Madrid city (state capital), introduction - - Pictures
Madrid, capital and largest city of Spain. It is also the capital of the autonomous region and province of Madrid. The city of Madrid is located in the historic region of New Castile near the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. Madrid is Spain's administrative, financial, and transportation center. The city is famous for its historical landmarks, museums, active street life, broad boulevards, and outdoor cafés.
Madrid lies in an interior region that Spaniards call the heart of Spain. This region is divided in two by the Sierra de Guadarrama and the Sierra de Gredos mountain ranges. The city has an area of 607 sq km (234 sq mi) and lies within a larger autonomous community and province, both also called Madrid, which make up the same area of 7995 sq km (3087 sq mi). The city of Madrid spreads over several rolling hills at the northern edge of New Castile. Its average elevation is about 640 m (about 2100 ft) above sea level. Until about 1960 the small Manzanares River marked the western and southern boundaries of the city, but since then urbanization has spread across the river. Once a greenbelt at the edge of Madrid, the river is now bordered by high-speed roads that provide motorists with access to the center of the city. Beyond the developed part of the city, which ends abruptly, Madrid is surrounded by farmland.
