It is a Cosmopolitan City, business centre, home of Public Central Administration, of the Government of the country and the Spanish Parliament as well as the habitual residence of the monarch. It is the most important city in the financial and industrial sectors; the latter concentrated in the southern outskirts, where one can find important textile, food and metallurgic industries, among others.
The Manzanares is the river that flows through the city, affluent of the River Jarama. The city is cosmopolitan and multi-ethnical with its more than 3 million inhabitants, to which one must add more than 1 million floating population.
Madrid is characterised by its intense cultural and artistic activity as well as a vibrant nightlife.