Canada Real, a shanty town in Spain's Madrid Region, is a sprawling informal housing area that stretches along an 8.9-mile road connecting La Rioja and Ciudad Real.

These makeshift homes, which extend through the municipalities of Coslada, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, and Madrid, make up the largest illegal settlement in a European city.

The initial settlement, which began in the 1950s and 1960s, was built on what now forms part of the Coslada urban centre; many residents later purchased the land from the State. 

As of 2012, Canada Real was home to around 8,048 inhabitants living in 2,650 houses, making it the largest shanty town in Southern Europe at the time.

The population is diverse, housing both Spanish Romani and irregular migrants, primarily from Morocco. By 2017, the population had slightly decreased to 7,283.

It is unclear what the population is now, but local authorities estimate that it's around 4,500.

Valdemingomez, a quarter located in the heart of Canada Real, is under the control of drug gangs, drawing in users from across Madrid. 

Canada Real has also had its power shut off multiple times, which the Council of Europe's European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) has declared a breach of the European Social Charter.

The ECSR said Spain is failing to uphold its commitment to provide adequate housing for the shanty town's residents.

It said that by denying them electricity because the settlement is illegal, Spain is infringing on the basic rights of its residents and pushing them further into poverty and social exclusion.

Rita Maestre, spokesperson for the regional left-wing party Mas Madrid in the city council, urged the Madrid City Council, governed by Partido Popular, to restore power to the affected area.

She accused the Madrid city council of "trying to evict 4,500 residents from their homes", many of whom belong to the traveller community.

Manuela Bergerot, the spokesperson for Mas Madrid in the regional parliament, also called on local authorities to endorse a plan to combat discrimination.

She said: "Roma communities continue to suffer discrimination in education, employment and housing in the Madrid region."