TheCommunity of Madrid (Spanish:Comunidad de Madrid;[komuniˈðaððemaˈðɾið]ⓘ) is one of the seventeenautonomous communities and 50provinces ofSpain. It is located at the heart of theIberian Peninsula andCentral Plateau (Meseta Central); its capital and largest municipality isMadrid. The Community of Madrid is bounded to the south and east byCastilla–La Mancha and to the north and west byCastile and León. It was formally created in 1983, in order to address the particular status of the city of Madrid as the capital of the Spanish State and in urban hierarchy.[4] Its boundaries are coextensive with those of the province of Madrid, which was until then conventionally included in the historical region ofNew Castile (Castilla la Nueva).
The Community of Madrid is the third most populous in Spain with 7,058,041 (2024) inhabitants, roughly a seventh of the national total, mostly concentrated in themetropolitan area of Madrid.[5] It is also the most densely populated autonomous community. Madrid has both the largest nominalGDP, slightly ahead of that ofCatalonia,[6] and the highest GDP per capita in the country.[7] Madrid's economy is highlytertiarised,[8] having a leading role in Spain's logistics and transportation.
Despite the existence of a large urban area of nearly 7 million people, the Community of Madrid still retains some remarkably unspoiled and diverse habitats and landscapes. Madrid is home to mountain peaks rising above 2,000 m,holm oak dehesas and low-lying plains. The slopes of theGuadarrama mountain range are cloaked in dense forests ofScots pine and Pyreneanoak. TheLozoya Valley supports a largeblack (monk) vulture colony, and one of the last bastions of theSpanish imperial eagle in the world is found in the Park Regional del Suroeste in dehesa hills between the Gredos and Guadarrama ranges. The recent possible detection of the existence ofIberian lynx in the area between theCofio andAlberche rivers is testament to the biodiversity of the area. Taking advantage of the orography, there are several reservoirs and local dams, with theSantillana reservoir being the largest.[citation needed]
The province of Madrid is shaped approximately like an equilateral triangle, with the city of Madrid located near its center. First, by the western side, it borders the "Sistema Central" (theGuadarrama mountain range), the southern border features a protrusion following theTagus River in order to include the royal site ofAranjuez in the region; the eastern edge of the triangle comes from the rupture of the fluvial river basins. This autonomous community is located in the basin of the Tagus River. The Tagus passes through the southern border of the Autonomy in its path west toward theAtlantic Ocean, draining the waters of theJarama River (collecting in turn the waters of theLozoya, theGuadalix, theManzanares, theHenares and theTajuña), theAlberche and theGuadarrama in the Community.[9]
The Province of Madrid occupies a surface area of approximately 8,028 km2 (3,100 sq mi) (1.6% of all Spanish territory). More specifically, the exact position of Madrid is 3° 40' of longitude west ofGreenwich, England, and 40° 23' north of the equator.[citation needed]
Most of the province lies between 600 and 1,000 m above sea level. However, there the altitude ranges from 2,428 metres ofPeñalara to 430 metres at the Alberche river when it leavesVilla del Prado into the province of Toledo.[10] Other considerable heights, as well as being famous, are theBola del Mundo ("Ball of the World") inNavacerrada, at a height of 2,258 m, theSiete Picos ("Seven Peaks") inCercedilla, at 2,138 m, and thePeña Cebollera (2,129 m) at the northernmost end of the province, atripoint between the Madrid region and the provinces of Segovia and Guadalajara.[citation needed]
54,4% of the surface of the region is soil categorised as forest areas of which the 51.4% (27.7% of the total of the region) it is already covered by forests, so there is room for tree re-population.[27] The first modest efforts towards tree re-population were taken in the Lozoya Valley in the late 19th century intending to achieve a purer water from the river,[28] that provided the capital with water for consumption. However, the bulk of the process took place after the Spanish Civil War, with a largely successful repopulation with several species ofconifers.[29]
The Madrid region features a climate marked by dry summers, while average temperature varies with altitude, marking different climate subtypes. Most of the region has a climate intermediate between ahot-summer mediterranean climate (KöppenCsa) and acold semi-arid climate (KöppenBSk), with a dry summer and a moderate to low amount of rain primarily distributed throughout the rest of the year (in the case of the capital, roughly an equinoctial pattern of precipitation maximums), as well as summer temperature averages over 22 °C (with daily maximums consistently surpassing 30 °C in July and August). The capital has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) and in the west it borders the Mediterranean climate (Csa). The areas at a higher altitude close to theSierra de Guadarrama feature a colder climate, also generally with more precipitation (particularly in the winter), with climate subtypes ranging from theCsa to the warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csb) and thedry summer continental climate (Köppen:Dsb) on the peaks of the mountain range, with temperature averages below freezing point during January and February in the later case. It is theEuropean capital with the lowest average annual precipitation.[30][31]
Climate data for Community of Madrid (1991-2020), extremes (1920-present)
The territory of the Community of Madrid has been populated since theLower Paleolithic, mainly in the valleys between the rivers ofManzanares,Jarama, andHenares, where several archaeological findings have been made.
