Barcelona guide - Barcelona car hire

Capital of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia is located at about 120 km south of the Pyrenees Mountains and North-East of the Iberian Peninsula in a plain bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the East, and the rivers Llobregat to the South and Besos to the North. With a population of over 1.6 million inhabitants it is the second Spanish city by population and the tenth of the European Union. The Metropolitan area of Barcelona, is formed by 36 municipalities with a population of over 3.1 million inhabitants and an area of 636 kms / 2. The city has staged various global events. The most important have been the Universal Exhibition of 1888, the International Exhibition of 1929 and in1992 the Olympic Games.

BARCELONA ORIGINS

Early signs of population range from 2000 to 1500 BC. However, the first settlers, the Laietans not appear until the years 600-500 BC. Different people settled there, from the Carthaginians and Romans to the Visigoths who converted it for a few years in the capital of the Hispanic territories. The Arab leader Mansur practically destroyed the city in 985, after its reconstruction began to flourish until it became in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries one of the most important Mediterranean cities. During the XV century it began to decline, to the late eighteenth century with the industrial revolution and textile trade again become an important political, economic and cultural. After the economic crisis of 1929 and the end of the Spanish Civil War growth was halted for a decade. The dictatorship of General Franco designated Barcelona the development center, promoting a strong immigration from the South of the peninsula, resulting in the emergence of large working-class neighborhoods and major thoroughfares. The city also got benefits as the rest of Spain for the integration into the European Community in 1986 with modern urban projects, communications and culture.

BARCELONA BEACHES

The coastline is composed of seven city beaches with an area of more than 4kms. , being the oldest and most popular Sant Sebastia and Barceloneta.

BARCELONA SHOPPING
The city has a variety of shops able to satisfy all tastes and economies. The area of La Rambla, Plaza Catalunya, Diagonal, Paseo de Gracia, are the areas where more trade is concentrated.