Barcelona Is the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia (Spain) and the eponymous province, in northeastern Spain. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, about 120 km south of the mountain in the Pyrenees and the border with France, in a plain bounded by the sea, east, the coastal mountains (Sierra de Collserola) to the west, Llobregat River to the south, and Besós river to the north.

With a population of 1605602 inhabitants (INE 2006), Barcelona is the second most populous city in Spain and the tenth of the European Union. The Barcelona metropolitan area, which comprises 36 municipalities, has a population of 3,161,081 inhabitants and an area of 633 sq. km. The metropolitan area of Barcelona is the delimitation officially defined as urban core, however it would be included in the urban region of Barcelona, which would extend throughout the catchment area of the city, with an area of 4,268 square kilometers and 5,327,872 inhabitants .

Barcelona has been the scene of several global events that helped shape the city and give international projection. The most significant has been the Universal Exhibition of 1888 and 1929, and the Summer Games of 1992.