Cartagena () is a Spanish city and a major

naval station A Naval Station was a geographic command responsible for conducting all naval operations within its defined area. It may consist of flotillas, or squadrons, or individual ships under command. The British Royal Navy for command purposes was separ ...

on the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Iberia. As of January 2018, it has a population of 218,943 inhabitants, being the region's second-largest municipality and the country's sixth-largest non-provincial-capital city. The metropolitan area of Cartagena, known as ''

Campo de Cartagena Campo de Cartagena, is a natural region (comarca) located in the Region of Murcia, in Spain. For administrative purposes, it is also known, as Comarca del Campo de Cartagena or Comarca de Cartagena. It is located in the southeast of the Iberian ...

'', has a population of 409,586 inhabitants. Cartagena has been inhabited for over two millennia, being founded around 227 BC by the Carthaginian

Hasdrubal the Fair Hasdrubal the Fair ( xpu, 𐤏𐤆𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤋 , ''ʿAzrobaʿl''; –221BC) was a Carthaginian military leader and politician, governor in Iberia after Hamilcar Barca's death, and founder of Cartagena. Family Livy's ''History of Rome'' rec ...

as ''Qart Hadasht'' ( phn, 𐤒𐤓𐤕𐤟𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕 QRT𐤟ḤDŠT; meaning "New Town"), the same name as the original city of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

. The city had its heyday during the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

, when it was known as ''Carthago Nova'' (the New Carthage) and ''Carthago Spartaria'', capital of the province of

Carthaginensis Hispania Carthaginensis was a Roman province segregated from Hispania Tarraconensis in the new division of Hispania by emperor Diocletian in 298. The capital of the new province was settled in Carthago Nova, now Cartagena. It encompassed the ...

. Much of the historical significance of Cartagena stemmed from its coveted defensive port, one of the most important in the western Mediterranean. Cartagena has been the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the Mediterranean since the arrival of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. As far back as the 16th century it was one of the most important naval ports in Spain, together with Ferrol in the North. It is still an important naval seaport, the main military haven of Spain, and is home to a large naval shipyard. The confluence of civilizations as well as its strategic harbour, together with the rise of the local mining industry is manifested by a unique artistic heritage, with a number of landmarks such as the

Roman Theatre Roman theatres derive from and are part of the overall evolution of earlier Greek theatres. Indeed, much of the architectural influence the Romans came from the Greeks, and theatre structural design was no different from other buildings. However ...

, the second largest of the Iberian Peninsula after the one in Mérida, an abundance of Phoenician,

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

remains, and a plethora of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

buildings, a result of the bourgeoisie from the early 20th century. Cartagena is now established as a major cruise ship destination in the Mediterranean and an emerging cultural focus. It was the first of a number of cities that have been named Cartagena, most notably

Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a lin ...

Geography and climate

Geography and relief

The city of Cartagena is located in the southeastern region of Spain in the

. The Cartagena region can be viewed as a great plain inclined slightly in the direction NW-SE, bordered at the north and the northwest by pre-coastal mountain ranges (Carrascoy, El Puerto, Los Villares, Columbares and Escalona), and at the south and southwest by coastal mountain ranges (El Algarrobo, La Muela, Pelayo, Gorda, La Fausilla y Minera, with its last spurs in

Cape Palos Cape Palos ( es, Cabo de Palos) is a cape in the Spanish municipality of Cartagena, in the region of Murcia. It is part of a small range of volcanic mounts that form a small peninsula. The Mediterranean islands of Grosa and the group known as ...

). The dominant geology of the region is metamorphic (slate, marble) and sedimentary (limestone). The most widely present kind of soil is calcic xerosol. Other soils that occur in the municipality are the

leptosol A Leptosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a very shallow soil over hard rock or a deeper soil that is extremely gravelly and/or stony. Leptosols cover approximately 1.7 billion hectares of the Earth's surface. They are ...

, which forms the Mediterranean coast, and the petrocalcic xerosol. The city is located just at the end of the new AP-7 motorway. The following villages are part of Cartagena municipality:

La Azohía LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

, Isla Plana, Los Urrutias and Los Nietos. The Old Town is limited by five small hills (Molinete, Monte Sacro, Monte de San José, Despeñaperros and Monte de la Concepción) following the example of Rome. In the past, there was an inner sea between the hills called the Estero that eventually dried up. On this site, the "Ensanche" (Expansion or New Town) was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The urban area is delimited or crossed by several watercourses, some of which go deep into the urban network during a large part of their courses.

Climate

Cartagena has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

. Its location near the sea moderates the temperature, and annual precipitation typically does not surpass . The annual average temperature goes up to around . The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of . In August, the warmest month, the average temperature is . The wind is an important climatic factor in the region.

Human geography

The municipality has 24 districts, known as ''diputaciones'' (councils). The origin of this administrative structure has its date in the beginning of the 18th century when population was increasing and the municipality was becoming less tractable. The districts are: * Cartagena Casco: This is the district where the main town (also named Cartagena) is placed and is located in the south of the municipality. Its population consisted of 57,001 in 2019. * San Antonio Abad: It is located in the south of the municipality and adjoins Cartagena Casco in its south and Canteras in its west. The number of inhabitants was 44,882 in 2019. * El Plan: It adjoins La Magdalena in its west and Lentiscar in its east. There were 35,974 residents in 2019. *

Rincón de San Ginés Rincón de San Ginés is a district of the Spanish municipality Cartagena and is located in the south-east end. The territory is adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea in its south and east and is adjacent to a coastal salty lagoon named Mar Menor ...

