MADRID

Ever since Felipe II decreed Madrid to be the capital of Spain in 1561 the city has been a melting pot of peoples and culture. It is famous for the warmth of its people, its passion for football, for the diversity of its cuisine from traditional tapas to cutting-edge culinary delights and its stamina-testing nightlife. Culturally the capital boasts 3 world-class museums, is home to the Oscar-winning directors, Pedro Almodóvar and Alejandro Amenábar, as well as providing watering holes for the likes of illustrious writers such as Hemmingway and Cervantes (Don Quixote).

Madrid is one of the 17 autonomous regions into which Spain was divided under the Constitution of 1978.  Unlike most of the others it has but one province with a population of just over 5 million.  3 million people live within the city itself.