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Cartagena Today

The city of Cartagena

Cartagena is a city of contrasts, its rich cultural and military history merely a backdrop for the industrial and commercial activity which supports the second largest city in the Region of Murcia.

Its natural strategic port has offered shelter to traders for thousands of years, and the rich mines of the Sierra Minera provided a reason for the frequent wars which were fought in order to possess it, Cartagena still being a major naval base today, as well as boasting a rich military heritage of patrimony. The history of Cartagena charts its development and the cultures which have shaped it today.

The city has developed a lucrative tourism industry based on the number of historical places which tourists can visit and enjoy, including the RomanTheatre Museum, ARQUA, MURAM, Casa de la Fortuna, Cartagena Municipal Archaeology Museum, the Augusteum, the Molinete and other well preserved Roman buildings and museums.

In addition there has been major investment in the creation of a new market for cruise ship tourism.

Cartagena

These days the port remains a major focal point for commercial activity, and the Escombreras industrial area has attracted major businesses including the Repsol refinery, SABIC petrochemicals and Holcim concrete plants within a concealed industrial zone. Cartagena is also the home of the regional parliament building of Murcia.

The Campo de Cartagena is a major source of agricultural employment, copnsisting of flat and fertile irrigated areas where salad crops, peppers, potatoes and courgettes are grown, while non-irrigated crops include olives, carobs and almonds.

The more mountainous outlying districts of Cartagena boast extensive areas of beaches, stretching around the coastline from Isla Plana in the west to Cabo de Palos in the east. Here, the spit of La Manga del Mar Menor encloses the Mar Menor, giving Cartagena an extensive offering of prime sandy beaches with safe bathing conditions in Europe's largest saltwater lagoon.

This in turn creates a varied leisure industry, with watersports, a motor racing circuit, some of the best diving facilities in Europe and one of Spain's most prestigious golf and residential complexes, La Manga Club, all creating leisure and tourism opportunities for local businesses.

Cartagena has a rich cultural offering, with important Semana Santa and Romans and Carthaginians fiestas, Carnival, the Mar de Músicas and Cartagena Jazz festivals. The El Batel auditorium and congress centre enhances an already rich cultural programme.

LOCATION

Click for map, Cartagena Spain

There is often confusion on map searches as there is another Cartagena in Columbia. Cartagena Spain is located in the south of the region of Murcia and is a major port and industrial centre.

The municipality of Cartagena covers an area of 558 square kilometres, with a population of 218,000 making it the second most populated municipality of the 45 in the Region of Murcia.

It shares boundaries with Torre Pacheco, Los Alcázares, La Unión, Mazarrón and Fuente Álamo.

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CARTAGENA

24 Cartagena beaches awarded the Q Turistica quality certificateTwo tourist offices in the Murcia municipality also received the 'S Tourism Sustainability' award Right before the official Easter celebrations get underway in the Region of Murcia, 24 beaches and two tourist offices in Cartagena have been.. 29/03/2023

Cartagena street markets confirm they will open as usual this EasterThe public holidays will not affect the opening times of the local street markets The street markets in Cartagena municipality will stay open as normal during the Easter holidays, the Municipal Board of Street Vending has announced. These.. 29/03/2023

Cartagena prepares for the first Semana Santa procession in Spain this Friday morningFriday of Sorrows begins at 3.30 in the morning in Cartagena as the annual Easter processions begin The spectacle, religious devotion, colour and noise of the annual Semana Santa processions is now almost upon us, and as is the case every year the first.. 29/03/2023

Political parties suggest making Isla Plana and La Azohia part of MazarronOpposition parties hoping to win in the May local elections have proposed changing the jurisdiction of these two localities The Independent Unity Party of Mazarrón has expressed its intention to initiate, during the next legislature, the process.. 28/03/2023

Dates of the official Semana Santa Easter holidays in the Region of Murcia 2023Easter is coming up, but do you know when will be the festive dates and what are the red days for public bank holidays? The Region of Murcia is already getting fully into Easter, the first festive period of the year and, therefore, the most eagerly.. 27/03/2023

La Manga beaches almost ready for the Easter rushThe towns around the Mar Menor and Cartagena are preparing their beaches and green areas for the Easter holidays The beaches of the coast of Cartagena are almost ready for Easter, with workers from the Coastal Department finalising their cleaning and.. 27/03/2023

Murcia hotels expect a full house this EasterMurcia, Cartagena and Lorca all expect to be much busier than Holy Week last year Two weeks before one of the most celebrated occasions in Spain, hotels in Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca are already more than half full, with tourist bosses eagerly expecting.. 24/03/2023

Finishing touches added to Plaza Bohemia in La Manga with 1,200 square metres of pedestrian spaceNew bike lanes and wider footpaths will safely connect nearby streets with the Cartagena commercial centre The final flourishes have been applied to the long-awaited Plaza Bohemia of La Manga commercial centre and leisure area, with the addition of.. 22/03/2023

Easter Week in Cartagena can be enjoyed virtually from next year onwardsHoly Week celebrations will be captured in a new app, 'Semana Santa de Cartagena Inmersiva' From next year onwards, the best of Cartagena Easter Week will be available in virtual reality thanks to a new app. Cartagena City Council.. 21/03/2023

Recovered Spanish Navy Tonina submarine will be exhibited on land in CartagenaHalf a million euros is being spent preparing the Cartagena square for the 60-metre vessel which will open to tours The recovered Tonina (S-62) submarine, built in the Cartagena shipyard and used by the Spanish Navy between 1973 and 2005, is set to.. 17/03/2023

Padel at Club MMGRPadel is the fastest growing sport in the world, and you can join in the fun at Club MMGR History of the sport Padel Padel (also known as Paddle) originated in Mexico. The game is similar to traditional tennis and involves bouncing the ball in the opposition..

Moving extra sand onto Mar Menor beaches to make them tourist-ready harms the lagoon, say eco warriorsEnvironmentalists have charged against councils of towns around the Mar Menor for their “insensitivity” Easter is approaching and the four municipalities with a coastline along the Mar Menor – Los Alcázares, San Javier, Cartagena.. 16/03/2023

Illegal boat mooring site dismantled in La AzohiaThe unlicensed buoys for mooring boats had been used for years, but represented a danger to the environment For years, buoys have been used to allow boats to moor offshore in the bay of La Azohía, Cartagena, but the truth is that these were unsanctioned.. 16/03/2023

Mazarron Phoenician shipwreck may finally be moved to Cartagena MuseumThe 2,700-year-old ship, a protected archaeological find on the seabed off the Port of Mazarrón, may soon get the conservation it sorely needs The wreck of the Mazarrón II, an ancient ship lying on the seabed of La Isla beach, could.. 10/03/2023

Sensorial tourism on the Region of Murcia: mindful hiking and yoga experiences enable you to reconnect with Nature in the Costa Cálida!A range of mountain and beach activities in Murcia designed to reduce stress and anxiety levels The Costa Cálida and the Region of Murcia are probably best-known to visitors for the climate, the beaches, the gastronomy, the landscape and the variety..

100 people will work 7 days a week this summer to keep the Mar Menor cleanAn initial budget of 8.4 million euros is being earmarked just for the removal of organic material and sludge Murcia’s regional government has promised to invest nearly 8.5 million euros to keep removing “biomass and ova” from the.. 08/03/2023

Leroy Merlin Cartagena Banner March 290 x 290