: It is located in the southeast end of the municipality. Its population consisted of 10,214 people in the year 2019. * Canteras: This coastal district is placed in the south of the territory and faces the Mediterranean Sea in its south. It is also adjoining to Perín in its west and San Antonio Abad in its east. There were 10,167 people living in the year 2019. *

El Algar El Algar is a district of the Spanish municipality Cartagena. It is located in the east of Cartagena and has an area of 26.659 km2. It shares borders with Lentiscar at its north, San Félix at its east, La Unión municipality at its south east, E ...

: It is located in the east of Cartagena and adjoins Lentiscar in its north. The number of inhabitants consisted in 7,961. * Santa Lucía: It is placed in the south of the municipality and faces the Mediterranean Sea in its south. * La Palma: It is located in the north of the municipality. It shares borders with Lentiscar in its east. * Pozo Estrecho: It is placed in the north of Cartagena and shares borders with La Palma in its east and with El Albujón in its west. There were 5,149 people who resided in the area in the year 2019. * La Aljorra: This district occupies the northwestern end of the municipality. The number of inhabitants equalled to 4,962 people in the year 2019. * La Magdalena: It occupies part of the west of the municipality and adjoins La Aljorra in its north. Its population consisted of 3,893 in the year 2019. * Alumbres: It is located in the southeast quarter of Cartagena. * Albujón: It is placed in the northwest of Cartagena and shares borders with La Aljorra in its west. * San Félix: It is located in the approximate centre of Cartagena and is adjacent to Lentiscar in its northeast. The territory was inhabited by 2,694 people in the year 2019. * Santa Ana: This district is placed in the northern half of Cartagena. It adjoins Pozo Estrecho in its north. Its population consisted of 2,501 people in the year 2019. * El Beal: The territory is located in the east of the municipality and shares borders with Rincón de San Ginés in its south. There were 2,342 residents present in the year 2019. * Lentiscar: This district is placed in the northeast end of Cartagena. There were 2,022 residents in the year 2019. * Perín: It is located in the south of the municipality and adjoins the Mediterranean Sea in its south and Los Puertos in its west. Perín was home to 1,591 people in the year 2019. * Los Puertos: It occupies the southwest end, but also part of inner west that is not end of the municipality and is adjoining Campo Nubla in its west. This was inhabited by 1,349 people in the year 2019. * Miranda: This district is placed in the northwest quarter of Cartagena. It shares borders with Pozo Estrecho in its northeast and El albujón in its northwest. * Hondón: It is located in the southeast quarter and is adjoining San Félix in its south. The district was inhabited by 1,117 people in the year 2019. * Campo Nubla: This district occupies part of the west end of the municipality. The territory was home to 203 people in the year 2019. * Los Médicos: It is placed in the northern half of the territory. The district shares borders with La Palma and Pozo Estrecho in its north. * Escombreras: It is located in the south of Cartagena. There were 9 people living in the area in the year 2019.

Environment

Despite the intense mining, tourist and industrial exploitation that the area has suffered for centuries, the territory around Cartagena city hosts an extraordinary natural wealth and diversity, with a large number of botanical endemic species. Part of its area is subject to different levels of legal protection.

Flora

Cartagena's coastal mountains have one of the highest levels of botanical biodiversity on the Iberian Peninsula. A number of surprising Ibero-African species, which are only found in southern Spain (mostly in the provinces of

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

and

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

) and North Africa. Among these, there stands out ''

Tetraclinis articulata ''Tetraclinis'' (also called arar, araar or Sictus tree) is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, ''Tetraclinis articulata'', also known as Thuja articulata,Morocco,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, Tunisia, Malta, and Cartagena, growing at relatively low altitudes in a hot, dry Mediterranean woodland. Some species are seriously endangered like the siempreviva de Cartagena ( Limonium carthaginense), the (

Sideritis ''Sideritis'', also known as ironwort, mountain tea, and shepherd's tea, is a genus of flowering plants known for their use as herbal medicine, commonly as an herbal tea. They are abundant in Mediterranean regions, the Balkans, the Iberian Penins ...

marmironensis), the zamarrilla de Cartagena (

Teucrium ''Teucrium'' is a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, commonly known as germanders. Plants in this genus are perennial herbs or shrubs, with branches that are more or less square in cross-section, leaves arranged in ...

carthaginense), the manzanilla de Escombreras (

Anthemis chrysantha Anthemis chrysantha (known in Spanish as manzanilla de Escombreras or "Escombreras chamomile") is an Ibero-North African annual asteraceae endemism present in a few Cartagenan and Algerian islets and coastal locations. Researchers have observed ...

), the garbancillo de Tallante (

Astragalus nitidiflorus ''Astragalus nitidiflorus'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to Cartagena, southeast of Spain. It was refound after about 100 years of extinction and "the reappearance of this species has awakened the interest of env ...

) and the jara de Cartagena

Cistus heterophyllus ''Cistus heterophyllus'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. Description ''Cistus heterophyllus'' grows up to tall, forming an erect, much-branched shrub. Its leaves are elliptical to lanceolate in shape, usually l ...

carthaginensis).

Fauna

Among the animal species includes some threatened or endangered ones like the

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey ( raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey ba ...

, the

Eurasian eagle-owl The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. It is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. It is one of the largest species of owl, and female ...

, the

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds ...

and the Bonelli's eagle, the

spur-thighed tortoise The Greek tortoise (''Testudo graeca''), also known commonly as the spur-thighed tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. ''Testudo graeca'' is one of five species of Mediterranean tortoises ( genera '' Testudo'' and '' ...