Some notable discoveries of the region the bell-shaped vase of Ciempozuelos (between 1970 and 1470 BCE),[33] from theBell beaker culture.
During the period of theVisigothic Kingdom, the region lost its importance. The population was scattered amongst several small towns. Complutum was designated the bishopric seat in the 5th century by orders of Asturio, archbishop ofToledo, but this event was not enough to bring back the lost splendor of the city.
The centre of the peninsula (the Middle Mark ofAl-Andalus oraṯ-Ṯaḡr al-Awsaṭ) became a strategic military post in the 11th century. The Muslim rulers created a defensive system of fortresses and towers all across the region with which they tried to stop the advance of the Christian kingdoms of the north.
The fortress ofMayrit (Madrid) was built somewhere between 860 and 880 AD, as a walled precinct where a military and religious community lived, and which constituted the foundation of the city. It soon became the most strategic fortress in defense of the city of Toledo above the fortresses ofTalamanca and Qal'-at'-Abd-Al-Salam (Alcalá de Henares). In 1083 (or 1085)Alfonso VI took the city of Madrid in the context of his wider campaign to conquer Toledo.[34] Alcalá de Henares fell in 1118 in a new period of Castilian annexation.
The recently conquered lands by the Christian kingdoms were desegregated into several constituencies, as a consequence of a long process of repopulation that took place over the course of four centuries. The feudal and ecclesiastical lords came into constant conflict with the different councils that had been granted the authority to repopulate.
In the 13th century, Madrid was the only town of the current-day region that preserved its own juridical personality,[citation needed] at first with the OldFuero (Charter) and later with the RoyalFuero, granted byAlfonso X of Castile in 1262 and ratified byAlfonso XI in 1339. On the other hand, the town ofBuitrago del Lozoya, Alcalá de Henares andTalamanca de Jarama, which were rapidly repopulated until that century, were under the dominion of the feudal or ecclesiastical lords. Specifically, Alcalá de Henares was under the hands of thearchbishopric of Toledo and remained so until the 19th century.
Around the town of Madrid, an administrative territory was created known asTierra de Madrid (Land of Madrid), the origin of the province that included the areas of the current municipalities of San Sebastián de los Reyes, Cobeña, Las Rozas de Madrid, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Torrejón de Velasco, Alcorcón, San Fernando de Henares, and Griñón.
Madrid was in constant strife with the powerful council ofSegovia, whose jurisdiction extended south of theGuadarrama Mountains; they both fought for the control of the Real de Manzanares, a largecomarca (shire) that was finally given to theHouse of Mendoza.
Castilian monarchs showed a predilection for the center of the peninsula, with abundant forests and game.El Pardo was a region visited frequently by kings since the time ofHenry III, in the 14th century. TheCatholic Monarchs started the construction of theRoyal Palace of Aranjuez.[dubious –discuss][35] In the 16th century,San Lorenzo de El Escorial was built and became another royal site of the province.
The town of Madrid, which was one of the eighteen cities with the right to vote in theCortes of Castile, was seat of the Courts themselves on several occasions and was the residence of several monarchs, amongst them the emperorCharles I who reformed and expanded theAlcázar or Castle of the city. Alcalá de Henares grew in importance as cultural center since the foundation by theCardinal Cisneros ofits university.
In 1561, KingPhilip II made Madrid the capital of theHispanic Monarchy. The surrounding territories became economically subordinated to the town itself, even beyond the present day limits of the Community of Madrid. But it was not a unified region as several lords and churches had jurisdiction over their own autonomous territories.
