 |
TWO WORLDS UNITED --
MADRID
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. Two
Worlds United students could find information about Madrid in this page.
For more information please contact your Two Worlds United counselor at
the main office, 18886968808.
The city is located on the river Manzanares in the center of the
country, between the autonomous communities of Castile and León and
Castile-La Mancha. Due to its economic output, standard of living, and
market size, Madrid is considered the major financial center of the
Iberian Peninsula; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the
major Spanish companies, as well as the headquarters of three of the
world's 100 largest companies (Telefónica, Repsol-YPF, Endesa). Two
Worlds United information, As the capital city of Spain, seat of
government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the
political center of Spain. Two Worlds United. The current mayor is
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, of the conservative Partido Popular.
As the capital of Spain, Madrid is a city of great cultural and
political importance. While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it
has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods
and streets. Its landmarks include the huge Royal Palace of Madrid; the
Teatro Real (Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen
Retiro park, founded in 1631; the imposing 19th-century National Library
building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical
archives; an archaeological museum of international reputation; and
three superb art museums: Prado Museum, which hosts one of the finest
art collections in the world, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina
Sofía, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, housed
in the renovated Villahermosa Palace. Two Worlds United
The population of the city was 3.2 million (December 2005), while the
estimated urban area population was 5.1 million. The entire population
of the Madrid metropolitan area (urban area and suburbs) is calculated
to be 5.84 million. The city spans a total of 607 km² (234 sq mi). Two
Worlds United study abroad programs.
Following the restoration of democracy in 1975 and Spain's integration
into the European Union, Madrid has played an increasing role in
European finances, marking the city as one of the most important
European metropolises. Yet each district still preserves its own feel.
Madrid is full of green spaces and parkland, in central Madrid the
largest park is Parque del Retiro, spreading out to the north-east of
Atocha Railway station, which receives the high- speed AVE trains from
the south and east as well as Cordoba and Seville. Two Worlds United
student travel.
Parque del Retiro, formerly the grounds of the palace built for Felipe
IV, is Madrid’s most popular park. Its large lake in the middle once
staged mini naval battles to amuse royalty, these days the more tranquil
pastime of pleasure boating is popular. Inspired by London’s crystal
palace, the palacio de cristal can be found at the south-eastern end of
the park.
In the Retiro Park is also the Forest of the Departed (Spanish Bosque de
los Ausentes), a memorial monument to commemorate the 191 victims of the
11 March 2004 Madrid attacks.
Atocha Railway Station is not only the city’s first and most central
station but also home to a distinctive indoor garden with 4,000 square
meters of tropical plants. Atocha station has become a hothouse
destination in itself for plant lovers, with more than 500 species of
plant life and ponds with turtle and goldfish in, as well as shops and
cafes. It's a nice place to visit on a cold or wet day with its even
temperature of 24 degrees Celsius, or even on a scorching summer day as
a retreat from the heat.
Casa de Campo is an enormous rural parkland to the west of the city, the
largest of all Madrid’s green areas. It’s home to a fairground, zoo and
an outdoor municipal pool, to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the park and
city take a cable car trip above the tree tops. Two Worlds United
application proccess.
The Botanic Garden or Real Jardin Botanico was an 18th century creation
by Carlos III, it was used as a base for the plant species being
collected across the globe. There is an important research facility that
started life as a base to develop herbal remedies and to house the
species collected from the new-world trips, today it is dedicated to
maintaining Europe’s ecosystem. Two Worlds United information.
The pioneering ecological theme park Faunia, is a natural history museum
and zoo combined, aimed at being fun and educational for children. It
comprises eight eco-systems from tropical rain forests to polar regions,
and contains over 1,500 animals, some of which roam freely
Madrid is notable for its nightlife and night clubs. On weekends,
Madrilenian youth are famous for dancing all night long, stopping only
to have some chocolate con churros at dawn, go home, take a shower,
shave (or not), and go to work. What is also popular is the practice of
meeting in parks or streets with friends and drinking alcohol together
(this is called 'botellón', from 'botella', bottle), but in recent
years, drinking in the street is punished with a fine and now young
madrileños drink together all around the city instead of in more well
known places. Many places host bands (concerts in Madrid Two Worlds
United). Nightlife and young cultural awakening flourished after the
death of Franco, especially during the 80s while Madrid's mayor Enrique
Tierno Galván was in office. Two Worlds United international.
