Madrid economic, cultural, industrial, educational, and technological centre on the European continent. Madrid lies on the southern Meseta Central, 60 km south of the Guadarrama mountain range and straddling the Jarama and Manzanares river sub-drainage basins, in the wider Tagus River catchment area. There is a considerable difference in altitude within city limits ranging from in the Manzanares riverbanks in the southeast of the municipality to above sea level in the highest part of the Fuencarral-El Pardo district. Over a quarter of the Madrid municipal area is covered by the largely forested protected area of El Pardo. Madrid has an inland
Madrid zones of urbanisation can be distinguished: The largest suburbs are to the South, and in general along the main routes leading out of Madrid. "Submetropolitan areas" inside Madrid metropolitan area: Little medieval architecture is preserved in Madrid, mostly in the Almendra central, including the San Nicolás and San Pedro el Viejo church towers, the church of St. Jerome, and the Bishop's Chapel. Nor has Madrid retained much Renaissance architecture, other than the Bridge of Segovia and the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales. Many of the historic buildings of Madrid date from the Spanish Golden Age, which coincided with the Habsburgs