Barcelona .. A Former Roman City
Barcelona located on the Mediterranean coast, is the capital and the most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008
Barcelona is recognized as a global city because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade. Barcelona is a major economic centre with one of Europe’s principal Mediterranean ports, and Barcelona International Airport is the second largest in Spain after the Madrid-Barajas Airport (handles about 30 million passengers per year).
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, it became one of the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon.
Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage. Particularly renowned are architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is well known in recent times for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean are located in Barcelona.
Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate with mild, humid winters and warm, dry summers.
As for temperatures, December, January and February are the coldest months, averaging temperatures of 9 °C (48 °F) at the Airport and over 10 °C (50 °F) in the city. July and August are the hottest months, averaging temperatures of 24 °C (75 °F).
The highest temperature recorded in the city centre is 38.6 °C (101.5 °F).
The area around the Plaça Catalunya makes up the city’s historical centre and, alongside the upper half of Avinguda Diagonal, is the main commercial area of the city.
Barcelona has many municipal parks, beaches and several skyscrapers the tallest being the Hotel Arts and its twin the Torre Mapfre.
Barcelona region was among the earliest to start industrialization in textiles in the 1780s. It has since then been a major centre for production of textiles and machinery.
As in most modern cities however the lead in economy has been overtaken by the services sector consisting of logistics, publishing, telecommunications and information technology services.
Among most common words this beautiful city reminds us of are Architect Gaudi, Barcelona Olympic Games and the football club, Barcelona F.C.
Editor