About Barcelona
Situated in a privileged position on the north-eastern coast of the Iberian
Peninsula and with its stretch of Mediterranean shoreline, Barcelona is the
capital of Catalonia, 1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up
Spain. There are two official languages which you will hear spoken in the city:
Catalan, generally spoken in the whole region of Catalonia, and Spanish.
Barcelona is also the second largest city in Spain in both size and population.
The city of Barcelona has a population of 1.510.000, but this number spirals
to more than 4.000.000 if the outlying areas are also included. In 1992, the
Olympic Games were held here and the changes made to the city at this time
reflect its modern attitude and reveal how it has evolved over time. The
Barcelona we enjoy today is an innovative city, open to diversity and yet
faithful to its mediterranean traditions, with its face to the sea and its arms
open to other cultures and peoples.
Barcelona carries the marks of several different cultures, and has an
internationally-acknowledged cultural heritage. In fact, Barcelona is more
than just a single city; It is a collection of multi-faceted and diverse neighbourhoods for barrios. The visitor unfamiliar with its history might be surprised
that such a modern and enterprising city preserves its historic Gothic centre
almost intact, or by the curious contrast between the maze of narrow streets
in the Barrio Gótico and the grid-like layout of the Eixample, the urban planning"Enlargement" project from the end of the 19th century.
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