Barcelona

The city is located 150 km south of the French border.

It is Spain’s major Mediterranean port and commercial center.

The city is famed for its individuality, cultural interest, and physical beauty.

Although Barcelona is sometimes windy, its protective semicircle of mountains shields it from the harsh, cold winds that blow out of the north and west.

The government buildings—such as the Palace of the Generalitat, a 14th to 15th-century building with Baroque and Neoclassical facades, and the Royal Palace—attest to the city’s importance as an administrative capital.

Immigration has played a key part in the economic growth of the region.

The city has long-established external markets to give it stability.

In the eighteenth century, the city was pushed into a period of declining political influence, although it remained a dynamic city and important trade center.

On the other hand, the eighteenth century was also a period of economic growth, growth characterized by trade and, in particular, by the new calico industry.

---

Rodriguez, Vicente, and Timothy John Connell. “Barcelona.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 30 Oct. 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Barcelona.

Advanced Solutions International, Inc. “The History of Barcelona.” History of Barcelona, www.e-a-a.org/EAA2018/Barcelona_tabs/History_of_Barcelona.aspx.