This is a list of the largest metropolitan areas in Spain by population.
Estimates are from the following sources:
- the "Functional Urban Areas" (FUAs) of the Study on Urban Functions of the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON, 2007)
- the "Larger Urban Zone" (LUZs) of Urban Audit project (2004), supported by the European Union. Not all cities were included in this survey.
- calculations by Francisco Ruiz from data of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (2008 estimates). As well as "metropolitan area" data, Ruiz has produced larger "conurbation" data for some areas. The "conurbation" figure is used where available, and is cited as such; otherwise, the "metropolitan area" figure is used.
The figures differ between the reports due to the difference in survey dates and differences in methodology. For example, ESPON considers Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés as a single FUA, while Urban Audit has separate LUZs for Oviedo and Gijón. Similarly, Vilanova i la Geltrú is included in Barcelona metropolitan area by ESPON, but as a separate conurbation by Ruiz.
| Metropolitan area | ESPON | Urban Audit | Ruiz |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid | 5,263,000 | 70065804829000000005,804,829 | 70066138056000000006,138,056 |
| Barcelona | 4,251,000 | 70064233638000000004,233,638 | 70064542490000000004,542,490 |
| Valencia–Sagunto | 1,499,000 | 70061564145000000001,564,145 | 70062300000000000002,300,000 |
| Seville | 1,262,000 | 70061249346000000001,249,346 | 70061360361000000001,360,361 |
| Bilbao | 947,000 | 7005939994000000000939,994 | 7005953152000000000953,152 |
| Málaga | 844,000 | 7005699916000000000699,916 | 7005923104000000000923,104 |
| Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés | 844,000 | 7005617300000000000617,300 |
7005863050000000000863,050 |
| Alicante–Elche | 793,000 | 7005429060000000000429,060 | 7005785020000000000785,020 |
| Las Palmas | 640,000 | 7005625892000000000625,892 | 7005741826000000000741,826 |
| Zaragoza | 639,000 | 7005685873000000000685,873 | 7005715894000000000715,894 |
| Murcia–Orihuela | 623,000 | 7005479313000000000479,313 | 7005763723000000000763,723 |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 581,947 | 7005481592000000000481,592 | |
| Granada | 440,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005498365000000000498,365 |
| Palma | 433,000 | 7005593386000000000593,386 | 7005509116000000000509,116 |
| Vigo | 413,000 | 7005548799000000000548,799 | 7005666292000000000666,292 |
| Cádiz | 400,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005425462000000000425,462 |
| San Sebastián | 393,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005404921000000000404,921 |
| A Coruña–Oleiros–Arteixo | 376,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005408068000000000408,068 |
| Valladolid | 369,000 | 7005430576000000000430,576 | 7005395984000000000395,984 |
| Tarragona(–Reus) | 325,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005423360000000000423,360 |
| Córdoba | 314,000 | 7005779870000000000779,870 | 7005325453000000000325,453 |
| Pamplona | 286,000 | 7005355577000000000355,577 | 7005328511000000000328,511 |
| Castellón de la Plana | 259,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005386906000000000386,906 |
| Santander–Torrelavega | 249,000 | 7005290785000000000290,785 | 7005391293000000000391,293 |
| Alzira–Xàtiva | 241,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005348582000000000348,582 |
| Cartagena–Torre-Pacheco | 231,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005273005000000000273,005 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 226,000 | 7005252384000000000252,384 | 7005242837000000000242,837 |
| Algeciras–La Línea de la Concepción | 206,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005230203000000000230,203 |
| Huelva | 193,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005215530000000000215,530 |
| Almería | 192,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005218236000000000218,236 |
| Salamanca | 192,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005205489000000000205,489 |
| Jerez de la Frontera | 189,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005209690000000000209,690 |
| León | 187,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005201987000000000201,987 |
| Albacete | 185,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005173457000000000173,457 |
| Jaén–Martos | 180,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005191652000000000191,652 |
| Burgos | 176,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005192692000000000192,692 |
| Logroño | 156,000 | 7005171599000000000171,599 | 7005186985000000000186,985 |
| Ferrol–Narón | 155,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005156111000000000156,111 |
| Lleida | 147,000 | 7005363900000000000363,900 | 7005176543000000000176,543 |
| Girona–Salt | 144,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005180426000000000180,426 |
| Pontevedra–Marín | 142,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005149255000000000149,255 |
| Badajoz | 141,000 | 7005663896000000000663,896 | 7005151579000000000151,579 |
| La Orotava–Puerto de la Cruz(–Los Realejos) | 140,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005151623000000000151,623 |
| Santiago de Compostela | 138,000 | 7005186332000000000186,332 | 7005151690000000000151,690 |
| Ourense | 137,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005138600000000000138,600 |
| Benidorm(–La Vila Joiosa) | 134,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005183253000000000183,253 |
| Gandia(–Oliva) | 132,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005169916000000000169,916 |
| Blanes(–Pineda de Mar–Lloret de Mar) | 131,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005182673000000000182,673 |
| Manresa | 122,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005145215000000000145,215 |
| Marbella | 116,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005138447000000000138,447 |
| Torrelavega | 116,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005129509000000000129,509 |
| Vic–Manlleu | 111,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005129994000000000129,994 |
| Guadalajara | 104,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005144687000000000144,687 |
| Lugo | 99,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005106066000000000106,066 |
| Palencia | 99,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005103511000000000103,511 |
| Toledo | 95,000 | 7005167036000000000167,036 | 7005119368000000000119,368 |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, metropolitan, areas and/or spain:
“Every morning I woke in dread, waiting for the day nurse to go on her rounds and announce from the list of names in her hand whether or not I was for shock treatment, the new and fashionable means of quieting people and of making them realize that orders are to be obeyed and floors are to be polished without anyone protesting and faces are to be made to be fixed into smiles and weeping is a crime.”
—Janet Frame (b. 1924)
“Hey, you dress up our town very nicely. You don’t look out the Chamber of Commerce is going to list you in their publicity with the local attractions.”
—Robert M. Fresco, and Jack Arnold. Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar)
“In metropolitan cases, the love of the most single-eyed lover, almost invariably, is nothing more than the ultimate settling of innumerable wandering glances upon some one specific object.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“The planet on which we live is poorly organized, many areas are overpopulated, others are reserved for a few, technology’s potential is only in part realized, and most people are starving.”
—Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990)
“How the devil am I to prove to my counsel that I don’t know my murderous impulses through C.G. Jung, jealousy through Marcel Proust, Spain through Hemingway ... It’s true, you need never have read these authorities, you can absorb them through your friends, who also live all their experiences second-hand. What an age!”
—Max Frisch (1911–1991)