Barcelona (Spanish: Provincia de Barcelona [baɾθeˈlona], Catalan: Província de Barcelona [bəɾsəˈlonə]) is a province in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. The province is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea.
The area of the province is 7,733.90 km2 (2,986.08 sq mi), and the population is 5,959,941, of which 28.7% is in the city of Barcelona itself, which itself is also part of the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is both the 2nd most populous and 2nd most densely populated province in the country.
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Geography
The Catalan Pre-Coastal Range and Catalan Coastal Range mountains run through the Province of Barcelona. There are several notable smaller mountain ranges that are located in the province, including Montseny Massif, Serra de Collserola, and Tibidabo. Pedraforca is the tallest mountain in the province, located on the north side as part of the Pre-Pyrenees. Tibidabo is the mountain that overlooks the city of Barcelona.
The majority of the Province of Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate on the coast and an oceanic climate inland.
Administration
The capital of the province is the city of Barcelona, and the provincial council is based in the Casa Serra on the Rambla de Catalunya in that city. Some other cities and towns in Barcelona province include L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Martorell, Mataró, Granollers, Sabadell, Terrassa, Sitges, Igualada, Vic, Manresa, and Berga.
Since the division by provinces in Spain and the division by comarques in Catalonia do not completely agree, the term comarques of the province of Barcelona would not be entirely correct. However, a list of the comarques that are included—totally or partially—in the province of Barcelona can be made:
Fully included:
Alt Penedès
Anoia
Bages
Baix Llobregat
Barcelonès
Garraf
Maresme
Moianès
Vallès Occidental
Vallès Oriental
Partially included:
Berguedà (all municipalities except Gósol)
Osona (all municipalities except Espinelves, Vidrà and Viladrau)
Selva (only the municipality of Fogars de la Selva)
Municipalities
The province has 311 municipalities:
Demographics
As of 2025, the population is 5,959,941, of which 48.9% are male, and 51.1% are female. Minors make up 16.4% of the population, and seniors make up 19.7%.
Immigration
As of 2025, immigrants make up 25.0% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Morocco, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Ecuador.
Notes and references
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Barcelona (Spanish province)". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.