, the

greater horseshoe bat The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an insectivorous bat of the genus '' Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe and ...

and, especially, the

Spanish toothcarp The Spanish toothcarp (''Aphanius iberus''), also known as the Spanish pupfish or Iberian killifish, is a small, endemic species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. Its risk of extinction is one of the greatest of any Iberian vertebrate. Its ...

, a fish endemic to south-eastern Spain. In addition, the presence of the common chameleon (the only chameleon in Europe) has been documented for about 30 years, although it is not clear whether it is native or introduced. Some other species of note include the

greater flamingo The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and in southern Europe. Taxonomy The greater flamingo was desc ...

, the red fox, the European rabbit, the

European badger The European badger (''Meles meles''), also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range and a large stab ...

, the

beech marten The beech marten (''Martes foina''), also known as the stone marten, house marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is ...

, the

common genet The common genet (''Genetta genetta'') is a small viverrid indigenous to Africa that was introduced to southwestern Europe. It is widely distributed north of the Sahara, in savanna zones south of the Sahara to southern Africa and along the coa ...

, the

wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

and the wild boar.

Protected areas

Mar Menor Mar Menor (, "minor/smaller sea") is a coastal saltwater lagoon in the Iberian Peninsula located south-east of the Autonomous Community of Murcia, Spain, near Cartagena. Its name is the opposite of the Mediterranean, which is the (greater/lar ...

, a salty lagoon separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a sand bar in length and with a variable width from . It has a surface area of nearly , a coastal length of , and warm and clear water with relatively high salinity, which does not exceed in depth. It belongs to four municipalities, including Cartagena. In 1994, it was included on the list of the Ramsar Convention (nº706) for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands. It is also one of the

Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) are sites "of importance for conserving the components of biological diversity in the Mediterranean; contain ecosystems specific to the Mediterranean area or the habitats of endangered s ...

(SPAMI) by the United Nations. Its five volcanic islands (Perdiguera, Mayor or del Barón, del Ciervo, Redonda and del Sujeto) just like

El Carmolí El Carmolí is an area in Los Urrutias, Cartagena municipality, in the Campo de Cartagena comarca, Region of Murcia, southeastern Spain. It used to be the site of a military air base, located near a homonymous hill in the flat Mar Menor area. O ...

and San Ginés hills, the Hita and Amoladora beaches, the Lo Poyo salt marsh and the salt mines of Marchamalo are protected as well. * Calblanque, Monte de las Cenizas and Peña del Águila, declared a Natural Park and

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration ...

(SCI). It is located in the south-east of the municipality. * Sierra de la Muela, Cabo Tiñoso and Roldán mountain, Natural Park,

and Special Protection Area (SPA). It occurs in the south-west of the municipality. * Sierra de la Fausilla, Special Protection Area. It is placed in the south of Escombreras district and between Cartagena and Calblanque Regional Park. * Islands and Islets of the Mediterranean coast, including Grossa Island (belonging to the municipality of San Javier, Hormigas Islands, Palomas Islands and Escombreras Islands, some of them also designed as Special Protection Area.

History

Prehistory

There is mention of the presence of individuals belonging to the genus ''Homo'' in the cave Cueva Victoria 1,300,000 years ago. This cave is located in the southeastern quarter of Cartagena. Remains of Neanderthal individuals of the

Mousterian culture The Mousterian (or Mode III) is an archaeological industry of stone tools, associated primarily with the Neanderthals in Europe, and to the earliest anatomically modern humans in North Africa and West Asia. The Mousterian largely defines the la ...

were found in the

Cave of Los Aviones Cave of Los Aviones, located at sea level near Cartagena in southeastern Spain, is a paleontology site dating back to the Middle Paleolithic era. It is famous for having yielded in 2010 several perforated and painted seashell beads thought to hav ...

. This place is located close to Cartagena. There were also remains of Neanderthals belonging to the Mousterian culture in the cave Cueva Bermeja, which is placed in the southwestern quarter of the municipality. At the southeast corner of the municipality remains of humans of the

Upper Paleolithic The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coi ...

were discovered. The paleonthological sites are the Abrigo de Los Déntoles cove, the Cueva de Los Mejillones cave, and the Cabezo de San Ginés (hill). The West of the municipality was also the scene of human activity in that period. Concrete evidence of this are the Cueva del Caballo and Cueva Bermeja caves. The southeast end of Cartagena was inhabited again during the Mesolithic. Important spots are the Cueva de Los Pájaros and Cueva de Los Mejillones (caves). Neolithic components such as ceramic remains were located. The southeast of Cartagena was again inhabited during the Neolithic. The sites are Las Amoladeras and Calblanque. The south of the Alumbres district was also inhabited during that period. The archaeological site is located in the Cerro del Gorguel hill and in it a characteristic Neolithic hamlet was discovered. The reasons for the dearth of human presence and structures in this municipality during the Neolithic period were the lack of rainfall and the absence of water beds. During the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

there was a similar situation. The

Argaric The Argaric culture, named from the type site El Argar near the town of Antas, in what is now the province of Almería in southeastern Spain, is an Early Bronze Age culture which flourished between c. 2200 BC and 1550 BC. The Argaric culture w ...

civilization inhabited the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula (

Región de Murcia The Region of Murcia (, ; es, Región de Murcia ), is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean coast. The region is in area and had a population of 1,511,251 as at the s ...

and

) during the Bronze Age. Nevertheless, they did not significantly occupy this municipality, there were few structures belonging to them and they had little relevance here. They lived in the northwest.

