Special Sub-Topic: It's All In Barcelona Click Here To Play: It's All In Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital of what region?

Catalunya. Barcelona is the capital of the province of Catalunya. This region is well known for its economic and cultural differences with the rest of Spain. The most striking difference with the other Spanish regions though, is the Catalan language. Catalan is quite different from Spanish - it is spoken in Catalunya but also in a small part of France, the Balearic Islands and around Valencia - and the Catalan population takes great pride in using their own language.

Barcelona's most famous road strip is called?

Las Ramblas. The Ramblas are a 2 km boulevard going from Placa de Catalunya to the sea. Thousands of people are strolling on the Ramblas every day (and night), where they watch the performing street artists, buy some flowers or have a coffee.

Beyond the Placa de Catalunya, various neighbourhoods have been established that have a very particular lay-out. This newer part of town is called?

Eixample. The Eixample is the central part of town and is truly a unique example of urban planning. The architect Cerda designed this part of town at the end of the 19th century to create a perfect environment for Barcelona's fast expanding population

Most of you should know this, but where in Spain is Barcelona exactly located?

northeast. Barcelona is in the northeast of Spain, close to the French border and on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

If we talk about the architecture in Barcelona, one particular architect comes to mind with creations like the Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia.

Gaudi. Antoni Gaudi has really had a great influence on Barcelona as a city. His creations can be found going from the Ramblas (Palau Guell) to Passeig de Gracia (Casa Mila and Casa Batllo) or the outskirts of town (Park Guell). His masterpiece is still the Sagrada Familia, a rather bizarre church that will take many more years to finish.

In the south of the city, near the sea, a hill can be found where the Olympic stadium was built (1992). Name the mountain?

Montjuic. Montjuic has many beautiful gardens and this was also the location where the 1929 World Expo was held. Today, tourists come here to visit the remaining buildings of that Expo, to take a look at the Olympic site or visit the Poble Espanyol.

The city of Barcelona is well known all over the world, but do you know approximately how many inhabitants the city itself has? (2000)

1,5 million. Barcelona has a fairly modest population size because the growth of the city was long held back due to the concentration in the older neighbourhoods around the Ramblas. With the construction of the Eixample, the city's population suddenly increased, but the population now remains at 1,5 million.

True or False: In the 20th century, Barcelona never had a decent beach until the last decade?

true. It's true. Barcelona's seaside used to be heavily industrialized with factories and a port. For the Olympic games in 1992, the whole seaside was rebuilt with beaches, restaurants and bars.

Each year, on September 24th, the people of Barcelona celebrate their city which festival?

Fiestas de la Merce. Merce, the city's saint, is celebrated with parades, music and people dancing the sardana (typical Catalan dance).

FC Barcelona's football squad plays their home games in the Camp Nou, but do you know the team's official nickname?

The blaugrana. Because of the colors of their uniform (blue and dark red), supporters use the term 'blaugrana' to indicate their favourite team. Furthermore, this term is also used for the basketball, handball, hockey and other teams from FCBarcelona, since they all play in the same colors.