Madrid, Spain

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Madrid – Largest Capital City of Spain

Madrid is the largest and the capital city of Spain as well as the capital of the autonomous community of the Comunidad de Madrid. It is also the third largest city in the European Union following London and Berlin and its metropolitan area is the third largest in the European Union after Paris and London. The city’s population is around 3.3 million and the metro area population is around 6.5 million.

 The city spans a total 604.3 sq.kmarea and is located on the Manzanares River at the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid, comprising of the city of Madrid with its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages. The community is bordered by the autonomous communities of Castile and Leon together with Castile-Le Mancha.Being a capital city of Spain, residence of the Spanish monarch and seat of government, Madrid is also the political, economic as well as the cultural centre of Spain and is known for its great cultural as well as artistic heritage. It is a city of great monuments and among its highlights is the medieval centre which dates back to the Habsburg Empire together with El Prado museum. One will find some of the liveliest nightlife in the world here.

Major Global Cities in the World

The urban agglomeration of Madrid has the third largest GDP in the European Union with influences in education, entertainment, politics, environment, fashion, media, science, arts and culture which contribute to its status as one of the major global cities in the world.

Its high standard of living, economic output together with its market size has made Madrid as the major financial centre of Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. Besides this, it also heads the offices of the vast majority of the major Spanish companies like the Telefonica, Iberia or Repsol and according to Monocle magazine in its 2014 index, is the 17thmost liveable city in the world.

Majority of the companies have established their headquarters here which have profited from the wide range of service made available in the city, such as good public transport, conference resorts and the course of its leisure facilities. These include some of the excellent restaurants, theatres, opera, shopping centres, together with the popular museums and much more.

International Airport with Three Terminals

Barajas, which is its international airport with three terminals, is the busiest airport in Spain which receives domestic as well as international flights from several major cities across the globe. One will find plenty of interesting things to do and explore in Madrid and the city provides a wide range of offers for tourism, business, and culture with good facilities and services.

It was also elected as the city of European Capital of culture in the year 1992 and was also a candidate city in hosting the Olympic Games in the year 2012 though eventually the winning city was London. Madrid had been one of the favourites and has reached a third position in the competition. Moreover, Madrid has also been a home to two world famous football clubs in Real Madrid as well as Atletico de Madrid. Madrid is an amazing destination with several interesting sites to explore.