Barcelona is the capital and the most populous city of the Autonomous
Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain. Barcelona
is recognised as a global city because of its importance in finance,
commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade. The city
is a major economic centre with one of Europe's principal Mediterranean
ports, and Barcelona International Airport is the second largest in
Spain after the Madrid-Barajas Airport.
Barcelona has a great number of museums, which cover different areas and
eras. The National Museum of Art of Catalonia possesses a well-known
collection of Romanesque art while the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary
Art focuses on post-1945 Catalan and Spanish art. The Fundació Joan Miró,
Picasso Museum and Fundació Antoni Tąpies hold important collections of
these world-renowned artists. Several museums cover the fields of
history and archeology, like the City History Museum, the Museum of the
History of Catalonia, the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, the Barcelona
Maritime Museum and the private-owned Egyptian Museum.
Barcelona has seven beaches, totalling 4.5 km of coastline. Sant
Sebastią and Barceloneta beaches, are the largest, oldest and the most
frequented beaches in Barcelona. Yearly, two major pop music festivals
take place in the city, the Sónar Festival and the Primavera Sound
Festival.
