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Is the second largest city in Spain and the capital of Catalonia. It is located between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, limited to the west by the Serra de Collserola ridge (512 m).
It is a major economic centre, with one of Spain's principal Mediterranean ports and its second largest airport, and also a cultural and tourist attraction. The architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner are particularly renowned, and have been inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
As the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona houses the seat of the Catalan autonomous government, known as the Generalitat de Catalunya, notably its executive branch, the Parliament and the Supreme Court of Catalonia. It is also the capital of the province of Barcelona and of the comarca of the Barcelonés.
Barcelona is located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Mediterranean sea, in a plateau of about 5 km width limited by the mountain range of Collserola, the Llobregat river on the south and the Besòs river on the north. It is 160km south of the Pyrenees. It has an area of 101 km².
Collserola, part of the coastal mountain range, forms a soft rounded backdrop to the city. Its highest point, the peak of Tibidabo, 512 m high and topped by the 288.4 m Torre de Collserola, a telecommunications tower that is visible from most of the city.
The city borders the municipalities of Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià de Besòs to the north; L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat to the south; the Mediterranean Sea to the east; and Montcada i Reixac and Sant Cugat del Vallès to the west.
The area around the Plaça Catalunya makes up the city's historical center. This includes Passeig de Gracia, the Rambla de Catalunya, the Barri Gòtic and the upper half of the Avinguda Diagonal, which is the main commercial area of the city.
Barcelona contains 68 municipal parks, divided into 12 historic parks, 5 thematic (botanical) parks, 45 urban parks and 6 forest parks.
Barcelona has seven beaches, totalling 4.5 km of coastline.
It is certainly the most cosmopolitan and economically most active city in this country. It has always proved its will to be modern, to follow the latest international tendencies or be ahead of them. To the tourist this is evident especially in its architecture, which so well reflects the general approach to life in this always pulsating city.
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