Madrid

Madrid
Gran Vía
Plaza Mayor
AZCA & CBTAde
Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral
From upper left: Gran Vía, Plaza Mayor, business districts of AZCA and CTBA, Puerta de Alcalá and the Royal Palace, Almudena Cathedral
Motto(s): 
"Fui sobre agua edificada,
mis muros de fuego son.
Esta es mi insignia y blasón"

("On water I was built, my walls are made of fire.
This is my ensign and escutcheon")
Madrid is located in Spain
Madrid
Madrid
Location within Spain
Madrid is located in Europe
Madrid
Madrid
Location within Europe
Coordinates: 40°25′N 3°43′W / 40.417°N 3.717°W / 40.417; -3.717
Country Spain
Autonomous communityCommunity of Madrid
Founded9th century[1]
Government
 • Typeayuntamiento
 • BodyAyuntamiento de Madrid
 • MayorJosé Luis Martínez-Almeida (PP)
Area
 • capital city and municipality604.31 km2 (233.33 sq mi)
Elevation
820 m (2,690 ft)
Population
 (2018)[4]
 • capital city and municipality3,223,334
 • Rank1st (2nd in EU)
 • Density5,300/km2 (14,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
6,345,000 (2019)[3]
 • Metro
6,791,667 (2018)[2]
Demonym(s)Madrilenian, Madrilene
madrileño, -ña; matritense
gato, -a
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
28001–28080
Area code+34 (ES) + 91 (M)
HDI (2018)0.928[5]very high
Websitemadrid.es
Plaza de Colón

Madrid (pronounced: “mah-drid or /məˈdrɪd/) is the capital and largest city of Spain. Madrid is in the middle of Spain, in the Community of Madrid. The Community is a large area that includes the city as well as small towns and villages outside the city. 7 million people live in the Community. More than 3 million live in the city itself. It is the largest city of Spain and, at 655 m (2,100 ft) above sea level, the second highest capital in Europe (after the Andorran capital Andorra la Vella). It is the second largest city in the European Union. As it is the capital city, Madrid is where the monarch lives and also where the government meets. Madrid is the financial centre of Spain. Many large businesses have their main offices there. It has four important footballs teams, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Getafe, and Rayo Vallecano. People who live in Madrid are called madrileños.

Madrid was ruled by the Romans from the 2nd century. After AD 711 it was occupied by the Moors. In 1083 Spain was ruled again by Spaniards. Catholic kings ruled the country. By the mid-16th century it had become the capital of a very large empire. Spain was ruled by monarchs from the House of Habsburg, then the House of Bourbon. After the Spanish Civil War it was ruled by a dictator until the mid-1970s when it became a democracy.

Although it is a modern city, a lot of its history can be seen and felt as one walks along the streets and in the large squares of the city. There are beautiful parks, famous buildings, art galleries and concert halls.

  1. "History of Madrid". Madrid Traveller. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  2. "Population on 1 January by age groups and sex - functional urban areas". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 2015-09-03. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  3. "Demographia World Urban Areas" (PDF). Demographia. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
  4. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  5. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2021-01-27.

Developed by StudentB