MADRID

Ever since Felipe II decreed Madrid to be the capital of Spain in 1561 the city has been a cultural melting pot. It is famous for the warmth of its people, its passion for football, 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 over the years for the likes of illustrious writers such as Hemingway and Cervantes (Don Quixote).

Madrid is also the name of 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 people of which 3 million live within the city itself. .