Moncloa-Aravaca

Moncloa-Aravaca (also named Moncloa) is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain.

The Palace of Moncloa, located in the district, is the residence of the Prime Minister of Spain, and because of this in Spain "Moncloa" is sometimes used as a metonym for the central government, especially when contrasting with the governments of the autonomous communities.

Geography

Subdivision

The district is administratively divided into 7 wards (Barrios):

Education

The Colegio Japonés de Madrid, the Japanese international school in Madrid, is located in the El Plantío area.

See also

References

External links

Media related to Moncloa-Aravaca at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 40°26′07″N 3°43′08″W / 40.435151°N 3.718765°W / 40.435151; -3.718765

Madrid

Madrid (/məˈdrɪd/, Spanish: [maˈðɾid], locally: [maˈðɾiθ, -ˈðɾi]) is a south-western European city, the capital of Spain, and the largest municipality of the Community of Madrid. The population of the city is almost 3.2 million with a metropolitan area population of around 6.5 million. It is the third-largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-largest in the European Union after London and Paris. The city spans a total of 604.3 km² (233.3 sq mi).

The city is located on the Manzanares River in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid (which comprises the city of Madrid, its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages); this community is bordered by the autonomous communities of Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha. As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political, economic and cultural centre of Spain. The current mayor is Manuela Carmena from Ahora Madrid.

Mariano Rajoy

Mariano Rajoy Brey (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈɾjano raˈxoi ˈβɾei]; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who became leader of the People's Party in 2004 and Prime Minister of Spain in 2011 following the People's Party landslide victory in that year's general election. His party lost their majority in the 2015 general election and it remains uncertain as to whether Rajoy will remain in office.

Rajoy had been a Minister in José María Aznar's administration between 1996 and 2003, and Deputy Prime Minister between 2000 and 2003. He was the Leader of the Opposition between 2004 and 2011 under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's government.

Early life and education

Born 27 March 1955 in Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Galicia, Rajoy is the grandson of Enrique Rajoy Leloup, one of the architects of the Statute of Autonomy of Galicia in 1932, who was removed from university teaching by the dictatorship in the early 1950s. He is the son of Mariano Rajoy Sobredo, a jurist, and president of the Provincial Court of Pontevedra, the city where he grew up.

Madrid Metro

The Madrid Metro (Spanish: Metro de Madrid) is a metro system serving the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. The system is the 8th longest metro in the world, though Madrid is approximately the fiftieth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Its fast growth in the last 20 years has also put it among the fastest growing networks in the world, rivalling many Asian metros such as the Shanghai Metro, Guangzhou Metro, Beijing Subway or the Delhi Metro. Unlike normal Spanish road and rail traffic, which uses right hand drive, Madrid Metro trains use left-hand running on all lines for historical reasons. The Madrid Metro operates every day from 6 am until 1:30 am.

A light rail system feeding the metro opened in 2007 called Metro Ligero (light metro). The 'Cercanias' system works in conjunction with the metro servicing medium distance travel to and across the city.

Some underground stations are large enough to hold public events, such as the three-day fitness festival in May 2011, which attracted 2,600 visitors. One station contains a 200-square-meter archaeological museum.

Palace of Moncloa

The Palace of Moncloa or Moncloa Palace (Spanish: Palacio de La Moncloa), located in the Ciudad Universitaria (University City) ward of Madrid (part of Moncloa-Aravaca district), has been the official residence for the Prime Minister of Spain since 1977, when Adolfo Suárez moved the residence from the Palace of Villamejor on the Paseo de la Castellana (currently the seat of the Ministry of Territorial Policy). The residence is surrounded by several other buildings which form the La Moncloa Complex. The Ministry of the Presidency, the First Deputy Prime Minister's Office and the Press Center are located in this complex. The weekly meetings of the Council of Ministers are also held at La Moncloa.

In Spain 'Moncloa' is sometimes used as a metonym for the central government, especially when contrasting with the governments of the autonomous communities.

History

The Palace was completely destroyed during the Siege of Madrid in the Spanish Civil War. It was later rebuilt to serve as residence for foreign leaders and other personalities. It has served as the official residence to the Prime Ministers of Spain and their families since the Spanish transition to democracy.