Madrid to Rio de Janeiro

Madrid is shown in white on this radar image of the flat Meseta Central. Just north of the city is the Sistema Central mountain chain, of which Sierra de Guadarrama forms the eastern portion.

The highest peaks of the Guadarrama poke out above the clouds. Some of the mountains in this range reach 2,500m above sea level.

The flat expanse of the Meseta Central is apparent as you fly over Madrid, in contrast with the peaks of the mountains to the north of the city, shown in the top left of this image.

This false-colour image shows vegetated areas in bright red, revealing the parks at the heart of Madrid. The Manzanares River is also visible as a dark line cutting through the west of the city.

The Sierra de Guadarrama form the northern boundary of Madrid, as seen here in the background.

South of Madrid, the Manzanares River cuts a winding path across the Meseta plateau.

A small town on the flat expanse of the Meseta Central.

The Manzanares River is one of the main watercourses to cut across the Meseta plateau.

Madrid grew around the Manzanares River, which was called Mayrit by early Muslim settlers meaning 'source of water'.

A suburb of Madrid pushes into the southern slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains.

This satellite image clearly shows the Meseta Central as the flat light brown region in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, divided in two by the green line of the Sistema Mountain Chain.

The Manzanares River cuts a gorge through the Guadarrama Mountains north of Madrid.

The semi-arid ground of the Meseta Central supports olive groves which grow in the red soil surrounding Madrid.

The Cibeles Palace is Madrid's City Hall, at the heart of the city has become an iconic symbol for Madrid.

The Monument to King Alfonso XII is at the heart of Buen Retiro Park in Madrid. This is the largest park in Madrid and belonged to the Spanish monarchy until the late 19th century.

The Metropolis Building in the centre of Madrid. This city grew rapidly after the Spanish Civil War, and is now one of the largest cities in Europe.

The Sabatini and Royal Gardens and the Teatro Real Opera house beyond the Oriente Square to the east. The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest in Western Europe with 2,800 rooms.

Skyscrapers reflect the power of Madrid's Business Area, which has grown rapidly in the past half-century.

High speed rail links connect Madrid with Barcelona and Seville in just a few hours.

This map of the high-speed rail lines in Spain illustrates Madrid's importance at the centre of the country and its rail network.

Madrid is one of the largest cities in Europe, rivalling London and Berlin for population size.

Madrid is the centre of an extensive network of motorways, which connect the different parts of the city as well as other cities in Spain.

The courtyard of the Royal Palace. Madrid is the home city of Spain's Royal Family.

Madrid is home to more than 3.4 million people, and the population of the city continues to grow.

Madrid comes alive at night and is famous for its movida, or great nightlife.

Madrid's Barajas Airport is the largest in the world in terms of terminal space. The airport services more than 50 million passengers each year.

Valle de los Caidos, or the Valley of the Fallen, is a monument to those who died in the Spanish Civil War. 40,000 soldiers rest here.

Remnants of the Spanish Civil War are present in many of the city's parks, such as this chimney that provided ventilation for dugouts.

General Franco greeted by crowds in Madrid in 1939 after his victory for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.

The cross at the Valley of the Fallen is 150 metres tall and is the tallest memorial cross in the world. It marks the memorial for those that died in the Spanish Civil War.

Across Madrid, memorials to the civil war can be seen. This plaque outside a Madrid church commemorates priests killed during the civil war.

A troop of volunteer soldiers ready to flight for the Republicans, 1938.

A poster produced by the Republican Government in 1937 serves as a reminder of the bombing of the town of Guernica - one of the most pivotal events in the Spanish Civil War.

1969 - Franco remained ruler of Spain from the end of the war in 1939 to his death in 1975.

A bunker from the civil war preserved at Parque de Oeste in Madrid serves as a reminder of what the city endured.

Map showing Spain in 1936 at the start of the civil war. Nationalist-controlled areas are shown in pink, and Republican-controlled area are shown in blue.

Just three years later, in February 1939, the Nationalists (in pink) had gained majority control of Spain. In July 1939 they won the war.

The military advance for the Battle of Guadalajara. This battle took place in 1937 and saw the Republicans defeat Nationalist forces who were attempting to encircle Madrid.

A vent providing air for underground bunkers used during the civil war has been preserved in one of the city's parks.