During the 18th century, the fragmented administration of the region was not solved despite several attempts. During the reign ofPhilip V, theintendencia was created as a political and administrative division. Nonetheless, theintendencia of Madrid did not fully solve the problem, and the region was still fragmented into several small dominions even though some processes were centralized. This territorial dispersion had a negative effect on its economic growth; while the town of Madrid received economic resources from the entire country as the capital, the surrounding territories—in hands of noblemen or the clergy—became impoverished.
During the eighteenth century, the town of Madrid was transformed through several grandiose buildings and monuments as well as through the creation of many social, economic, and cultural institutions, some of which are still operating. Madrid grew to a population of 156,672 inhabitants by the end of the eighteenth century.
The current territory of the region was roughly defined with the1833 reorganization of Spain into provinces promoted byJavier de Burgos, in which the province of Madrid was classified in the region ofNew Castile (lacking the later any sort of administrative institution at the regional level nonetheless). The government institution at the provincial level was thedeputation (diputación). In addition to the former body, another provincial political authority was thecivil governor discretionarily designated by the central government. Two modest changes to the 1833 provincial boundaries that concerned Madrid took place shortly before 1845, when Aranjuez (187 km2) left theprovince of Toledo and joined that of Madrid, and in 1850, when the small municipality ofValdeavero (19 km2), until then part of theprovince of Guadalajara, joined the province of Madrid.[36]
One of the limits so far for the growth of the capital, water supply, experienced a substantial change in 1858 following the arrival to the city of Madrid of water from theLozoya River with the inauguration of the bringing of theCanal de Isabel II.[37]
Female workers in a phone-line factory managed byEricsson in Getafe (1924)
In decadence since the middle 18th century, the city ofAlcalá de Henares, experienced a relative demographic and economic upturn in the second half of the 19th century, based on its newly acquired condition of military outpost, to which an embryonic industrial nucleus was also added.[38]
During the reign ofFerdinand VII the south of the province was made up of small agricultural settlements of limited population. Among them, Getafe stood out in population,[39] and became the seat of ajudicial district in 1834,[40] with the main economic activity of the former jurisdiction still being non-irrigated agriculture.[40]Rail transport arrived in 1851, with theStrawberry train, the railway connecting Madrid andAranjuez.
Ruins of the headquarters of the provincial deputation in 1939
During theSpanish Civil War (1936–1939), the territory was divided by the battlefront, with the southwest of the province controlled by therebel faction, and the capital as well as a great part of the rest of the province by theside loyal to the Republic. The city of Madrid was target of many bombings during the conflict, becoming the first big city in Europe to suffer such systematic and massive air attacks.[41]
Since the 1970s, a process of a population transfer from the capital to the rest of municipalities of the metropolitan area emerged. This process accelerated when the autonomous community was founded, and it took place along a strong decrease of birth rates.[42]
The creation of the contemporary Community of Madrid was preceded by an intense political debate. Autonomous communities were to be created by one or more provinces with a distinct regional identity. Since the 1833 provincial organization, Madrid was part of thehistorical region ofNew Castile along with the provinces of Guadalajara, Toledo, Cuenca and Ciudad Real. Thus, it was first planned that the province of Madrid would be part of the future community ofCastile–La Mancha (which was roughly similar to New Castile, with the addition ofAlbacete) but with some special considerations as the home of the national capital.[43] The other provinces that were to become part of Castile–La Mancha expressed fears of inequality if Madrid were associated with them. These provinces opposed such a special status, and after considering other options for Madrid—like its inclusion in the community of Castile and León or its constitution as an entity similar to afederal district[43]—it was decided that the province of Madrid would become a single-province autonomous community by virtue of Article 144 of the Constitution, which empowers the Cortes to create an autonomous community in the "nation's interest" even if it did not satisfy the requirement of having a distinct historical identity. Thus, in 1983, the Community of Madrid was constituted and aStatute of Autonomy was approved taking over all the competences of the old "Diputación Provincial" and the new ones the Statute considered.
Sunset in Las Tablas in 2015
During the first 25 years of the "autonomic" period, this autonomous community accounted for the biggesteconomic growth in Spain, becoming a platform for the internationalisation of theSpanish economy,[44] featuring a marked preponderance of theservice sector.[45] By the turn of the 21st century, a strong boost to theconstruction sub-sector also took place.[46] During this period the Community of Madrid stood out due to its role as centre for welcoming immigration,[47] due to its condition as transport node vis-à-vis the Spanish geography,[48] and due to its condition as scientific and cultural centre of the country.[49]
Like the rest of autonomous communities, the Community of Madrid is organized politically within aparliamentary system; that is, thehead of government—known as the "president"—is dependent on the direct support from the autonomouslegislature, whose members elect him by amajority.