Ancient history

The town was originally named

Mastia Mastia (or ''Massia of the Tartessians'') is the name of an ancient Iberian settlement, belonging to the Tartessian confederation, once located in southeastern Spain. It has traditionally been associated with the city of Cartagena (Spain). The a ...

. Possessing one of the best harbors in the Western Mediterranean, it was re-founded by the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal in 228 BC as ''Qart Hadasht'' ("New City"), a name identical to

, for the purpose of serving as a stepping-off point for the conquest of Spain. The Roman general Scipio Africanus conquered it in 209 BC and renamed it as ''Carthago Nova'' (literally "New ''New City''") to distinguish it from the mother city. It became a tributary community (''

civitas stipendaria A ''civitas stipendaria'' or ''stipendiaria'', meaning "tributary state/community", was the lowest and most common type of towns and local communities under Roman rule. Each Roman province comprised a number of communities of different status. Al ...

''). Julius Caesar gave the town Latin Rights, and Octavian renamed it in his honor as the colony ''Colonia Victrix Iulia Nova Carthago'' or ''Colonia Vrbs Iulia Nova Carthago'' (C. V. I. N. C.) depending on the source. The city was very relevant both in the Carthaginian and the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. In 298 AD, Diocletian constituted a new Roman province in Hispania called

and settled the capital in this city. It remained important until it was sacked by the Vandals in 435 AD. During the Roman period, it was the site of major silver mines, yielding a daily revenue of 25,000 drachmae. It was known also for the production of garum, a fermented fish sauce, and for

esparto grass Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. '' Stipa tenacissima'' and '' Lygeum spart ...

which granted it a new name, ''Cartago Spartaria''.

Middle Ages

The demise and fall of Western Roman sovereignty caused Cartago Spartaria to go into decline. It was occupied successively by the Vandals (409–425), the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

(425–551 and 624–714) and the

Eastern Romans The Byzantine Greeks were the Greek-speaking Eastern Romans of Orthodox Christianity throughout Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. They were the main inhabitants of the lands of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), of Constantinople ...

(551–624), who made it the capital of

Spania Spania ( la, Provincia Spaniae) was a province of the Eastern Roman Empire from 552 until 624 in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. It was established by the Emperor Justinian I in an effort to restore the western prov ...

(the Byzantine Empire's westernmost province). Cartagena was re-conquered by the Visigoths, who held it until the Muslim conquest in 714 AD. By that time it was barely a fishing village. It was called Qartayannat-al-Halfa. It was subsequently ruled by the Umayyads (714–756), the Caliphate of Cordova (756–1031), the

Taifa of Denia The ''taifas'' (singular ''taifa'', from ar, طائفة ''ṭā'ifa'', plural طوائف ''ṭawā'if'', a party, band or faction) were the independent Muslim principalities and kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal and Spain), re ...

(1031–1076), the Taifa of Saragossa (1076–1081), the

Taifa of Tortosa The Taifa of Tortosa () was a medieval Islamic taifa kingdom. It existed for two separate periods, from 1010 to 1060 and 1081 to 1099. It was founded by the Slavic warlord Labib al-Fata al-Saqlabi. List of Emirs Saqlabi (Servile Rulers) dynasty * ...

(1081–1092), the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that ...

(1092–1145), the

Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire ...

(1145–1229) and the

Taifa of Murcia The Taifa of Murcia () was an Arab '' taifa'' of medieval Al-Andalus, in what is now southern Spain. It became independent as a ''taifa'' centered on the Moorish city of Murcia after the fall of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba (11th centur ...

(1229–1245). Following the local refusal to abide to the 1243 Treaty of Alcazaz, a Castilian army led by the infante Alfonso of Castile took Cartagena by force in 1245 by means of a military operation combining land forces and a Cantabrian fleet. It was granted a ''

fuero (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ; all ...

'' copied after Córdoba's in 1246. Similarly to the other subdued rebel towns, it early underwent an aggressive process of Castilianization. The Bishopric of Cartagena was created. In 1270, Alfonso created the

Order of Santa María de España The Order of Saint Mary of Spain ( Spanish: Orden de Santa María de España), also known as the Order of the Star, was a Spanish military order concentrating in naval activity created by Alfonso X of Castile, King of León and Castile in 1270. ...

for the naval defense of the Crown of Castile and established its headquarters in Cartagena. In 1296, Cartagena was briefly annexed to the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Ba ...

, but returned to Castile by the Treaty of Elx in 1305, which fixed the final boundary between the kingdoms of Valencia and Murcia. Cartagena then lost its status as royal demesne and became a seigneurial jurisdiction, a situation which lasted until 1346. Cartagena did not fully recover until the 18th century, when it became a leading naval port in the Mediterranean.

Modern history

On 3 September 1643, the Battle of Cartagena took place near the

Cabo de Gata Cabo de Gata is a cape located in Níjar, Almería in the south of Spain, one of the biggest capes. It is the driest place in the Iberian Peninsula (150-170 mm average precipitation, being the lowest 52 mm in 1981). However, the area th ...

between a Spanish fleet and a French fleet. In 1728, Cartagena became the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the Mediterranean and the city was heavily fortified with the construction of a modern castle in the place of a former Moorish

Kasbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alc ...

, several barracks and a huge arsenal. In a relatively short period of time, the population of the city grew from around 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. In 1757, during the Seven Years' War, a French naval force was forced to take shelter in the port. A squadron under Duquesne sent to reinforce them was attacked and defeated by a British squadron under Henry Osborn at the Battle of Cartagena. Manuel de la cruz vazquez-vista de cartagena

Manuel de la cruz vazquez-vista de cartagena

In 1873, the city established a self-governing Canton of Cartagena and become the center of the

Cantonal Revolution The Cantonal rebellion was a cantonalism, cantonalist insurrection that took place during the First Spanish Republic between July 1873 and January 1874. Its protagonists were the "intransigent" federal Republicans, who wanted to establish immed ...

