Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain. Located in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula on the River Manzanares, the city sits at an elevation of approximately 660 metres (2,170 ft) above mean sea level. It serves as the political, economic, and cultural center for both the country and the surrounding autonomous community of Madrid.
The municipality covers an area of 605.77 square kilometres (233.89 sq mi). As of 2025, the city proper had a population exceeding 3.4 million, while its metropolitan area reached approximately 6.8 million people. Madrid is ranked as the second-largest city in the European Union after Berlin, with its metropolitan area following Paris as the second-largest in the EU.