 Triple Crowns
. Madrid's other professional basketball club is Estudiantes
that have won 3 Spanish Cup
championships.
Madrid hosts the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open. The tournament is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and a Premier Mandatory event on the Women's Tennis Association tour. Caja Mágica
(The Magic Box, and also known as the Manzanares Park Tennis Centre) is a tennis structure located at Manzanares Park
, used for the Madrid Masters tournament
.
The city is also host to the Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, a motorsport
race circuit.
Historically, the city serves as the final stage of the Vuelta a España
cycling event, in the same way Paris serves as the conclusive stage of the Tour de France
.
Skiing
is possible in the nearby mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama
, where the ski resort
s of Valdesqui
and Navacerrada
are located.
In the past, Madrid has bid to host the 1972 Summer Olympics
, the 2012 Summer Olympics
, and the 2016 Summer Olympics
, which were awarded to Munich
, London
, and Rio de Janeiro
respectively. The city has two major annual road running
events – the Madrid Marathon
and the San Silvestre Vallecana
10 km (6 mi) run – tens of thousands of runners take part in these races each year. As reported by Olympic news outlet Around the Rings, In July 2011 Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon announced Madrid's plans to bid
for the 2020 Olympics.
Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la... |
La Liga La Liga The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system... |
Football | Santiago Bernabéu Santiago Bernabéu Stadium The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators.... |
1902 | 80,354 |
Atlético Madrid | La Liga La Liga The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system... |
Football | Vicente Calderón Vicente Calderón Stadium The Vicente Calderón Stadium is the home stadium of La Liga football club Atlético Madrid and is located in the Arganzuela district of Spanish capital Madrid. The stadium was originally called the Manzanares Stadium, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, after the famous... |
1903 | 54,851 |
Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas... |
La Liga La Liga The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system... |
Football | Estadio de Vallecas Estadio Teresa Rivero Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas previously known as Estadio Teresa Rivero is a multi-use stadium in Madrid, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Rayo Vallecano. The stadium holds 15,500 spectators and was opened in 1976.-External links:****... |
1924 | 15,500 |
Real Madrid Castilla Real Madrid Castilla Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium.... |
Segunda División B Segunda División B Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division... |
Football | Alfredo di Stéfano Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium The Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano is a multi-purpose stadium in Madrid, Spain. It is currently used for football matches and is the home ground of Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of Real Madrid. The stadium holds 6,000 people... |
1930 | 6,000 |
Real Madrid Baloncesto Real Madrid Baloncesto Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto .... |
ACB | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Palacio de Deportes de Madrid Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid is an indoor sporting arena located in the City of Madrid, Spain. Its capacity is 15,000 people for basketball matches, 14,000 for handball matches and 18,000 for concerts .The former building, which was built in 1960, was destroyed by a fire in 2001... |
1932 | 16,000 |
CB Estudiantes CB Estudiantes Club Baloncesto Estudiantes, S.A.D., known as Asefa Estudiantes for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball team based in the city of Madrid, Community of Madrid. It is member of the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto . Founded in 1948, it is one of the most recognized basketball teams in Spain... |
ACB | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Palacio de Deportes de Madrid Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid is an indoor sporting arena located in the City of Madrid, Spain. Its capacity is 15,000 people for basketball matches, 14,000 for handball matches and 18,000 for concerts .The former building, which was built in 1960, was destroyed by a fire in 2001... |
1948 | 16,000 |
Education
State Education in Spainis free, and compulsory from 6 to 16 years. The current education system
is called LOE (Ley Orgánica de Educación).
Universities
Madrid is home to a large number of public and private universities. Some of them are among the oldest in the world, and many of them are the most prestigious universities in Spain.

is the largest university in Spain and one of the oldest universities in the world. It has 10,000 staff members and a student population of 117,000. Nearly all academic staff are Spanish. It is located on two campuses, in the university quarter Ciudad Universitaria at Moncloa in Madrid, and in Somosaguas. The Complutense University of Madrid was founded in Alcala de Henares
, old Complutum, by Cardinal Cisneros in 1499. Nevertherless, its real origin dates back from 1293, when King Sancho IV of Castile
built the General Schools of Alcalá, which would give rise to Cisnero's Complutense University. During the course of 1509–1510 five schools were already operative: Artes y Filosofía (Arts & Philosophy), Teología (Theology), Derecho Canónico (Canonical Laws), Letras (Liberal Arts) and Medicina (Medicine). In 1836, during the reign of Isabel II
, the University was moved to Madrid, where it took the name of Central University and was located at San Bernardo Street. Subsequently, in 1927, a new university area was planned to be built in the district of Moncloa-Aravaca, in lands handed over by the King Alfonso XIII
to this purpose. The Spanish Civil War
turned the "Ciudad Universitaria" into a war zone, causing the destruction of several schools in the area, as well as the loss of part of its rich scientific, artistic and bibliographic heritage.
