Zaragoza

Zaragoza (Spanish: [θaɾaˈɣoθa] ), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( SARR-ə-GOSS-ə), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the Huerva and the Gállego, roughly in the centre of both Aragon and the Ebro basin. In the 1st century BCE, Romans founded the colony of Caesaraugusta over the Sedetani settlement of Salduie. The city was the capital of the Upper March of Al-Andalus under Umayyad rule, later thriving as a capital of a rump state ruled by the Banu Hud, the taifa of Zaragoza. It swiftly became the political and spiritual centre of the Kingdom of Aragon after the 1118 Christian conquest, and its inhabitants managed to preserve and consolidate initially granted privileges over the course of the Late Middle Ages. As of 2025, Zaragoza had a population of 699,007 inhabitants, making it the fourth most populous in Spain, on a land area of 973.78 square kilometres (375.98 square miles) and is the centre of a metropolitan area of around 0.76 million. The municipality is home to more than 50 percent of the Aragonese population. The city lies at an elevation of about 208 metres (682 feet) above sea level. Zaragoza hosted Expo 2008 in mid-2008, a world's fair on water and sustainable development. It was also a candidate for the European Capital of Culture in 2016. The city is famous for its folklore, local cuisine, and landmarks such as the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and the Aljafería Palace. Together with La Seo and the Aljafería, several other buildings form part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Fiestas del Pilar are among the most celebrated festivals in Spain.