This image was acquired on July 5, 2000 and covers an area of 25 by 24 km over Madrid, Spain. A historic capital city, Madrid is renowned for its unique charm and its exhilarating cultural life. In the 10th century, a Moorish fortress called Magerit was first built on the site, a plateau 656 meters (2,150 feet) above sea level. Spanish Christians seized the city a century later, although Madrid remained relatively unimportant until 1561. It was then that the Spanish king Philip II chose it as the national capital, largely because of its geographic location in the very heart of the country. Some historic structures from this and later periods still grace the narrow streets of the old section of Madrid, although the Spanish Civil War exacted a heavy toll on the city.