In 1970 the Government reformed the High Education, and the Central University became the Complutense University of Madrid. It was then when the new campus at Somosaguas was created to house the new School of Social Sciences
. The old Alcalá campus was reopened as the independent UAH, University of Alcalá
, in 1977. Complutense also serves to the population of students who select Madrid as their residency during their study abroad
period. Students from the United States for example, might go to Madrid on a program like API (Academic Programs International) and study at Complutense for an intense immersion into the Spanish Language. The beautiful setting of the campus allows students living temporarily in Madrid to have access to all of the city's public features including Retiro Park, El Prado Museum, and much more. After studying at the University, students return home with a fluent sense of Spanish as well as culture and diversity.
The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Technical University of Madrid
), is the top technical university in Spain. It is the result of the merge of different Technical Schools
of Engineering.
The Autonomous University of Madrid
was instituted under the leadership of the famous physicist, Nicolás Cabrera
. The Autonoma is widely recognised for its research strengths in theoretical physics
. Known simply as la Autónoma in Madrid, its main site is the Cantoblanco Campus, situated 10 miles (16.1 km) to the northeast of the capital (M-607) and close to the municipal areas of Madrid, namely Alcobendas
, San Sebastián de los Reyes
, Tres Cantos
and Colmenar Viejo
.
Located on the main site are the Rectorate building and the Faculties of Science, Philosophy and Fine Arts
, Law, Economic Science
and Business Studies
, Psychology, Higher School of Computing Science
and Engineering, and the Faculty of Teacher Training
and Education. The Medical School
is sited outside the main site and beside the Hospital Universitario La Paz.
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, whose philosophy is to create responsible free-thinking
people with a sensitivity to social problems
and an involvement in the concept of progress based on freedom, justice and tolerance. The undergraduate degrees in Business Administration, Economics and Law are ranked first, first and second respectively among those offered by public and private universities in Spain, and its Master and PhD programs also rank top in the country. The Department of Economics is among the 50 best worldwide, and in the top 10 in Econometrics
.
Some other prestigious universities include Universidad de Alcalá de Henares
, rebuilt at Alcalá de Henares
in 1975; and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, involved in a number of academic exchange programmes, work practice schemes and international projects with over 200 Higher Education
Institutions in Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia.
Other universities in Madrid, some of them private, are: Rey Juan Carlos University
(public), Universidad Alfonso X, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Universidad Camilo José Cela
, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca Campus de Madrid, Saint Louis University Madrid Campus
and Universidad San Pablo CEU (all of them private).
Madrid is also home to the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid and many other private educational institutions.
Business schools
IE Business School (formerly Instituto de Empresa) has its main campus on the border of the Chamartín and Salamanca districts of Madrid. IE Business School recently ranked #1 in WSJ's 2009 rankings for Best MBA Programs under 2 years. It scored ahead of usual stalwarts, INSEADand IMD
, giving it top billing amongst International MBA programs. Although based in Barcelona
, both IESE Business School
and ESADE Business School
also have Madrid campuses. These three schools are the top-ranked business school
s in Spain, consistently rank among the top 20 business schools globally, and offer MBA
programs (in English or Spanish) as well as other business degrees. Other Madrid universities that have MBA programs include:
- Universidad Carlos III de Madrid through the Centro de Ampliación Estudios (in English or Spanish).
- Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid (in Spanish only).
- Universidad Politécnica de MadridTechnical University of MadridThe Technical University of Madrid or sometimes called Polytechnic University of Madrid is a Spanish University, located in Madrid. It was founded in 1971 as the result of merging different Technical Schools of Engineering and Architecture, originated mainly in the 18th century...
(in Spanish only).
