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Madrid's name is derived from the Arabic word 'magerit' which translates to mean a 'place of many streams'.
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At 650 meters above sea level Madrid is Europe's highest capital city.
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Madrid is divided into 21 districts. These districts are then further divided in wards. In total there are 128 wards in Madrid.
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While the city of Madrid has approximately 3.14 million residents, the metropolitan area of Madrid has more than 6.7 million residents in total.
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FIFA ranks Madrid as having the 20th century's most successful football (soccer in the U.S.) club. The team is Real Madrid FC.
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Madrid's football stadium is Bernabeu and it can hold as many as 85,000 spectators.
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Madrid is home to three art galleries including the Prado, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. These three museums are called the Golden Triangle of Art because they are located very close to each other.
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Madrid has fewer cloudy days than most cities in Europe.
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Madrid's airport Madrid-Barajas Airport is the world's 10th busiest airport, and is the busiest in Spain.
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In most of Spain there is an afternoon siesta. They may open at 9am and then close at 1pm for the siesta, and then open again at 5pm.
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The official symbol of Madrid is a bear standing on its hind legs eating berries from a tree. This is meant to represent the growth of Madrid and ownership and possession of wood (required for building).
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The Madrid Safari Park houses approximately 500 animals. There is a daily lion taming show.
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Since the early 1990s the population in the city of Madrid has grown by more than two million residents.
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Madrid has its own version of Disney World, called Warner Brothers Movie World.
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Taxi drivers in Madrid tend to disappear when it starts to rain. They don't have much faith in their vehicle's ability to protect passengers from the rain. Madrid experiences roughly 17 inches of rain a year.
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Madrid's citizens are referred to as Gatos. There is a legend that tells a story of a soldier in Madrid who avoided Arabic invasion by scaling the walls to escape, like a cat. Gatos means cats.
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Madrid has a bullfighting museum called Museo Taurino. It contains history about the sport, dress, and insight into the sport itself.
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Madrid is a popular tourist destination, with more than 7 million visitors each year.
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