Barcelona, Spain
History of Barcelona
First established by the Romans, Barcelona was chosen as one of the Roman capitals. While Spain continued to bounce back and forth between conquerors, it started to split into counties. The County of Barcelona later gained independence from the empire and created its own region called Catalonia. However, over time Barcelona came into conflict with Madrid and was then banned from trade with American colonies. The whole of Catalonia then declared war against Spain in the 17th century and received help from France. After having lost against Spain, Catalonia was taken by French troops. After the fall of the French Empires, all of the cities and counties were returned to Spain. As Catalonia grew, Barcelona grew with it and became one of Spain's best attractions.
Geography of Barcelona
Spain is split into 15 regions today, and also owns two islands. Barcelona is still a part of the region of Catalunya. It is also the capital of Catalunya. This region is different from the others, having its own language-Catalan- but some speak Castillian Spanish. Catalunya is then split up into 4 provinces: Lleida, Tarragona, Barcelona and Girona. The city of Barcelona is the capital of the Barcelona Province.