TheStatute of Autonomy of the Madrid Autonomous Community is the fundamental organic law in conjunction with (and subordinated to) theSpanish constitution. The Statute of Autonomy establishes that the powers through which the self-government of the autonomous community is exercised are the following institutions:
TheAssembly of Madrid,[50] a directly elected body, represents the people of Madrid and exercises thelegislative power of the community in approving and supervising the budget and in coordinating and controlling the actions of the government. The seat of the Assembly is located in Madrid, in the district ofPuente de Vallecas. The members of the legislature (currently 132) are elected throughproportional representation with closed-party lists and a 5%electoral threshold in a single region-wide constituency.[n. 1] Thelast election took place on 26 May 2019.
ThePresident of the Community of Madrid is the supreme representative of the autonomous community and the ordinary representation of the State. It presides and heads the activities of the Madrilenian autonomous government, designates and dismisses the vice-presidents and the ministers (consejeros) which conform an executive cabinet. The investiture of the regional president, who is nominated as candidate by theSpeaker of the Assembly among its members after holding consultations, is voted by a qualified majority of the plenary of the legislature (or, failing to achieve the former, a simple majority of 'yes' votes in a second round voting 48 hours later) and then formally appointed by the King through aRoyal Decree. The seat of the Presidency is theReal Casa de Correos located at thePuerta del Sol at the center of Madrid.[52] Since 2019, the president isIsabel Díaz Ayuso, of thePeople's Party (PP).
TheGovernment of the Community of Madrid is the collegiate body that heads the politics and theexecutive and administrative powers of the community. The incumbent Council of Government comprises the President, the vice-president (assuming additional competences) and twelve more ministers.
Since the creation of autonomous communities, theGovernment of Spain appoints a special representative to each autonomous community, theGovernment Delegate, part of the Peripheral State Administration. Unlike other single-province autonomous communities, the Government also appoints the Government Sub-delegate, the successor office to the provincial civil governor. The seats of both the delegation and the subdelegation are located at theBorghetto Palace [es] in Madrid.[53][54]
The Community of Madrid, following the long-standing form oflocal government in Spain, is divided administratively into 179municipalities (featuring 801 towns and entities). Its municipalities comprise 2.2% of the Spanish territory (8,110). It is ranked 23rd amongst Spanish provinces in number of municipalities, which is slightly above average.[n. 2]The average is 165 municipalities by province. Theayuntamiento, presided by itsalcalde (Mayor) is the formal institution charged with the government and administration of most municipalities. The municipal councillors forming the deliberative assembly of theayuntamiento are directly elected throughproportional representation with closed party lists and a 5%electoral threshold. In turn, the councillors are charged with electing from among themselves (by default candidates are the head of each electoral list) the Mayor presiding over theayuntamiento.
Distrito Telefónica, the main headquarters ofTelefónica, one of the multinational corporations located in the region
Madrid is the autonomous community with the highestincome per capita in Spain, at €38,435 in 2022 – significantly above the national average and ahead of theBasque Country, with €35,832,Navarra, €33,798, andCatalonia, €32,550.[55] In that year, the GDP per capita growth was 8.6%.[55] Madrid has aGDP of €230.8 billion ($281 billion) as of 2018; making it the largest economy of Spain, ahead ofCatalonia, where regional GDP amounted to €228.7 billion and the most populated Spanish region,Andalusia (€160.6 billion).[56][57]
Airbus A330-A340 horizontal stabilizer near the Getafe Airbus factory
In 2005, the Community of Madrid was the main receptor offoreign investment in the country, at 34.3% of the total. The community ranks 34th amongst all European regions (evaluated in 2002), and 50th amongst the most competitive cities-regions worldwide,[58] ahead ofBarcelona andValencia, the other two largestmetropolitan areas of Spain. The strengths of the economy of the community are its low unemployment rate, its high investment in research, its high development, and the added-value services therein performed. Its weaknesses include the low penetration of broadband and new technologies of information and an unequal male to female occupation.[59]
Madrid Trade Fair
The service, construction, and industry sectors are prominent in Madrid's commercial productive structure. According to theDirectorio Central de Empresas (Central Companies Directory of the INE), Madrid's active businesses stand in third place nationally in terms of numbers as at 1 January 2006. The branches of activity with most active businesses are other business activities, retail trade, construction, wholesale trade, hospitality, property activities, land transport, and pipeline transport.
