About Aranjuez / Comarca de las Vegas, Madrid

Aranjuez is a town in the southern part of the Autonomous Community of Madrid in central Spain and lies 48 km south of the city of Madrid. It is located at the confluence of the Tagus and Jarama rivers. The municipality of Aranjuez has a population of 48,139 (February 2005), 23,545 are males and 24,594 are females. It is located 48 km from Toledo.
 
Aranjuez is known for the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, one of the Spanish royal sites, and its vast gardens. The Tagus valley has been intensively farmed since medieval times and the strawberries of Aranjuez are famous throughout Spain. Internationally, Aranjuez has become known through the Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo. Upon his death he was buried in the town's cemetery.
 
The main pillars of the local economy are hotels and tourism. Aranjuez has always been an attractive city for tourists due to, among other reasons, to the Royal Palace, the gardens, the Tagus river and the landscapes. In 2001 this city was designated as a World Heritage Cultural landscape by UNESCO, and since then, tourism has kept on increasing. Much money was spent in order to beautify Aranjuez and many pubs and restaurants were opened (from 2001 to 2004 their number increased 22%). In 2005 a large casino was opened in the city and in March 2008 the Tagus Hospital was opened.
 
 
Aranjuez, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aranjuez&oldid=256947535 (last visited Feb. 6, 2009).








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