Knowing the capitals of Spanish-speaking countries is not only useful for your Spanish studies, but also gives you a deeper understanding of the cultural and geographic diversity of these places. Expand your knowledge of Spanish and locate each country on the map to discover a very diverse culture.
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Capital cities of Spain
As you may know, Spain is the birthplace of the Spanish language, as it is where the language originated. The capital of Spain is Madrid, known for its rich history, art, and lively nightlife.
Although Spain is characterized by its well-known cities spread throughout the country and its unique culture. The country is made up of 17 Autonomous Communities, and each has its own capital. Here is the list of the 17 Autonomous Communities and their respective Spanish capitals:
- Andalusia. Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Jaen, Huelva, Malaga, and Seville. Seville is the capital.
- Aragon. Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Zaragoza is the capital.
- Asturias. Its capital is Oviedo.
- Balearic Islands. It is an archipelago formed by 5 islands: Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Formentera, and Cabrera. The capital is Palma de Mallorca.
- Canary Islands. It is made up of 7 islands and divided into two provinces. The province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife with: Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. And the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with: Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote. The capital is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
- Cantabria. Its capital is Santander.
- Castilla La Mancha. Toledo, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, Cuenca and Albacete. Its capital is Toledo.
- Castilla y León. León, Palencia, Salamanca, Burgos, Zamora, Valladolid, Soria, Segovia, and Avila. This Autonomous Community does not have a capital city, but the seat of government is in Valladolid.
- Catalonia. Barcelona, Tarragona, Lerida, and Gerona. The capital is Barcelona.
- Valencian Community. Castellon, Valencia, and Alicante. The capital is Valencia.
- Extremadura. Caceres and Badajoz; the capital is Mérida.
- Galicia. La Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra. Its capital is Santiago de Compostela.
- La Rioja. Its capital is Logroño.
- Madrid is the capital of Spain.
- Region of Murcia. Its capital is Murcia.
- Navarra. The name of its capital is Pamplona.
- Basque Country. Alava, Guipuzcoa and Vizcaya. It has no official capital, such as Castilla y León.
Spain also has two autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla, located on the African continent.