The Gaixample (Catalan pronunciation: [ɡajˈʃampɫə]; portmanteau: gai, Catalan for "gay" and eixample, "extension") is the nickname of a central area in Barcelona's Eixample district where, since the end of the 20th century, lots of gay shops, bars, discos and restaurants have appeared. Meanwhile, the gay population has risen enormously, because lots of members of the LGBT collective have settled in this area of the Catalan capital.