Madrid is the capital
and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4
million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population
of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest
city in the European Union (EU), and its monocentric
metropolitan area is the second-largest in the EU. The
municipality covers 604.3 km2 (233.3 sq mi) geographical
area.
Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the central part
of the Iberian Peninsula. Capital city of both Spain
(almost without interruption since 1561) and the
surrounding autonomous community of Madrid (since 1983),
it is also the political, economic and cultural centre
of the country. The city is situated on an elevated
plain about 300 km (190 mi) from the closest seaside
location. The climate of Madrid features hot summers and
cool winters.
The Madrid urban agglomeration has the second-largest
GDP in the European Union and its influence in politics,
education, entertainment, environment, media, fashion,
science, culture, 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
and the leading economic hub of the Iberian Peninsula
and of Southern Europe. The metropolitan area hosts
major Spanish companies such as Telefónica, Iberia, BBVA
and FCC. It concentrates the bulk of banking operations
in the country and it is the Spanish-speaking city
generating the largest amount of webpages.
Madrid houses the headquarters of the UN's World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO), the Ibero-American General
Secretariat (SEGIB), the Organization of Ibero-American
States (OEI), and the Public Interest Oversight Board
(PIOB). It also hosts major international regulators and
promoters of the Spanish language: the Standing
Committee of the Association of Spanish Language
Academies, headquarters of the Royal Spanish Academy
(RAE), the Instituto Cervantes and the Foundation of
Emerging Spanish (FundéuRAE). Madrid organises fairs
such as FITUR, ARCO, SIMO TCI and the Madrid Fashion
Week. Madrid is home to two world-famous football clubs,
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.
While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has
preserved the look and feel of many of its historic
neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the
Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace of Madrid; the 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; many national museums, and
the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del
Prado and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum,
the Reina Sofía Museum, a museum of modern art, and the
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which complements the
holdings of the other two museums. Cibeles Palace and
Fountain has become one of the monument symbols of the
city. The mayor is José Luis Martínez-Almeida from the
People's Party.