. Governmental forces besieged the city for several months until they surrendered. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), Cartagena was the main base of the

Spanish Republican Navy The Spanish Republican Navy was the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. History In the same manner as the other two branches of the Spanish Republ ...

and one of the primary strongholds of the

Republican Government Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represen ...

. It held out against the forces of General Francisco Franco longer than any other city in Spain, being the last of its cities to surrender. The city saw its industrial activity increased during the 1950s, resulting in more prosperity and this trend continued until a general decline in manufacturing throughout Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Present

At the moment, Cartagena comprises part of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and is the seat of the Regional Assembly of Murcia. It is also capital of the maritime province of Cartagena, which was granted by the Royal Decree of 5 October 1607 under the reign of Philip III.

Demographics

According to the Municipal census, as of January 2011, Cartagena has 218,210 inhabitants, ranking 24th in Spain in terms of population (and 6th among the non-capitals). 182,021 people live in the urban area and 39,840 in the several satellite quarters. According to the official population data, 14.73% of the municipality's population had a foreign nationality. Its metropolitan area, which includes the municipalities of La Unión,

Fuente Álamo de Murcia Fuente Álamo de Murcia is a town and municipality in the Region of Murcia, southern Spain. It is situated 22 km northwest of Cartagena and 35 km south west of Murcia. The town lies in the basin of the Mar Menor surrounded by the mount ...

Los Alcázares Los Alcázares () is a municipality and a coastal spa town and former fishing village on the western side of the Mar Menor in the autonomous community and province of Murcia, southeastern Spain. The Mar Menor (little sea) belongs to three othe ...

, San Javier, Torre Pacheco,

San Pedro del Pinatar San Pedro del Pinatar is a small town and municipality in the Region of Murcia, southeastern Spain. The municipality is situated at the northern end of Murcia's Mediterranean coastline, the Costa Cálida, and borders the province of Alicante. ...

and

Mazarrón Mazarrón is a municipality in the autonomous community and province of Murcia, southeastern Spain. The municipality has an area of , and a population of 31,562 inhabitants in 2019. A military fort (named C1 or ''Castillitos''-small castles) b ...

, has a total of 390,983 inhabitants.

Economy

Economy activities related to energy are among the main ones in the municipality. They are located in Valle de Escombreras. This spot, which is a valley, is located in a district named Escombreras that is placed in the south of the municipality and of 5–10 km from the main locality by its west. Agriculture is another noteworthy activity in the Cartagena and 37.9% of the territory consisted of crop lands in 2017. The most widely grown products are melons, lettuces, potatoes, lemons and almonds. 52.77% of the agreements occurred in this sector and 42.83% of the workers were hired as labourers in 2012. the Shipbuilding has less weight than some centuries ago, but it is still moderately important. This is performed in the port of Cartagena, the main locality of the municipality. Plastic production is also performed, specifically in the northwest of the territory. The tertiary sector has risen during the last decades, specifically tourism and hotel industry. 14,12% of the agreements in the municipality were aimed at waiters in 2012.

Government and administration

As generally in Spain, the governors of the municipalities are indirectly elected on the day of municipal and regional elections, every four years. The

D'Hondt system The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is a method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in party-list proportional representation systems. It belongs to the class of highest ...

is used for allocating the governors from the votes. The body of all the elected councilors is named ''pleno'' and has 27 members in Cartagena. The head governor has the name of ''

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

'' (feminine, ''alcaldesa''). Since Cartagena is inhabited by more than 5,000 people, there is also a ''junta de gobierno local'', the members are selected by the ''alcalde'' from the ''pleno''. Currently, there are 9 members in the governing cabinet. Four members of the cabinet belong to Partido Popular party, one to Ciudadanos and there are also four nonpartisan politicians, including the ''alcaldesa'', who belonged to

PSOE The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...

(Partido Socialista Obrero Español) party but were expelled of the party because they had made an agreement with Partido Popular party and Ciudadanos in order to compose the ''pleno''. There are also committees named ''juntas vecinales'' in some localities and districts. Administrative centres are also available for inhabitants who don't live in the main town and the can perform some administrative processes there. They are located in some districts and localities and name is ''omitas''.

Main sights

Thanks to its strategic position on the Mediterranean, Cartagena has been inhabited by many different cultures, which have left their mark on its rich cultural heritage during a glorious and turbulent history. The "Cartagena, Port of Cultures" initiative was created to allow visitors to enjoy a wide range of activities and visits, discovering the cultural wealth and rich history of the city. It is one of several projects to energize the tourist possibilities of this potential major cultural destination, frequently neglected by the mass-tourism, due to the proximity of several holiday resorts, and the refinery and other industrial development, which gave a bad reputation to the city because of pollution; these last have now fortunately been eradicated.