Madrid's levels of industrial activity set it at fourth place in Spain. The following areas predominate in terms of business numbers: publishing and graphic arts, manufacture of metal products (except machinery and equipment), manufacture of furniture and other manufacturing industries, wearing apparel and fur industry, and food product industry. The province also boasts a higher concentration of high and medium technology activities and services than the rest of Spain. This is the case in the following areas: manufacture of office machinery and IT equipment; manufacture of electronic products, manufacture of radio equipment, and devices; manufacture of medical and surgical, precision, optical and timekeeping equipment and instruments; post and telecommunications; IT activities; and research and development.[60]
Coslada Dry Port
Regional authorities have put a notable effort in the development oflogistics infrastructures in both the region of Madrid and the city proper. These include theCoslada Dry Port, the freight zone of theMadrid-Barajas Airport,Mercamadrid, theMadrid-Abroñigal [es] logistics centre, the Villaverde's Logistics Centre and the Vicálvaro's Logistics Centre to name a few.[61] Overall, logistics companies has greatly developed along theA-2 highway (Coslada,San Fernando de Henares,Torrejón de Ardoz) in the eastern part of the region, the so-called "Henares Corridor" to become what has come to be termed as the "golden mile" of logistics ande-commerce in Spain.[62][63]
The unemployment rate stood at 10% in 2019 and was lower than the national average.[64]
As of 1 January 2024, the Community of Madrid has a registered population of 7,001,715 inhabitants,[66] and it is the most populated province and third most populated autonomous community in Spain.Population density is 829.62 hab/km2, much higher than the national average of 93.8 hab/km2. Population density varies with the community itself; themunicipality of Madrid has a density of 5,300 hab/km2, whereas the Sierra Norte has a population density of less than 10 hab/km2. The vast majority of the population lives in the capital and its metropolitan area, which is the most populated in Spain.
Madrid also has the greatest population density in Spain. Its inhabitants are mainly concentrated in the capital (which is the Spanish city with the highest resident population) and in a series of municipalities (Móstoles,Alcalá de Henares,Fuenlabrada,Leganés,Alcorcón,Getafe,Torrejón de Ardoz, andAlcobendas), as opposed to in rural areas with low population density. Its citizens have diverse origins, and Madrid is the province with the highest number of residents born outside its territory and with the largest foreign population (13.32%).[dubious –discuss] It is a focus of attraction for those migrating for reasons of employment. Population growth in Madrid is mainly due to the arrival of foreigners.[67]
As of 1 January 2024, the region's population included 1,038,671 people born in Spanish-speaking countries from the Americas, up from 81,552 in 1999.[68]
The Community of Madrid is theEU-Region with the highest averagelife expectancy at birth. The average life expectancy was 82.2 years for males and 87.8 for females in 2016.[69]
State Education in Spain is free and compulsory from six to sixteen years of age. The current education system is called LOMLOE (Ley Orgánica 3/2020, de 29 de diciembre, por la que se modifica la Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación).[72]
From three to six years – Educación Infantil (Preparatory School)
From six to twelve years – Educación Primaria (Primary School), years first through sixth
From twelve to sixteen years – Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (Compulsory Secondary School), years first through fourth
From sixteen to seventeen years – Bachillerato (Post-Compulsory School), years first and second
Children from three to five years old in Spain have the option of attending thepre-school stage, which is non-compulsory and free for all students. It is regarded as an integral part of the education system with infantil classes in almost every primary school. There are some separate Colegios Infantiles or nursery schools.
Spanish students aged six to sixteen undergoprimary andsecondary school education, which are compulsory and free of charge. Successful students are awarded a Secondary Education Certificate, which is necessary for entering further (optional) education as is Bachillerato for their University or Formación Profesional (vocational studies).Once students have finished their Bachillerato, they can take their University Entrance Exam (Pruebas de Acceso a la Universidad, popularly calledSelectividad) which differs greatly from region to region.
