Barcelona is a major economic center with one of Europe’s principal Mediterranean ports. Barcelona international airport is the second largest in Spain. It is the most populous city of Catalonia and is located on the Mediterranean coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besos.

Barcelona was founded as a Roman city and it became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragon. It was besieged several times in history and hence has an interesting history and culture. It is a major tourist attraction for its rich cultural heritage and sports. UNESCO World Heritage sites are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudi and Lluis Domenexh I Montaner. There are two legends of the founding of Barcelona. One says that Hercules founded it four hundred years before Rome was built and that Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal rebuilt the city and named it after his family in the 3rd century. The second legend says that the city was founded by Hamilcar Barca.

Around 15 BC, the Romans transformed the town into a military camp (castrum) with its center on a little hill called the Mons Taber where the city hall now stands. Barcelona grew in wealth and was favored for its beautiful surroundings and its excellent harbor. This small city used to mint its own coins and some from the Galba era still exist.

There are some important Roman ruins which attract people from all over the world. Cathedrals and museums are added major attractions. The Counts of Barcelona became independent and expanded their territory to include all of Catalonia. In the thirteenth century even areas in Naples, Athens and Sicily came under its territory. The forging of a dynastic link between the Crowns of Aragon and Castile is said to have started the decline of Barcelona. Today it houses the seat of the Catalan government which is known as the Generalitat de Catalunya and has the executive branch and the parliament.

Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate where the winters are mild and humid, and the summers are warm and dry. The coldest months are January and February where the temperature may be around 10 degrees centigrade. Snowfall is rare. In July and August the temperature is around 30 degrees centigrade with the highest recorded being 38. 6 C.

Barcelona has 68 municipal parks divided into 12 historic ones, five thematic (botanical) and 6 forest parks. The parks cover about ten per cent of the city. It has seven beaches with 4.5 kms of coastline. The most frequented and well known beaches are Sant Sebastia and Barceloneta which are 1,100 meters in length and are the largest and oldest beaches in Barcelona. Barcelona is a bilingual city where Spanish and Catalona are both official languages spoken by vast numbers of people. The cultural roots go back to 2000 years.

The Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network have designated Barcelona as a world-class city. Live music and theatre are added attractions of Barcelona. World famous Gran Teatre del Liceu Open theatre, the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, the Teatre Lliure and the Palau de la Musica Catalona concert hall are all here. The Sonar Music festival is held every year in June and is well attended. Its music scene is also popular. The Pinker Tones group has even received international attention. Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics and several matches from the 1982 Football World Cup. It has also hosted the X FINA World Championships and twice of the Eurobasket.

Shopping in Barcelona is fun and is considered to be the best in Spain. Designer clothing, artisan workshops and extensive galleries are specialties of Barcelona.