Archaeological sites

Although there are some ruins from the Carthaginian period, like the remains of the Punic rampart (built in 227 BC with the foundation of the city), most of its oldest monuments date from the time of the

when Cartagena flourished. The archaeologist

Blanca Roldán Blanca (meaning "white" in Spanish) may refer to: Locations United States * Casa Blanca, California or Blanca, a former unincorporated community * Blanca, Colorado, a Statutory Town *Blanca Peak, a mountain in Colorado * Blanca Wetlands, a prote ...

studied this Punic Rampart and other Punic remains, especially on the Molinete Hill. Among its numerous Roman remains, the recently restored Roman theatre of Carthago Nova is prominent and is one of the city's landmarks. Work on it started at the end of the 2nd century BC. The Roman Theatre Museum was recently officially inaugurated. In Roman Republican Times, the mines near Cartagena provided silver and lead for all the Roman Empire. Other Roman remains can be found in several buildings and interpretative centres, including the Roman Colonnade, the House of Fortune, the ''decumanus/cardo'' and the ''

Augusteum An Augusteum (plural ''Augustea'') was originally a site of imperial cult in ancient Roman religion, named after the imperial title of Augustus. It was known as a Sebasteion in the Greek East of the Roman Empire. Examples have been excavated in ...

''. The '' Torre Ciega'' was built by the Romans for burials; it formed part of the Necropolis. The Roman Amphitheatre (1st century AD) was sited where the now-abandoned Bullring was built, but only some of the surrounding walls and part of the rooms under the stands are still visible. Recent work is revealing more evidence. Besides the Roman heritage, archaeological sights include the remains of the Santa María la Vieja Cathedral, which was irreversibly destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. It dates from the end of the 13th century. The decorated floor of a Roman house of the 1st century BC can be found in the crypt. A Byzantine rampart can be found, close to the Roman Theatre and the Cathedral. The Concepción Castle (now Centre for the Interpretation of the History of Cartagena) was reconstructed in the 13th century using large structures from the Amphitheatre. Apart from the Roman Theatre Museum, there are also two important archaeological museums: the Municipal Archaeological Museum and the recently opened Arqua (National Museum of Maritime Archaeology).

Baroque and Neo-classical buildings

The ''Campus Muralla del Mar'', an old military hospital, was one of the first works carried out after the transformation of the city into the main Spanish naval base in the Mediterranean, and is now the seat of the Polytechnic University. In the vicinity, there is the Autopsy Theatre, which is where anatomy classes used to be given. Rehabilitation for tourism provides for the interpretation of the nearby buildings at the time of their construction. These buildings and several other baroque or neo-classical buildings demonstrate the military importance of Cartagena. These include the Charles III Rampart, the Castillo de San Julián, the Arsenal, the Midshipmen's Barracks (academy and naval barracks), the Naval Headquarter Palace (built in 1740 and subsequently rebuilt) and the Artillery Headquarters, which also houses the Military Museum. Among the Baroque or Neo-classical Churches in Cartagena are ''El Carmen'', ''Santo Domingo'' and ''Santa Maria de Gracia''. The austere facade of the Molina House hides the Centre of Arts and Craft.

Modernist and Eclectic buildings

Cartagena is home to numerous

buildings from the early 20th century, when a bourgeoisie settled in the city due to the growth of the local mining industry. These buildings include the City Hall, the Grand Hotel, the Casino (all of them among the city's landmarks). The Railway Station has some outstanding iron doors and columns on its facade, and inside can still be seen the original ticket office, door frame, ceiling, and lamps. Other modernist or eclectic houses include the Clares House, the Aguirre Palace (which houses the Regional Museum of Modern Art, or MURAM), the Cervantes House (relatively big in comparison with other modernist buildings), the Llagostera House, the Pedreño Palace, the Dorda House, the Zapata House and the Urban Expansion Company House. Several charming, lively streets cover this area, such as Calle Mayor (High Street), the major pedestrian and commercial street of the city, full of boutiques and bars with typical "tapas", Carmen Street, Puertas de Murcia Street and many more. The Caridad church is one of the most important churches in the city, since it is dedicated to the patron of Cartagena, Nuestra Señora de Caridad. The interior is dominated by a dome, similar to the Pantheon of Agrippa, in Rome. There are also several outstanding sculptures by the famous Murcian sculptor

Francisco Salzillo Francisco Salzillo y Alcaraz (12 May 1707 – 2 March 1783Malgares Guerrero, José Antonio. XXII Jornadas de Patrimonio Cultural de la Región de Murcia (Spanish). 2011, p. 418. ) was a Spanish sculptor. He is the most representative Spanish ...

and his school.

Modern sights

The Civil War Shelter-Museum is based on the galleries excavated out the Concepción hill (site of the Castle) to serve as air-raid shelters during the Spanish Civil War. Many naval and military attractions belong to this era, such as the Naval Museum and the world-famous

Peral Submarine ''Peral'' was the first successful full electric battery-powered submarine, built by the Spanish engineer and sailor Isaac Peral for the Spanish Navy, in Arsenal de la Carraca (today's Navantia). The first fully capable military submarine, she ...

invented by Isaac Peral (born in Cartagena) that was launched in 1888 as one of the first

submarines A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

ever. It was displayed on Cartagena's harbour promenade until its move to the Naval Museum, after a full restoration. The Monument to the Heroes of Santiago de Cuba and Cavite (1923) is a war memorial erected in honour of the Spanish sailors who died in combat with the US Navy in waters off

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest o ...

and Santiago off the

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and Cuban coasts. Other attractions include the Lift-Gangway near the former Bullring and the Concepción Hill, the Regional Assembly (the Parliament of the Region of Murcia) whose facade includes architectural influences from the Renaissance while maintaining a modernist air (typical in the Levant), and the Carmen Conde-Antonio Moliner Museum that reconstructs the atmosphere in which these poets from Cartagena created some of their most important works.

Beaches

Although the city itself is only a port, within the city limits lies part of

La Manga del Mar Menor La Manga (), or La Manga del Mar Menor (meaning "The Sandbar of the Minor Sea") is a seaside spit of Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The strip is 21 km long and 100 metres wide (average), separating the Mediterranean Sea from the ...

