History And Geography

History

The current areas of Madrid have been inhabited since prehistoric times, which is evident from the numerous objects found during different excavations along the banks of the River Manzanares. Remains of prehistoric ancestors found at excavation sites include axes and small Palaeolithic objects apart from remains of animals that prove the existence of large mammals, Neolithic ceramics and others. All these are displayed at the National Archaeological Museum. In prehistoric times, the city's population mainly consisted of Iberians and Romans along with the Mantua tribes who are mentioned in certain ancient references and the Roman Miacum, although some historians still dispute this.

Nevertheless, the city was hardly ever mentioned in chronicles until the late tenth century, at a time when there was already a castle at the site where the Royal Palace stands today. The Moors, who named the River Manzanares al-Magrit, constructed the castle. They referred to the area as Mayrit, from where the current name of Madrid is derived. The Moors fought numerous wars for maintaining control over the region, but were defeated in 1085 by Alfonso VI in his charge towards Toledo. Alfonso VI ordered the ‘purification' of the main mosque within the fort's walls, which was to be consecrated as a Catholic church under the name of the Virgin of the Almudena. The naming was in honor of a religious icon found near the ‘almudín' who later on became the city's female patron saint.

The first official court of Madrid was commissioned in 1329 during the reign of King Fernando V. The population at this time consisted of the Reconquista, Moors and Jews, but in 1494, most of the ‘unbelievers' were expelled and the mosque and other indicative buildings disappeared.

In the early sixteenth century, Carlos V was crowned the king of Madrid, mainly because he managed to cure himself of tertian fever. In 1561, his son, Felipe II, transferred the Imperial Court to Madrid without making any formal declaration. The population of the city at that time was around 25 thousand. Since that time, the city has been the nation's capital, other than the years between 1601 and 1606 when Felipe III assembled his court in Valladolid.

The city progressed very rapidly during the eighteenth century, when city gates, bridges and new buildings were constructed from funds that were channeled via the kingdom's treasury. It was during this period when the Royal Palace was built on the site of the ruins of the Alcazar or old Moorish Castle, which had been destroyed by fire in 1734. The main people involved in the construction included Juan B. Sachetti who directed the construction work on the Palace and was assisted to some extent by Ventura Rodríguez.

Since that time, the city has witnessed accelerated development and is now equated with other capital cities of Europe. Madrid is now well known both for its intense animated spirit and its diverse mix of modern and classical appearance.

Geography

Before understanding the geography of Madrid, you need to know that Madrid has a different system of administrative divisions in which the so-called Province of Madrid is different from the city of Madrid. The Province is currently referred to as ‘Comunidad' by the local people whereas the other division is called ‘the city, and is controlled by the City Government. The various institutions of the city government are easily distinguishable by their red flag with seven stars. The province of Madrid in its present form has existed since 1833, but it was institutionalized only in 1983. The institutionalization process was marred with protests from many people living in nearby areas who rejected the inclusion of Spain's capital in their communities. This caused many problems for the city government, but eventually the institutionalization was successful.

The political map of Madrid resembles an equilateral triangle where the main city is located in the center. The province of Madrid is limited not by political factors but due to its geographical location. On the western side lies the central mountain range, locally referred to as the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountains and on the southern side lies the hills of Aranjuez. The rupture of the fluvial river basins characterizes the eastern edge of the Madrid province. The province of Madrid is spread over an area of approximately 4988 square miles, which is 1.6 percent of the total Spanish territory. The exact location of Madrid is 40° 25' N and 3° 41' W.

Most areas in the province are located at an altitude ranging from 600 to 1000 meters above sea level and the highest point is the Peñalara, which is located at an altitude of 2430 meters. The lowest point is the Alberche en Villa del Prado, which is located at an altitude of 430 meters. Other high altitude areas, which are also popular tourist destinations, include the Ball of the World (la Bola del Mundo), in Navacerrada, located at a height of 2,258m and the seven peaks, in Cercedilla, located at 2,138m.