Transport
Madrid is served by highly-developed communication infrastructures, making the Spanish capital the leading logistics hub for both Spain and all of southern Europe. It also boasts a network of motorways, encompassing both ring roads and radial roads, and provides the backbone for Spain’s railway network, thereby providing effective connections with not only other parts of the region, but also the rest of Spain and Europe as a whole. Madrid ranks alongside Tokyoand Paris
as one of the world’s three largest high-speed railway hubs. Madrid is also home to the Madrid-Barajas airport, Spain’s flagship airport and one of the largest to be found worldwide.
Air

Madrid is served by Barajas Airport. Barajas is the main hub
of Iberia Airlines. It consequently serves as the main gateway to the Iberian peninsula from Europe, America and the rest of the world. Current passenger volumes range upwards of 49.8 million passengers per year, making it the country's largest and busiest airport, and in 2009 it was the world's 11th busiest airport
and Europe's fourth busiest airport. Given annual increases close to 10%, a new fourth terminal has been constructed. It has significantly reduced delays and doubled the capacity of the airport to more than 70 million passengers per year. Two additional runways have also been constructed, making Barajas a fully operational four-runway airport.
Located within the city limits of Madrid, just 9 km (5.6 mi) from the city's financial district and 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of the Puerta del Sol, Madrid's historic centre. The airport name derives from the adjacent district of Barajas, which has its own metro station on the same rail line serving the airport.
The Councillor of Transports of the Community of Madrid, Manuel Lamela, announced in 2007 that the city will also be served by two new airports which are expected to be fully operative in 2016, the first of which will be located in Campo Real, it will be initially be used for cargo flights, but also as hub for low-cost carriers, and the second one, expected to be built between the two municipalities of El Álamo and Navalcarnero
, which will only take over the routes operating in Cuatro Vientos Airport
.
National rail


, the Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles (Renfe
) operates the vast majority of Spain's railways. Cercanías Madrid
is the commuter rail service that serves Madrid and its metropolitan area. It is operated by Cercanías Renfe, the commuter rail division of Renfe
. The total length spans 339.1 km. Main rail terminals are Atocha in the south and Chamartín in the north.
The most important project in the next decade is the Spanish high speed rail network, Alta Velocidad Española AVE
. Currently, an ambitious plan includes the construction of a 7000 kilometres (4,349.6 mi) network, centred on Madrid. The overall goal is to have all important provincial cities be no more than 4 hours away from Madrid, and no more than 6 hours away from Barcelona
. As of 2008, AVE
high-speed trains
link Atocha station to Seville
, Málaga
, Córdoba
, Ciudad Real
and Toledo
in the south and to Cuenca
, Albacete
, Valencia, Zaragoza
, Lleida
, Tarragona
and Barcelona
in the east. AVE
trains also arrive from Valladolid
in the north.
RENFE offers:
- AVEAVEAlta Velocidad Española is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird".AVE trains run on a network of...
- AlarisAlarisAlaris is the brand name of the regional rail network run by the Spanish national rail company RENFE that connects the major cities of Madrid and Valencia, and Barcelona and the main cities of the Valencian community...
- AltariaAltaria (rail service)Altaria is the brand name of a group of fast long-distance passenger railway services operated by Spanish national railway company Renfe Operadora and connecting Madrid to Algeciras, Alicante, Barcelona, Cádiz, Cartagena, Granada, Irún, Logroño, Murcia, Pamplona, and San Sebastián.Altaria trains...
- TalgoTalgoTalgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles. It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches...
Metro

is one of the most extensive and fastest-growing metro
networks in the world. With the addition of a loop serving suburbs to Madrid's south-west "Metrosur", it is now the second largest metro system in Western Europe, second only to London's Underground
. In 2007 Madrid's metro system was expanded and it currently runs over 283 kilometres (175.8 mi) of line. The province of Madrid is also served by an extensive commuter rail network of 370 kilometres (229.9 mi) called Cercanías
.
The system is the sixth longest metro in the world after London, New York, Moscow, Seoul and Shanghai, though Madrid is approximately the fiftieth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Its fast growth in the last 20 years has also put it among the fastest growing networks in the world, on par with the Shanghai Metro
and the Beijing Subway
. Unlike normal Spanish road and rail traffic, Madrid Metro trains use left-hand running on some lines due to historical reasons.
