Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain, located in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula. Situated on the River Manzanares at an elevation of approximately 660 metres (2,170 ft) above mean sea level, it serves as the political, economic, and cultural centre of the country. It is also the capital of the surrounding autonomous community of Madrid.
The city covers a municipal 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 ranks as the second-largest city in the European Union after Berlin, with its metropolitan area following Paris as the second-largest in the EU.