Madrid (autonomous community)

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Comunidad de Madrid


Flag	Coat of arms

Capital

Madrid

Official language(s)

Spanish

Area
– Total
– % of Spain

Ranked 12th
8,030.1 km²
1.6%

Population
– Total (2005)
– % of Spain
– Density

Ranked 3rd
6.008.000 (2006)
13.5%
748,38/km²

Demonym
– English
– Spanish

Madrilenian
madrileño/a

Statute of Autonomy

March 1, 1983

Parliamentary
representation
– Congress seats
– Senate seats

35
4 (elected) + 6 (appointed)

President

Esperanza Aguirre (PP)

ISO 3166-2

Comunidad de Madrid

The Community of Madrid (Spanish: Comunidad de Madrid) is one of Spain's seventeen autonomous communities, located in the centre of the country. It is coterminous with the province of Madrid, and contains the city of Madrid, which is the capital of the community, the province, and the country.

The Community is bordered by the autonomous communities of Castile-Leon (provinces of Ávila and Segovia) and Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Guadalajara, Cuenca, and Toledo).

Over half of the population live in the capital. Other historically or commercially important cities located in the community include Alcalá de Henares, Coslada, Torrejón de Ardoz, Getafe, Móstoles, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Navalcarnero and Aranjuez. There are 179 municipalities in Madrid. See List of municipalities in Madrid.

During Francisco Franco's dictatorship the province of Madrid was part of New Castile (now Castile-La Mancha). When the autonomous communities were founded under the provisions of the 1978 Constitution, Madrid was made into its own community because of great economic disparity between it and the Castilian-Manchego hinterland. The Community of Madrid was constituted by law on 25 February 1983, and its statute of autonomy was approved on 1 March of the same year.