Buses
This railway network is ably supported by an ever-expanding network of city buses. The overall length of the bus network of Madrid’s Municipal Transport Corporation (Empresa Municipal de Transportes, or EMT) at yearclose 2008, when 426 million passengers were transported, stood at 3,690 kilometres, marking a 31% increase over the last eight years. These routes areserviced by a growing fleet of over 2,000 vehicles, while the network as a whole is undergoing a continuous improvement process with a view to attaining the utmost standards of speed, quality and sustainability.
Roads

and M50. M30 circles the central districts and is the inner ring motorway of Madrid. Significant portions of M30 runs underground and its urban motorway tunnels have sections of more than 6 km (3.73 mi) in length and 3 to 6 lanes in each direction, between the south entry of the Avenida de Portugal tunnel and the north exit of the M-30 south by-pass there are close to 10 km (6.21 mi) of continuous tunnels.
M40 is a ring motorway which borders Madrid at a mean distance of 10.07 kilometres (6.3 mi) and it has a total length of 63.3 km (39.33 mi). M45
is a partial ring around the city serving the metropolitan area of Madrid. It was built to help alleviate the congestion of the M40 from the southern to the north-eastern, runs between the M40 and the M50 where the two ring motorways are more separated. M50 is the outer of the Madrid orbital motorways and has a total length of 85 km (52.82 mi). It services mainly the metropolitan area at a mean distance of 13.5 km (8.39 mi).
The most important radial autovía
s of Madrid are:
Signal | Denomination | Itinerary |
---|---|---|
A-1 | Autovía del Norte | Madrid – Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid.... – Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... – Miranda de Ebro Miranda de Ebro Miranda de Ebro is a city on the Ebro river in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, on the border with the province of Álava and the autonomous community of La Rioja... – Vitoria Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city... – San Sebastián San Sebastián Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its... |
A-2 | Autovía del Nordeste | Madrid – Guadalajara – Zaragoza Zaragoza Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain... – Lérida – Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... |
A-3 | Autovía del Este | Madrid – Valencia |
A-4 | Autovía del Sur | Madrid – Córdoba Córdoba, Spain -History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy... – Sevilla – Jerez Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia... – Cádiz Cádiz Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.... |
A-5 | Autovía del Suroeste | Madrid – Talavera de la Reina – Navalmoral de la Mata Navalmoral de la Mata Navalmoral de la Mata is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, western Spain. In 2009, the municipality had a population of 17,228 inhabitants.-History:... – Mérida Mérida, Spain Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, western central Spain. It has a population of 57,127 . The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993.- Climate :... – Badajoz Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257.... – Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
A-6 | Autovía del Noroeste Autovía A-6 The Autovía A-6 or Autopista AP-6 is a Spanish autovía and autopista route which starts in Madrid and ends in Arteixo .... |
Madrid – Medina del Campo Medina del Campo Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:... – Benavente Benavente, Zamora Benavente is a municipality in the north of the province of Zamora, in the autonomous community Castile and León of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants.... – Astorga – Ponferrada Ponferrada Ponferrada is a city in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. It lies on the Sil River, a tributary of the river Miño, in the El Bierzo valley, completely surrounded by mountains. It is the last major town along the French route of the Way of St. James before it reaches its destination... – Lugo Lugo Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 97,635 in 2010, which makes is the fourth most populated city in Galicia.-Population:... – La Coruña |
A-42 | Autovía de Toledo Autovía de Toledo The Autovía de Toledo is a motorway in Spain. It passes through the region of Castile-La Mancha.... |
Madrid – Illescas Illescas, Toledo Illescas is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 15830 inhabitants.- History :... – Toledo Toledo, Spain Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:... |
Radial tolled autopistas (named R-n instead of A-n) form a new system of accesses to the capital that merges with their autovía
counterparts far from Madrid. The main advantage to these roads is that they allow true fast travel from the first kilometer.
