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Home > Travel Spain > Spain Destinations > Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Spain, also known as Kingdom of Spain, is one of the oldest inhabited regions on the planet. It is a country which is located in Southern Europe, and politically organized as a parliamentary monarchy. It is the largest sovereign nation of the three nations that make up the Iberian Peninsula. Administratively, Spain is divided into 50 provinces, grouped into 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities with a high degree of autonomy. The name Spain comes from the Latin name Hispania whose capital is Madrid this is also the largest city of the Country.
Zaragoza is the capital city of the autonomous region and former kingdom of Aragon in Spain, and is located on the river Ebro, and its tributaries the Huerva and Gallego, near the centre of the region, in a great valley with a variety of landscapes, ranging from desert to thick forest, meadows and mountains.
According to data from Zaragoza council from 2006, the population of the city of Zaragoza was 660.895, ranking fifth in Spain. The population of the metropolitan area was estimated in 2006 at 833.455 inhabitants. The municipality is home to more than 50 percent of the Aragon population. The city is 199 meters above sea level, and constitutes a crossroads between Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao, all about 300 kilometres 200 miles from Zaragoza.
Zaragoza was the scene of two famous martyrdoms those of Saint Dominguito del Val, a choirboy in the basilica, and Pedro de Arbues, an official of the Spanish Inquisition. Zaragoza is linked by legends to the beginnings of Christianity in Spain. According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared miraculously to Saint James the Great in the 1st century, standing on a pillar. This legend is commemorated by a famous Catholic basilica called Nuestra Senora del Pilar.
Zaragoza is strongly associated with Jaca in its bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Near the basilica on the banks of the Ebro are located the city hall, the old currency exchange, the cathedral or La Seo Cathedral, and the ruins of the Roman city wall. Other nightclub districts are La Zona and El Royo.
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