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Madrid is the capital of Spain, with a population of nearly 3.2million and a
metropolitan population of roughly 6.5million it is considered the European Unions thirdlargest city behind London and Berlin. Barcelona is a unique city, in that it is the capital
city of the autonomous community of Catalonia which is within Spain, and it is the
second most populous city with nearly 4.7 million people. Madrid is a considerably lower
population density, lower unemployment rate, more inhabitants total, cheaper
transportation and more culture making it a far more liveable city from an unbiased
perspective.

In regards to population although Madrid has a significantly larger population, the

population density is in favor of those living in Madrid, with only 5,390 people/km 2 while
Barcelona is crammed at 15900/km2. What is more important than the density is the
diversity of the people within the city, as Madrid is the capital city of Spain the city has
attracted large numbers of residents, coming from countries that include Romania,
China, Ecuador, Morocco, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Italy,
Philippines and Bulgaria, which make up roughly 10% of the cities population, the
remaining 90% is made up of Spaniards. Madrid makes for a great city with both space
and culture that will provide for an exceptional living experience.

On the other hand Barcelona is one of the most densely populated cities in
Europe, with an average of 15,926/km2, with land distribution being notably uneven. By

choosing to live in Barcelona you are sacrificing space, and even though the average
density is roughly 16,000/km2 more than 45 of the 73 neighbourhoods in the city have a
population density above 20,000/km 2 which is extremely overpopulated.

Although in regards to population and liveability Madrid seems to top the list,
Barcelona has a significant number of cultural and geographical advantages, which
makes the argument over the better city to live in much tougher. Barcelona is one of the
first homes for democracy as it was a Roman city, although at the time it was a much
smaller city in comparison to other Roman cities. Barcelona is located on the tip of the
northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, along the edge of the beautiful Mediterranean
sea, which offers breath-taking views from across the city. Barcelona also has a weather
advantage, as its winters are only mildly cool and its summers are nice and hot, with
its average annual temperature being roughly 70 degrees Fahrenheit (Barcelona
Climate Guide, 2016).

In conclusion both cities that represent all that is good in both Spanish and
European culture offer an amazing cultural and living experience. Madrid just edges
Barcelona as it is the capital which has the edge in postmodern politics, which makes it
more important today. Madrid will provide enough room to be comfortable and leave
enough space to encourage immigration further offering future diverse perspectives in
meeting new people that will service to improve the city.
Works Cited
Ahrens, C. Donald (2012). Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the
Environment, 10th Edition. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0840054999.

"Foreign Population in the city of madrid. A study by the Direccin General de Estadstica of the
municipality of Madrid" (PDF). Retrieved 08 November 2016.

https://books.google.es/books?id=9cD6CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA504#v=onepage&q&f=false
Page 504.

http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/spain/barcelona.php