Barcelona (
English
/bɑrsɨˈloʊnə/,
Catalan: [bərsəˈɫonə],
Spanish: [barθeˈlona]) is the capital
city of the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain and the
country's 2nd largest city, with a population of 1.6 million within its
administrative limits. Its urban area extends beyond the administrative city limits
with a population of around 4.5 million people, being the sixth-most populous urban
area in the European Union after Paris, London, Madrid, the Ruhr area and Milan. About five
million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is the
largest metropolis on the Mediterranean
Sea, located on the coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and
Besòs, and bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range, the tallest
peak of which is 512 metres (1,680 ft) high.
Founded as a Roman city, in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of
the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom
of Aragon, Barcelona continued to be an important city in the Crown
of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural
heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist
destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni
Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have
been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean is located
in Barcelona. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions and also many international sport tournaments.
Barcelona is one of the world's leading tourist, economic, trade
fair/exhibitions and cultural-sports centres, and its influence in commerce,
education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute
to its status as one of the world's major global cities. It is a major cultural and
economic centre in southwestern Europe, 24th in the world (before Zürich, after Frankfurt)
and a financial centre. In 2008 it was the fourth most economically powerful city by GDP
in the European Union and 35th in the world with GDP amounting to €177 billion.
In 2012 Barcelona had a GDP of $170 billion; it is lagging Spain on both
employment and GDP per capita change. In 2009 the city was ranked Europe's
third and one of the world's most successful as a city brand. In the same year
the city was ranked Europe's fourth best city for business and fastest
improving European city, with growth improved by 17% per year, but it has since
been in a full recession with declines in both employment and GDP per capita,
with some recent signs of the beginning of an economic recovery. Barcelona is a
transport
hub with the Port of Barcelona being one of Europe's principal
seaports and busiest European passenger port, an international airport, Barcelona–El Prat Airport, which handles
above 35 million passengers per year, an extensive motorway network and a high-speed
rail line with a link to France and the rest of Europe.
Source: wikipedia.org
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