(the other part belonging to the municipality of San Javier) which encompasses the

. Cartagena also includes part of the Murcian Mediterranean Coast. Cartagena holds the distinction of being the Spanish city with the most beaches (10) certified "Q for Quality" by the ICTE ( Instituto para la Calidad Turística Española). These beaches are: Cala Cortina, Islas Menores, Playa Honda beach, Mar de Cristal, Cala del Pino, Cavanna beach, Barco Perdido beach, El Galúa beach, Levante beach and La Gola beach. El Portús beach is adjacent to the

naturist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

camping site, so nude bathing is practiced on this beach.

Healthcare

Cartagena is in Healtharea II (Cartagena) in Region of Murcia. In this area there are 17 subareas, and 13 are in the municipality. 2 hospitals are included in the region and both are placed in the municipality. Cartagena is also home to 30 ''consultorios'' (primary care health centres with fewer functions than the ''centros de salud'') and 12 ''centros de salud''.

Transport

Cartagena is served by the

Autopista AP-7 The ''Autopista AP-7'' (also called ''Autopista del Mediterráneo'') ( ca, Autopista de la Mediterrània) is a Spanish autopista (controlled-access highway). It runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain. AP-7 has two different sections (911+ ...

linking it to towns and cities further up the Mediterranean coast, and Autovía A-30 to

. The

Chinchilla–Cartagena railway The Chinchilla–Cartagena railway is an Iberian-gauge railway in Spain. History The line was completed between 1863 and 1863. In 2003, the Chinchilla train crash occurred on the line, where a passenger train and a freight train collided, killin ...

reached

Cartagena railway station Cartagena railway station is the main railway station in the Spanish city of Cartagena in the Region of Murcia. It is the terminus of the Chinchilla–Cartagena railway, and the current station building opened in 1903. Services Cartagena is ser ...

in 1863 and the current station opened in 1903. It will be the future terminus of the Madrid–Levante high-speed rail network. The narrow-gauge

Cartagena-Los Nietos Line The Cartagena-Los Nietos Line is a narrow-gauge railway in the Murcia Region of Spain, connecting the city of Cartagena with smaller satellite towns to its east. History The railway line was first developed in the late nineteenth century to ser ...

serves commuters between Cartagena and La Unión and Los Nietos to the east. Bus facilities are also present in Cartagena by the urban bus service. There are lines to localities of the municipalities and adjacent municipalities such as La Unión and Torre-Pacheco.

Education

There are 9 early childhood and primary education public centres in the main town and 5 secondary centres. Four ''concertados'' (semiprivate or quasiprivate) centres are also placed in the territory and they include primary as well as secondary education. 38 primary education centres are located in the other districts as well as 10 secondary education centres. A special education centre can be found in the district El Plan, that is in the east of the western half of Cartagena. A public university named Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), a centre of the public distance university UNED, a campus of the private university Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM) and a private university, which name is ISEN, occur in the municipality. UPCT includes degrees related to engineering and architecture, in UNED there are 28 degrees, in UCAM people can choose among 9 degrees and in ISEN 9 degrees are taught. There are also three vocational education centres (CIFP) in the municipality, but vocational degrees are taught in some secondary education centres (IES). The main town is home to a centre of a national public organisation about language teaching. English, French, German, Arabic and Italian are taught from A1 level to C2. They town council has an organisation named Universidad Popular de Cartagena where several courses are taught and courses for access to middle vocational degrees, higher vocational degrees and university degrees are included. A centre for adult education can also be found in the main town where people can study elemental contents, secondary education for adults, the contents of the secondary education examination, the contents of the entry examination for CFGS (higher level vocational education), the contents of the entry examination for university degrees, Spanish, English, and a FPB (basic vocational education) for Computing.

Sports

Probably, the most remarkable element in regards to sports is Fútbol Club Cartagena (F. C. Cartagena) team, which is in Segunda División, the second level of the Spanish football league system. Another sport team is Futsal Cartagena, which is most in Segunda División during most seasons. A successful team is UCAM Cartagena Tenis de Mesa. Others sport that are played in the municipality is basketball along with Club Basket Cartagena; handball, which most noteworthy team is C.A.B. Cartagena and badminton along with UPCT Bádminton Cartagena. An international competition of aesthetic group gymnastics was held along with IFAGG (International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics) in Cartagena from 17 May to 19. In regards to sports facilities, the two main ones for the average citizen are two pavilions, which names are Pabellón Central or Wsell de Guimbarda and Piscina Municipal, but there are also pavilions and sports facilities in the districts. A stadium can also be found in the main city area.

Notable people

(c. 270 BC – 221 BC), military leader and general * Licinianus of Cartagena (554–602), archbishop of the Diocese Cartaginense * Hazim al-Qartayanni (1184–1211), poet * Juan Fernández (1528–1599), mariner and explorer of the Pacific Ocean and Polynesia * Sebastián Raval (1550–1604), composer *

Antonio de Escaño Antonio de Escaño y García de Cáceres ( Cartagena, Murcia, 1750 - Cádiz, 12 July 1814) was a Spanish military officer and government official. He served in several naval battles including the Battle of Trafalgar. He was Spain's Minister of t ...

(1750–1814), army and naval officer *

Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros y de la Torre (6 January 1756 – 9 June 1829) was a Spanish naval officer born in Cartagena. He took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent and the Battle of Trafalgar, and in the Spanish resistance against Napole ...

