Spain's capital and most populated city is Madrid. There are about 3.5 million people living there, and there are about 7 million people living in the metropolitan region. Its metropolitan area is the second largest in the European Union (EU), and it is the second-largest city in the EU, behind Berlin, Germany.The municipality's total land area is 604.3 km² (233.3 sq mi).At roughly 650 meters (2,130 feet) above mean sea level, Madrid is located on the River Manzanares in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. As the capital of Spain and the nearby autonomous community of Madrid (since 1983), it serves as the nation's political, economic, and cultural hub. Under the Emirate of Córdoba, Madrid's rudimentary walled military outpost was established in the late ninth century. After being overrun by Christians in 1083 or 1085, it became a major town under the Crown of Castile in the Late Middle Ages. As the permanent location of the Hispanic Monarchy's court, Madrid's growth as an administrative hub was encouraged after 1561. The location of contemporary In addition to Roman villas, a Visigoth basilica close to the church of Santa María de la Almudena, three Visigoth necropolises close to Casa de Campo, Tetuán, and Vicálvaro, and archeological remnants of the Celtic Carpetani town, Madrid has been inhabited from prehistoric times. By 1594, there were 37,500 people living in the city, up from 4,060 in 1530. Ex-soldiers, foreigners, rogues, and Ruanes made up the court's impoverished populace, who were unhappy with the expensive and scarce food. Phillip II established his court at the old alcázar in Madrid in June of 1561. With the exception of a brief period between 1601 and 1606, when the Court was moved to Valladolid (and the Madrid population briefly fell proportionally), Madrid became the political hub of the kingdom as a result. Madrid was affirmed as Spain's capital by the 1978 constitution following the overthrow of the Francoist government. The first democratically elected mayor of Madrid since the Second Republic took office in the 1979 municipal election. Some of the most significant events of the era took place in Madrid, including the large-scale protests in support of democracy following the failed coup attempt, 23-F, on February 23, 1981. The center-left PSOE was represented by the first democratic mayors, Enrique Tierno Galván and Juan Barranco Gallardo. Madrid became the epicenter of the la Movida cultural movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On the other hand, in the 1980s, a heroin epidemic affected Madrid's impoverished areas, as it did throughout the nation.

South Africa's legislative capital is Cape Town. It is the oldest city in the nation and the location of the South African Parliament. Cape Town is the largest city in the Western Cape and the second most populous city in the nation, after Johannesburg.The city is a part of the metropolitan municipality known as the City of Cape Town.Table Mountain, Cape Point, the city's harbor, and its natural environment in the Cape Floristic Region are some of its most well-known features. Numerous publications have ranked Cape Town as the world's greatest city and the finest place to go, including Time Out in 2025, The New York Times in 2014, and The Telegraph for the last eight years (2017–2025). With the greatest concentration of Cape Dutch-style buildings worldwide, Cape Town is renowned for its architectural legacy. Constantia, the historic government buildings in the Central Business District, and Long Street are the best examples of the Cape Dutch architectural style, which blends the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Indonesia. Mostert's Mill in Mowbray is the only fully operational windmill in South Africa. Constructed in 1796, it underwent restorations in 1935 and 1995. In 2014, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design declared Cape Town the World Design Capital. Additionally, Cape Town is designated a "Design City" by the Creative Cities Network of UNESCO. Cape Town's biggest performing arts facility is the Artscape Theatre Centre. The 17th-century savory, sweet, spiced beef dish known as bobotie is one of the foods that originated in Cape Town or is associated with it. A sandwich stuffed with slap chips and other toppings, the Gatsby was initially offered in the Athlone area in 1976 and has since come to represent the city.A classic Cape Malay dessert, the koe'sister is characterized as a cake-like dumpling flavored with cinnamon and topped with a dusting of desiccated coconut. Table Mountain's mass and the chilly Benguela Current of the South Atlantic Ocean both locally alter Cape Town's Mediterranean climate. While the average high temperature is 70°F (21°C) in January and February and the average low temperature is 55°F (13°C) in July, the coast and mountain slopes experience colder weather. Freezing rarely happens. Rainfall occurs on 69 days of the year on average; the southern winter months of June through August account for roughly half of the 26 inches (660 millimeters) of yearly rainfall. Every year, almost five million tons of goods pass through the port of Cape Town. Although ships with a draft of more than 40 feet are not permitted to enter the port during low tide, interoceanic commerce benefits greatly from its dry dock and maintenance facilities. Container traffic is accommodated at the Ben Schoeman Dock.