Madrid, Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura

Madrid, Spain's capital, is a cosmopolitan city. Its position as a centre for economics, finance, administration and services combines the most modern infrastructure with an important cultural and artistic heritage, the legacy of centuries of fascinating history.Madrid is strategically located at the geographical centre of the Iberian peninsular, 646 metres above sea level. Its old town is exemplary among major European cities, and blends harmoniously with the most modern and convenient of urban infrastructure. Madrid offers a broad range of accommodation and services along with the most advanced audiovisual and communication technology. All this, combined with the momentum of a society that is dynamic and open, and at the same time warm and welcoming, has turned this metropolis into one of the western world's great capitals.

Close to Madrid is the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha which includes much of the southern part of the Iberian peninsula. It is on the southern sub-plateau and is bound by the Madrid (Region) and Castilla-Leon in the north, Aragon and the Region of Valencia in the east, Murcia and Andalusia in the south and Extremadura in the west.

Most of Extremadura is made up of vast stretches of plains with an average height of around 350 metres. There are three mountain formations in the region. The Sistema Central in the north, mainly comprises of Gredos sierra, Gata sierra, Francia sierra, Plasencia sierra and Vera sierra. They are high mountains, some reaching almost 2,000 metres, with deep gorges heading south such as Jaranda, with high mountain passes that include Bejar and Tornavacas. The highest peak in the area is Calvitero that reaches 2,425 metres. The second mountainous area is the central area that is penetrated by the mountains of Toledo, the highest peak of which is Las Villuercas measuring 1,601 metres.