(1755–1829), naval officer * Isidoro Máiquez (1768–1820), actor, painted by

Francisco de Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

Isaac Peral Isaac Peral y Caballero (1 June 1851, in Cartagena – 22 May 1895, in Berlin), was a Spanish engineer, naval officer and designer of the Peral Submarine. He joined the Spanish navy in 1866, and developed the first electric-powered submarine whi ...

(1851–1895), engineer, naval officer and designer of the

Marcos Jiménez de la Espada Marcos Jiménez de la Espada (1831–1898) was a Spanish zoologist, herpetologist, explorer and writer, born in Cartagena, Spain, although he spent most of his life in Madrid, where he died. He is known for participating in the Pacific Scienti ...

(1831–1898), zoologist, geographer, historian, herpetologist, explorer and writer *

Juan Luis Beigbeder y Atienza Juan Luis Beigbeder y Atienza (31 March 1888 – 6 June 1957) was a Spanish military and political leader who held the positions of Chief of Indigenous Affairs and later High Commissioner in the Protectorate of Morocco from 1937 to 1939 then, ju ...

(1888–1957), military and political leader * Luis Calandre (1890–1961), physician *

Antonio Oliver Antonio Oliver (Cartagena, January 29, 1903 - July 28, 1968) was a Spanish writer, poet, literary critic and historian of Spanish art. He was also a part of the Generation of '27, a group of artists and poets that specialized in the avant-garde ...

(1903–1968), poet, poeta pertaining to the Generación del 27 * Carmen Conde (1907–1996), writer * Alfonso Pérez Sánchez (1935–2010), art historian and director of the Museo del Prado from 1983 to 1991 *

Joaquín Navarro-Valls Joaquín Navarro-Valls, M.D. (November 16, 1936 – July 5, 2017) was a Spanish journalist, physician and academic who served as the Director of the Holy See Press Office from 1984 to 2006. His role as the press liaison between the Vatican and t ...

(b. 1936), doctor, journalist and writer *

Arturo Pérez-Reverte Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez (born 25 November 1951 in Cartagena) is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for RTVE for 21 years (1973–1994). His first novel, ''El húsar'', set in the Napoleonic Wars, was ...

(b. 1951), novelist and journalist, member of the Real Academia Española * Dolores Soler-Espiauba (b. 1935), novelist *

Federico Trillo Federico Trillo-Figueroa Martínez-Conde (born 23 May 1952 in Cartagena, Spain) is a former Spanish Politician of the People's Party, who has served as President of the Congress of Deputies, Minister of Defense and Ambassador of Spain to the Un ...

(b. 1952), politician affiliated with the Partido Popular, ex-president of the

Congreso de los Diputados The Congress of Deputies ( es, link=no, Congreso de los Diputados, italic=unset) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. It has 350 members elect ...

and Spanish Ministry of Defence and current ambassador of Spain to the United Kingdom * José Ortega Cano (b. 1953), bullfighter * José Antonio Sánchez Baíllo (b. 1953), painter and engraver *

Eduardo Zaplana Eduardo Andrés Julio Zaplana Hernández-Soro (born 3 April 1956) is a Spanish politician who served as Minister of Labour and Social Issues from 2002 to 2004, President of the Valencian Government from 1995 to 2002 and Spokesperson of the Par ...

(b. 1956), politician affiliated with the Partido Popular * Charris (b. 1962), painter * José Carlos Martínez (b. 1969), dancer and choreographer * Robert Sanchez (b. 1997), professional footballer for

Brighton and Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...

Festivals

These are the most known festivals of the municipality: *Cartagena's Holy Week, declared an item of International Tourist Interest. The main activity that is carried out during these festive days are the processions (solemn religious parades). The ones that take place in Cartagena have a special feature that consists in a specially high arrangement of the distribution and movement of the participants. *

Carthaginians and Romans The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

, declared an item of National Tourist Interest. The main festivities of the city, a colourful Carthaginian and Roman parade full of events that recall the Punic Wars and the conquest of the city by both Empires. Held over the final ten days of September. *Cruces de Mayo: This festivity consists mainly in setting flowered Christian crosses with revere purposes.

Festivities in the districts

* Patron saint festivities: Different patron saints are venerated and different festivities are held throughout the municipality. There are activities that are more or less frequent in these festivities such as little processions (festive religious parades) and '' romerías'' (religious festive acts that consist in a little procession where a statue of the Virgin or Christ is carried and end in a large festive people meeting at an isolated church).

Twin towns - Sister cities

Cartagena is twinned with: *

, Tunisia since 1989 *

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a lin ...

, Colombia *

Terni Terni ( , ; lat, Interamna (Nahars)) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It i ...

, Italy

References

Bibliography

* Kilgallon, Michael. ''Enemy of Belief''. Fictional ebook featuring Cartagena.

External links

Official Tourism Site of Murcia, Spain

Cartagena City Hall

Viva Murcia
Information and photographs for Cartagena

Photos of Cartagena
(click on English at the bottom)
Handball Club Cartagena, Spain
{{Authority control Roman amphitheatres in Spain Nude beaches Populated places of the Byzantine Empire Phoenician colonies in Spain Populated coastal places in Spain Phoenician cities Carthaginian colonies

Geography and climate

Geography and relief

Climate

Human geography

Environment

Flora

Fauna

Protected areas

History

Prehistory

Ancient history

Middle Ages

Modern history

Present

Demographics

Economy

Government and administration

Main sights

Archaeological sites

Baroque and Neo-classical buildings

Modernist and Eclectic buildings

Modern sights

Beaches

Healthcare

Transport

Education

Sports

Notable people

Festivals

Festivities in the districts

Twin towns - Sister cities

See also

References

Bibliography

External links