The secondary stage of education is normally referred to by its initials, e. g., ESO or Educación Secundaria Obligatoria for secondary education.
EducaMadrid is the educational platform that offers teachers and students in these and other non-university studies (professional studies, arts, languages, adult education and others) a virtual environment with all the necessary Internet services, in compliance withGDPR. It is safe, free, sustainable and based onOpen source software.
TheComplutense University of Madrid is one of the most prestigious, and the largest, university in Spain and one of the oldest universities in the world. It has 10,000 staff members and a student population of 117,000. Nearly all academic staff are Spanish. It is located on two campuses, in the university quarter Ciudad Universitaria at Moncloa in Madrid, and in Somosaguas.[73] The Complutense University of Madrid was founded inAlcalá de Henares, old Complutum, byCardinal Cisneros in 1499. Nevertherless, its real origin dates back from 1293, when King Sancho IV of Castile built the General Schools of Alcalá, which would give rise to Cisnero's Complutense University. During the course of 1509–1510 five schools were already operative: Artes y Filosofía (Arts & Philosophy), Teología (Theology), Derecho Canónico (Canonical Laws), Letras (Liberal Arts) and Medicina (Medicine). In 1836, during the reign ofIsabel II, the university was moved to Madrid, where it took the name of Central University and was located at San Bernardo Street. Subsequently, in 1927, a newUniversity City ("Ciudad Universitaria") was planned to be built in the district of Moncloa-Aravaca. TheSpanish Civil War turned the University City into a war zone, with several faculties sustaining severe damage during the conflict. By 1943 the Central University started to be known as the University of Madrid.[74]
In 1970 the University of Madrid was renamed to Complutense University of Madrid. It was then when the new campus at Somosaguas was created in order to house the new School of Social Sciences. The old Alcalá campus was reopened as the independentUniversity of Alcalá in 1977.[75]
Another important university is theAutonoma, perhaps Spain's best university for research along with the Complutense, was instituted under the leadership of the famous physicist,Nicolás Cabrera. The Autonoma is widely recognised for its research strengths in theoretical physics. Known simply asla Autónoma in Madrid, its main site is the Cantoblanco Campus, situated 15 kilometers to the north of the capital (M-607) and close to the municipal areas of Madrid, namelyAlcobendas,San Sebastián de los Reyes,Tres Cantos andColmenar Viejo.Located on the main site are the Rectorate building and the Faculties of Science, Philosophy and Fine Arts, Law, Economic Science and Business Studies, Psychology, Higher School of Computing Science and Engineering, and the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education. The Medical School is located outside the main site and beside the Hospital Universitario La Paz.[76]
Other local universities, among many others, are theTechnical University of Madrid, as the result of merging the different Technical Schools of Engineering; theUniversidad de Alcalá de Henares, founded in 1499; theCarlos III, whose philosophy is to create responsible free-thinking people with a sensitivity to social problems and an involvement in the concept of progress based on freedom, justice and tolerance and theUniversidad Pontificia Comillas, involved in a number of academic exchange programmes, work practice schemes and international projects with over 200 Higher Education Institutions in Europe, South America, North America, and Asia.
Madrid is served byBarajas International Airport. Barajas is the mainhub ofIberia Airlines and consequently serves as the main gateway to the Iberian peninsula from Europe, the Americas, and the rest of the world. Current passenger volumes range upwards of 52 million passengers per year, putting it in thetop 10 busiest airports in the world.[77] Given annual increases close to 10%, a new fourth terminal has been constructed. It has significantly reduced delays and doubled the capacity of the airport to more than 70 million passengers per year. Two additional runways have also been constructed, making Barajas a fully operational four-runway airport.
Cercanías Madrid is thecommuter rail service that servesMadrid, the capital of Spain, and its metropolitan area. It is operated byCercanías, the commuter rail division ofRenfe, the former monopoly of rail services in Spain. The system is infamous for being the target of11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings. The attacks triggered a small reduction in the ridership of the system, but it is still the most used and most profitable[78] (by 2004) of the commuter rail services in Spain. The total length spans 339.1 km (210.7 mi).
Spain's railway system, theRed Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles (Renfe), operates the vast majority of Spain's railways. In Madrid, the main rail terminals areAtocha in the south andChamartín in the north.
