Figueres (Catalan pronunciation: [fiˈɣeɾəs], Catalan for fig trees, Spanish: Figueras) is the capital of the comarca of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.

The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors. It is also the birthplace of Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol, inventor of the first successful machine-powered submarine. Also born here was Mónica Naranjo, one of the best selling Spanish singers of the 1990s and 2000s.

The town's name derives from that of Ficaris, of Visigoth origins. In 1267 King James I of Aragon conceded it fuero rights, but four years later count Ponç IV of Empúries set the town on fire.

During the Spanish Civil War it remained loyal to the Republican government, and was repeatedly bombed by the rebels. Figueres recovered starting from the 1950s, consolidating its economy around the tourism industry.

A surrealist tribute to Salvador Dali at the base of the Rambla, Figueres.

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), known as Salvador Dalí (Catalan pronunciation: [səɫβəˈðo ðəˈɫi]), was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres, Spain.

Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media.

Dalí attributed his "love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental clothes" to a self-styled "Arab lineage", claiming that his ancestors were descended from the Moors.

Dalí was highly imaginative, and also enjoyed indulging in unusual and grandiose behavior. His eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions sometimes drew more attention than his artwork, to the dismay of those who held his work in high esteem, and to the irritation of his critics.

Karen Christiana Figueres Olsen (born August 7, 1956) was appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on May 17, 2010, succeeding Yvo de Boer. She had been a member of the Costa Rican negotiating team since 1995, involved in both UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol negotiations. She has contributed to the design of key climate change instruments. She is a prime promoter of Latin America’s active participation in the Convention, a frequent public speaker, and a widely published author. She won the Hero for the Planet award in 2001.

Christiana Figueres was born in San José, Costa Rica, into a family dedicated to public service. Her father, José Figueres Ferrer, was President of Costa Rica three times: 1948–49, 1953–1958, and 1970–1974. José Figueres Ferrer was the leader of the 1948 Revolution and is considered the founder of modern democracy in Costa Rica. He is most well known for having abolished the army in 1948 and established a broad system of checks and balances that are at the root of Costa Rica’s stable development to this day. Active in her own right, Christiana’s mother, Karen Olsen Beck, served as Costa Rican Ambassador to Israel in 1982 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the 1990–1994 period. The couple had four children. Christiana’s older brother José Figueres Olsen, was also President of Costa Rica (1994–1998), and is credited with having initiated the country onto a path of sustainable development which continues to this day. Younger brother Mariano Figueres Olsen is currently active in politics and manages the family firm, together with younger sister Kirsten Figueres Olsen.

José María Figueres Olsen (born in San José, Costa Rica, December 24, 1954), is a Costa Rican businessman, and politician. After he left the presidency of Costa Rica, Figueres Olsen has also been involved in global issues such as climate change, sustainable development, and technology. He started his career as an engineer working in agribusiness. After a decade, he entered public service as Minister of Foreign Trade and then Minister of Agriculture. In 1994, he was elected President of Costa Rica, as the nation’s youngest elected president of the 20th century. In 2000, he joined the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, and later he worked with Concordia 21 in Madrid. Since 2010, he has been Chairman of the Carbon War Room, an independent non-profit organization focused on the global transition to a low carbon economy. On March 27, 2012, Sir Richard Branson announced that he was appointed as the new President of the Carbon War Room.

José María Figueres is the son of José Figueres Ferrer (affectionately known as don Pepe), who was a three-time president of Costa Rica. His mother, Karen Olsen Beck, born in the United States to Danish immigrants, later adopted Costa Rican nationality. After being First Lady she was appointed Ambassador to Israel in 1982. In 1990 she was elected Member of Congress for the 1990 - 1994 legislature.