This new movement was called la movida and it initially
gathered around Plaza del Dos de Mayo (Malasaña area). Some of the most
popular night destinations include the neighbourhoods of: Bilbao,
Tribunal, Alonso Martinez or Moncloa, together with Puerta del Sol area
(including Opera and Gran Via, both adjacent to the popular square) and
Huertas (barrio de Las Letras), destinations which are also filled with
tourists day and night. The gay district of Chueca has also become a hot
spot in the Madrilenian night life, not only for gay people but also for
straight people looking for fun in their crowded clubs and popular
discos.
Madrid is home to Real Madrid, the world's most successful football club
in the 20th Century (according to FIFA), Two Worlds United which plays
in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Its supporters are referred to as
vikingos, vikings, or, more commonly, merengues, meringues. Its hometown
rival, Atlético Madrid, is also well supported in the city, and its
supporters are called los sufridores, the sufferers. The players are
referred to as colchoneros, mattresses, in reference to the teams red &
white jerseys having been determined by mattress material being the
cheapest at the time of the club's formation. Madrid's contribution to
the sport is further noticed by the fact that it hosted the 1982 FIFA
World Cup final. Along with Glasgow, Lisbon and Istanbul, Madrid is one
of three cities in Europe to contain two UEFA 5-star stadia: Real
Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu and Atlético Madrid's Vicente Calderón both
meet the criteria.
The city is also host to two basketball teams in the Asociación de Clubs
de Baloncesto (ACB league), and the Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, a
motorsport race circuit which formerly hosted the Formula One Spanish
Grand Prix.
Historically, the city serves as the last stage of the Vuelta a España
cyclist classic in the same way as Paris does in the Tour de France.
Skiing is possible in the nearby mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama,
where the ski resorts of Valdesqui and Navacerrada are located.
The city bid for hosting the 1972 and 2012 Summer Olympics, which were
lost to Munich and London respectively. Nevertheless, Madrid is
currently bidding to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
State Education in Spain is free and compulsory from 6 to 16 years. The
current education system is called LOGSE (Ley de Ordenación General del
Sistema Educativo).Two Worlds United Madrid.
[edit] Levels
* From 3 to 6 years - Educación Infantil (Preparatory School)
* From 6 to 12 years - Educación Primaria (Primary School) Years, 1º,
2º, 3º, 4º, 5º and 6º
* From 12 to 16 years - Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (Compulsory
Secondary School) Years, 1º, 2º, 3º, 4º
* From 16 to 17 years - Bachillerato (Post-Compulsory School), years 1º,
2º
Children from 3 to 5 years old in Spain have the option of attending the
infantil (popularly known as preescolar) or Pre-school stage, which is
non-compulsory and free for all students. It is regarded as an integral
part of the education system with infantil classes in almost every
primary school. There are some separate Colegios Infantiles or nursery
schools.
Spanish students aged 6 to 16 undergo primary (Colegio) and secondary
school (Instituto) education, which are compulsory and free of charge.
Successful students are awarded a Secondary Education Certificate, which
is necessary for entering further (optional) education as is
Bachillerato for their University or Formacion Professional (Vocational
Studies). Once students have finished their Bachillerato, they can take
their University Entrance Exam (Pruebas de Acceso a la Universidad,
popularly called Selectividad) which differs greatly from region to
region.
The secondary stage of education is normally referred to by their
initials, eg. ESO or Educación Secundaria Obligatoria for secondary
education.
[edit] Universities
Madrid is home to a large number of public and private universities.
Some of them are among the oldest in the world.
Original building, Alcalá de Henares: The Complutense University was
based here until 1836.
