Madrid Location
Under the terms of the 1978 Constitution, Spain is a democratic state subject to the Rule of Law and is politically structured in the form of a parliamentary Monarchy. The country's capital is Madrid, which is the seat of both the Royal Family and the Government. Also centred here are the legislative (Senate and Lower House) and judicial authorities.
This web site contains information about the city (officially
borough) of Madrid, but there is also an Autonomous Community
of Madrid. The range and scope of the respective Autonomous Regional
Authorities is determined by the Constitution, with the Constitutional
Court designated as the competent body for settling any conflicts
which may arise between the Central Administration and the Regions.
The city of Madrid is located at almost the exact geographical
centre of the Iberian Peninsula, at a latitude of 40 degrees 25
minutes north, 3 degrees 42 minutes west. It will come as a surprise
to many of our readers to learn that Madrid is situated further
west than London, Liverpool or Edinburgh.
Built on a series of small mounts, between which Madrid's rather
inadequate River Manzanares flows, the city's average altitude
is 654 metres above sea level, its highest point being 694 metres.
At a height of 655 metres, the average barometric pressure is
706.7 mm