The crown jewel of Spain's next decade of infrastructure construction is the Spanish high-speed rail network, Alta Velocidad EspañolaAVE. Currently, an ambitious plan includes the construction of a 7,000-kilometre (4,300 mi) network, centered on Madrid. The overall goal is to have all important provincial cities be no more than four hours away from Madrid and no more than six hours away fromBarcelona. As of 2008,AVEhigh-speed trains link Madrid-Atocha station toSeville,Málaga, andToledo in the south, Valencia, Albacete, Cuenca and Alicante in the east, and toZaragoza,Tarragona, Girona, Leida, Huesca andBarcelona in the north-east.AVE trains also arrive toSegovia,Valladolid, Zamora and León.
Already connected by tunnels used by conventional rail lines, a tunnel link connecting the Atocha and Chamartín stations with high-speed rail services is finished but, as of August 2019, yet to be inaugurated.[79]
Serving the city's population of some six million, theMadrid Metro is one of the most extensive and fastest-growingmetro networks in the world.[80] With the addition of a loop serving suburbs to Madrid's south-west "Metrosur", it is now the second largest metro system inWestern Europe, second only to London'sUnderground. In 2007, Madrid's metro system was expanded, and it currently runs over 322 kilometers (200 mi) of line. The province of Madrid is also served by an extensivecommuter rail network calledCercanías.
The flag, coat of arms and hymn of the Community of Madrid were set through the regional Law 2/1983 published in the official regional gazette on 24 December 1983:[81]
Flag of the Community of Madrid waving at the outdoors of a building
The flag is described as follows: "the flag of the Community of Madrid iscrimson red, with seven silverfive-pointed stars, arranged 4 and 3 on the centre of the canvas".[81] According to the law, the flag should wave both at the outdoors (occupying a preferential place next to theflag of Spain) and at the indoors of every public building of the autonomous administration as well as every public building of the municipal administrations located within the territory of the autonomous community.
The arms are described as follows:"The coat of arms of the Community of Madrid features just one partitiongules, and on it, two paired, embattled, turreted, castlesor, with port and windows tincturedazure, masonedsable, surmounted by seven five-pointed starsargent arranged four and three onchief."[82] Thecrest describes the heraldic representation of theroyal crown of Spain.
In addition, due to the rich restaurant business in the region, "all the regional cuisines of Spain are represented in Madrid" according toJosé del Corral Raya [es].[84] As the madrilenian cuisine has absorbed much from the rest of regional cuisines of Spain, there is ambiguity when it comes to define the former; however, dishes such as thecocido madrileño, thepotaje de garbanzos, thecallos a la madrileña [es], thesopa de ajo or thetortilla de patatas are considered part of the madrilenian cuisine regardless of their geographical specificity.[85] By April 2011 the region had over 40,000bars, 2,700coffee shops and nearly 10,000restaurants.[86]
The majority of the religious population isCatholic,Roman Catholicism is, by far, the largest religion in Community of Madrid. According to a 2019 CIS poll, 18.9% of the surveyed people in the region identified as practising Catholic and 43.0% as non-practising Catholic.[87] The most important religious minorities are evangelicals, Jews and Muslims.[88]
Hare Krishna guruGiriraja Swami singing at the 1998 Ratha Yatra festival in Madrid
Among the evangelical denominations the following denominations stand out:Spanish Evangelical Church (IEE), several Presbiterian or Reformed Churches, theSpanish Reformed Episcopal Church (IERE), Baptist and Free churches (Unión Evangélica Bautista Española, Federación de las Iglesias Evangélicas Independientes de España), the Asambleas de Hermanos),Pentecostal Churches (Asambleas de Dios, Iglesia de la Biblia Abierta, Iglesia Filadelfia, Iglesia Cuadrangular),Charismatic churches (Iglesias de Buenas Noticias, Asamblea Cristiana, Asamblea para la Evangelización Mundial para Cristo), minor churches such asThe Salvation Army,Mennonite Churches and Hermanos en Cristo), non-grouped evangelical churches, andadventist churches.[89] Pentecostal churches have lately experienced a notable growth due to the arrival of immigrants from Latin-America.[90] Evangelicals also have a notable following among theRomani population.[91] The Muslim population includes the first contemporary Muslims in Spain (who came from Middle East and had middle class university background), converts (chiefly sunni Muslims) and representatives of a second arrival of Muslim economic migrants (with more of an economic migrant profile than the first wave).[92]
