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Madrid

A Talbots store in the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, N.J.

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  • Spain may have to revise its 2011 budget deficit

    (AP) -- Concern grew for the stability of Spain's place in the fragile eurozone economy after reports of a rise in the level of bad loans on the books of its banks and word from the government Friday that it may have to revise its 2011 budget deficit upw   Read more »

  • Djokovic, Nadal, Serena Williams advance in Rome

    (AP) -- A week after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal made early exits in Madrid on an experimental blue court, both showed they remain a force on red clay Friday by reaching the Italian Open semifinals.The top-ranked Djokovic struggled with his serve in   Read more »

  • No. 2 Federer shows off form with easy win in Rome

    (AP) -- Fresh off a title in Madrid and back at No. 2 in the rankings, Roger Federer defeated Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-4 in his opening match at the Italian Open on Wednesday.Seeking to win one of only three Masters 1000 events he's never claimed, Federer d   Read more »

  • Verdasco advances when Dolgopolov retires in Rome

    (AP) -- Coming off a win over Rafael Nadal in Madrid last week, Fernando Verdasco eased into the second round of the Italian Open on Monday when Alexandr Dolgopolov retired with a stomach ache.After the 16th-ranked Verdasco won the first set 6-0, Dolgopo   Read more »

  • Rome's red clay feels like 'paradise' to Djokovic

    (AP) -- The red clay courts of the Italian Open "seem like paradise" to Novak Djokovic after a week on the experimental blue surface in Madrid.The top-ranked Serb was one of several top players who were highly critical of the blue clay tested at the Madr   Read more »

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About Madrid

There are numerous theories regarding the origin of the name, "Madrid". Madrid was founded by Ocno Bianor (son of King Tirenio of Tuscany and Mantua) and was named "Metragirta" or "Mantua Carpetana". Others contend that the original name of the city was "Ursa" ("bear" in Latin), due to the high number of these animals that were found in the adjacent forests, which, together with the Madrone tree ("madroño" in Spanish), have been the emblem of the city from the Middle Ages. Nevertherless, it is now commonly believed that the origin of the current name of the city comes from the 2nd Century B.C., when the Roman Empire established a settlement on the banks of Manzanares river. The name of this first village was "Matrice" (a reference to the river that crossed the settlement). Following the invasions of the Sueves, Vandals and Alans during the 5th Century A.D., the Roman Empire could not defend its territories on the Iberian Peninsula, and were therefore overrun by the Visigoths. The barbarian tribes subsequently took control of "Matrice". In the 7th Century the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula saw the name changed to "Mayrit", from the Arabic term "Mayra" (referencing water as a "mother" or "source of life") and the Ibero-Roman suffix "it" that means "place". The modern "Madrid" evolved from the Mozarabic "Matrit", which is still in the Madrilenian gentilic.

from Wikipedia