Barcelona is part of the province Catalonia. The city always has been the centre of Catalan separatism and the striving for independance. It is also the centre of the biggest industrial area in Spain, except for Bilbao. It is an important port for Spain, has two Universities, a magnificent opera culture, many museums and two arenas for both sports and music. It is quite literally jam packed full of culture.

In 2000, there was almost 1.5 million people living in Barcelona which when you include the suburbs brings it up to almost 2.8 million people.

The city is build north of the mouth of the river Llobregat, surrounded by hills of granite and slate.
The historical centre lies at the foot of the slate mountain Montjuïc (191 m) on which a fortress was build. South of the mountain (or hill) lies the Montjuic park. Until the 19th century this historical centre was surrounded by walls, now there are Rondas and Ramblas, circular and rectangular avenues. Around this area there are residential and industrial areas. Some parts of the city walls have been preserved. A well known shopping street is Paseo de Gracia, bordered by plantains.