Jehovah's Witnesses literature in Madrid
Since the second half of the 20th century the Jewish population in the region grew due to bothSephardi Jews that came from theMENA, as well as exiles fromLatin America (mostly Argentinians) primordiallyAshkenazim.[93]
There are also Greek, Romanian and Russian orthodox Christians,Jehovah Witnesses (15,031 according to 2001 estimations) andMormons (6,700 according to 2007 estimations).[94] There are some buddhists (the majority of which have Spanish citizenship and are from the middle to upper middle class),[95] and small minorities of believers of religions of vedic origin:hinduism (primordiallySindhis),[96]sikhism,Hare Krishna andBrahma Kumaris. There are a scarce amount of believers of theBaháʼí Faith. Other confessions, often derided as "cults" (sectas) in the country, such as theUnification movement andScientology, have a marginal presence.[97]
The regional day is the 2 May, commemorating theDos de Mayo Uprising of the citizens of Madrid against the French occupation in 1808 that triggered the wave of insurrections marking the beginning of thePeninsular War. It is apublic holiday in the Community of Madrid since 1984, when it was approved by the regional legislature and sanctioned as law.[98]
A floral tribute is traditionally offered to the fallen "heroes" by the regional authorities. The ceremony of presentation of commemorative medals to stand out individuals also take place on this day in theRoyal House of the Post Office.[99]
According to a 2010 study by theNational Sports Council (CSD), madrilenians led the country in terms of grassroots sports practice.[100]
Roughly a 52% of the regional population between 15 and 75 years old practised one sports modality, while a 10% of the population between 15 and 75 years old practised two or more sports.[100] The most practised sports modalities were: fitness gymnastics (43.6%),football (22.1%),swimming (20.7%),cycling (19.6%),jogging/running (16.2%),padel (9.9%),athletics (8.3%),basketball (6.9%), other football modalities (6.6%),hiking (6.1%),martial arts (4.5%),body-building (3.5%),shooting/hunting (0.9%), andrecreational fishing (0.2%).[100]
Association football is the most popular sport in Spain in terms of passive following. TheMadrid Football Federation is the governing body of the sport of football in region. The Community of Madrid has its own autonomous team, theMadrid autonomous football team, taking part infriendly fixtures. It currently has 2 top flight men's football teams:Real Madrid andAtlético Madrid. The first of them, Real Madrid, has become one of the most valuable sports teams in the planet.[101]
The regional administration had its own big track and field stadium, "La Peineta", inaugurated in 1994. It was later transferred to the Madrid City Council, becoming the center of two unsuccessful bids of the city of Madrid to the Summer Olympics.
^The elections have normally followed the default electoral calendar set for most autonomous communities (with the exception ofCatalonia, theBasque Country,Galicia, andAndalusia). The only exception to this occurred in 2003, in which due to the refusal of two socialist deputies to follow party discipline after the May election prevented the formation of any government.[51] Therefore, new elections were held in October, outside the established electoral calendar.
^In Madrid, the average area of a municipality is 44.8 km2 (17.3 sq mi), slightly larger than the national average. Madrid is by far the largest. Between 1948 and 1954, the city annexed the neighboring municipalities of Chamartín de la Rosa, Fuencarral, Barajas, El Pardo, Hortaleza, Canillas, Canillejas, Vicálvaro, Vallecas, Villaverde, Carabanchel Alto, Carabanchel Baja and Aravaca.The five largest municipalities by area are: Madrid 605.8 km2 (233.9 sq mi); Aranjuez 189.1 km2 (73.0 sq mi); Colmenar Viejo 182.6 km2 (70.5 sq mi); Rascafría 150.3 km2 (58.0 sq mi); and Manzanares el Real 128.4 km2 (49.6 sq mi).The smallest municipalities by area are: Casarrubuelos 5.3 km2 (2.0 sq mi); La Serna del Monte 5.4 km2 (2.1 sq mi); Pelayos de la Presa 7.6 km2 (2.9 sq mi); Madarcos 8.5 km2 (3.3 sq mi); and Torrejón de la Calzada 9.0 km2 (3.5 sq mi).
García Delgado, José Luis; Carrera Troyano, Miguel (2008). "Crecimiento y modernización de la economía madrileña".Madrid, de la Prehistoria a la Comunidad Autónoma. Madrid: Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid. pp. 753–770.ISBN978-84-451-3139-8.
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