Signal | Denomination | Itinerary |
---|---|---|
R-2 ![]() |
Autopista Radial 2 | Madrid (M-40 Autopista de Circunvalación M-40 The M-40, in Spanish transport, is a Madrid orbital motorway, similar to the M25 motorway in London, or the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris. It is the second-outermost of the Madrid orbital highways, the M-30 being the closest to the centre of Madrid. It has a total length of , looping around... )—M-50—Guadalajara Guadalajara, Spain Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789... (A-2) |
R-3 ![]() |
Autopista Radial 3 | Madrid (M-30)—Arganda del Rey Arganda del Rey Arganda del Rey is a municipality in Madrid, Spain. It is connected to Madrid by metro line 9, underground.-History:The first definitive habitation in the area dates back to the Arabic presence in the Iberian Peninsula... (A-3) |
R-4 ![]() |
Autopista Radial 4 | Madrid (M-50)—Aranjuez Aranjuez Aranjuez is a town lying 48 km south of Madrid, in the southern part of the Community of Madrid. It is located at the confluence of the Tagus and Jarama rivers, 48 km from Toledo. As of 2009, it has a population of 54,055.-History:... —Ocaña Ocaña, Spain Ocaña, a town and municipality of central Spain, in the province of Toledo. It is located on the extreme north of the tableland known as the Mesa de Ocaña, and has a station on the railway from Aranjuez to Cuenca.-History:... (A-4/A-40/AP-36) |
R-5 ![]() |
Autopista Radial 5 | Madrid (M-40 Autopista de Circunvalación M-40 The M-40, in Spanish transport, is a Madrid orbital motorway, similar to the M25 motorway in London, or the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris. It is the second-outermost of the Madrid orbital highways, the M-30 being the closest to the centre of Madrid. It has a total length of , looping around... )—Navalcarnero Navalcarnero Navalcarnero is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located about 31 km from Madrid.Sights include the church of Inmaculada Concepción.-History:... (A-5) |
M-12 ![]() |
Eje aeropuerto | Madrid (M-40 Autopista de Circunvalación M-40 The M-40, in Spanish transport, is a Madrid orbital motorway, similar to the M25 motorway in London, or the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris. It is the second-outermost of the Madrid orbital highways, the M-30 being the closest to the centre of Madrid. It has a total length of , looping around... )—M-11—Airport terminal 4—A-1 |
Twin Towns and Sister Cities
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The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San... , Paraguay Paraguay Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the... Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... 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It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... , Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent... , Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... Caracas Caracas Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range... , Venezuela Venezuela Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south... Guatemala City Guatemala City Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America... , Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast... La Habana, Cuba Cuba The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city... La Paz La Paz Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra... , Bolivia Bolivia Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America... |
Lima Lima Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima... , Peru Peru Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.... Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban... , Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... Managua Managua Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in... , Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean... Manila Manila Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,... , Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... Montevideo Montevideo Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento... , Uruguay Uruguay Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area... Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , US Nouakchott Nouakchott -Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine... , Mauritania Mauritania Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest... Panama City Panama City Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the... , Panama Panama Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The... Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... Quito Quito San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains... , Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border... Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czech Republic Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... |
Rabat Rabat Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000... , Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara... Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... San José San José, Costa Rica San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San... , Costa Rica Costa Rica Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.... San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of... , Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an... San Salvador San Salvador The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador... , El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America... 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Sarajevo Sarajevo Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans.... , Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the... Sofia Sofia Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated... , Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east... Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto... , Honduras Honduras Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize... Tripoli Tripoli Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three... , Libya Libya Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west.... Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
See also
- Large Cities Climate Leadership GroupLarge Cities Climate Leadership GroupThe Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, now officially known as the C40 is a group of cities working to reduce urban carbon emissions and to adapt to climate change. It believes it has an important role to play as cities contain around 50% of the world population, consume 75% of the world's...
- Madrid Conference of 1991Madrid Conference of 1991The Madrid Conference was hosted by the government of Spain and co-sponsored by the USA and the USSR. It convened on October 30, 1991 and lasted for three days. It was an early attempt by the international community to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinians...
- OPENCitiesOPENCitiesOPENCities is a project initiated by British Council Spain, to help cities to become more open and competitive. OPENCities demonstrates how international populations contribute to cities long term economic success and advocates for openness as a way forward for cities willing to play an...
External links
- City of Madrid
- Official website of Madrid on tourism and business
- Official Website Of Tourism in Spain: Tourism in Madrid
- Metro of Madrid
- Transport Information System of Madrid
- WikiSatellite view of Madrid at WikiMapia
- OPENCities participant
- History of Madrid (Spanish)
- A guide to the natural history of Madrid (Spanish)