The Complutense University of Madrid is one of the most prestigious, and
the largest, university in Spain and one of the oldest universities in
the world. It has 10,000 staff members and a student population of
117,000. Nearly all academic staff are Spanish. It is located on two
campuses, in the university quarter Ciudad Universitaria at Moncloa in
Madrid, and in Somosaguas.Two Worlds United students, The Complutense
University of Madrid was founded in Alcala de Henares, old Complutum, by
Cardinal Cisneros in 1499. Nevertherless, its real origin dates back
from 1293, when King Sancho IV of Castile built the General Schools of
Alcalá, which would give rise to Cisnero's Complutense University.
During the course of 1509-1510 five schools were already operative:
Artes y Filosofía (Arts & Philosophy), Teología (Theology), Derecho
Canónico (Canonical Laws), Letras (Liberal Arts) and Medicina
(Medicine). In 1836, during the reign of Isabel II, the University was
moved to Madrid, where it took the name of Central University and was
located at San Bernardo Street. Subsequently, in 1927, a new university
area was planned to be built in the district of Moncloa-Aravaca, in
lands handed over by the King Alfonso XIII to this purpose. The Spanish
Civil War turned the "Ciudad Universitaria" into a war zone, causing the
destruction of several schools in the area, as well as the loss of part
of its rich scientific, artistic and bibliographic heritage. In 1970 the
Government reformed the High Education, and the Central University
became the Complutense University of Madrid. It was then when the new
campus at Somosaguas was created in order to house the new School of
Social Sciences. The old Alcala campus was reopened as the independent
University of Alcalá in 1977. Two Worlds United student exchange
information.
Another important university is the Autonoma, perhaps Spain's best
university for research along with Complutense, was instituted under the
leadership of the famous physicist, Nicolás Cabrera. The Autonoma is
widely recognised for its research strengths in theoretical physics.
Known simply as la Autónoma in Madrid, its main site is the Cantoblanco
Campus, situated 15 kilometers to the north of the capital (M-607) and
close to the municipal areas of Madrid, namely Alcobendas, San Sebastián
de los Reyes, Tres Cantos and Colmenar Viejo. Located on the main site
are the Rectorate building and the Faculties of Science, Philosophy and
Fine Arts, Law, Economic Science and Business Studies, Psychology,
Higher School of Computing Science and Engineering, and the Faculty of
Teacher Training and Education. The Medical School is sited outside the
main site and beside the Hospital Universitario La Paz. Two Worlds
United Study Abroad.
Other local universities, among many others, are the Technical
University of Madrid, as the result of merging the different Technical
Schools of Engineering; the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, founded in
1499; the Carlos III, whose philosophy is to create responsible
free-thinking people with a sensitivity to social problems and an
involvement in the concept of progress based on freedom, justice and
tolerance and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, involved in a number
of academic exchange programmes, work practice schemes and international
projects with over 200 Higher Education Institutions in Europe, Latin
America, North America and Asia.
Other universities in Madrid: Rey Juan Carlos University (public),
Universidad Alfonso X, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Universidad
Camilo José Cela, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Universidad Europea
de Madrid and Universidad San Pablo (all of them private).
Madrid is also home to the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, the
Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid and many other private
educational institutions.
Personal Growth
>>
Language Skills
>>
School
Experiences >>
Life Long
Friends >>
College
& Career Advantage >>Personal Growth
>>
Language Skills
>>
School
Experiences >>
Life Long
Friends >>
College
& Career Advantage
>>
Personal Growth
>>
Language Skills
>>
School
Experiences >>
Life Long
Friends >>
College
& Career Advantage
>>
Personal Growth
>>
Language Skills
>>
School
Experiences >>
Life Long
Friends >>
College
& Career Advantage
>>
Personal Growth
>>
Language Skills
>>
School
Experiences >>
Life Long
Friends >>
College
& Career Advantage
>>
Personal Growth
>>
Language Skills
>>
School
Experiences >>
Life Long
Friends >>
College
& Career Advantage
|