Barcelona is a city located on the northeastern coast of Spain. It serves as the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia and stands as the second-most populous municipality in Spain, following Madrid.
The city has a population of approximately 1.7 million within its limits, while its broader urban area encompasses neighboring municipalities and houses around 5.7 million people. This makes it the fifth most populous urban area in the European Union. Geographically, Barcelona is situated on the Mediterranean Sea between the mouths of the Llobregat and Besòs rivers, bordered to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range.