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Introduction to 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 Military Naval base today, as well as boasting a rich heritage of Military patrimony.The History of Cartagena charts it's development and the cultures which have shaped it today.

The City is developing 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, Augusteum , the Molinete and other well preserved Roman buildings and Museums, major investment into extending the port creating a new market for cruise tourism.

However the port is also a major focal point for commercial activity, and the Escombreras Industrial area has attracted major businesses with the Repsol refinery, SABIC petrochemicals and Holcim concrete plants confined within a concealed industrial zone. Cartagenais also the home of the Regional Assembly.

The Campo de Cartagena is a major agricultural employer, flat irrigated areas producing salad crops, peppers, potatoes and courgettes, whilst non-irrigated crops include olives, carobs and almonds.

The more mountainous pedanías of Cartagena boast extensive areas of wild beaches, stretching around the coastline to Cabo de Palos, where the La Manga strip encloses the Mar Menor, giving Cartagena an extensive offering of prime sandy beaches with safe bathing conditions in Europe's largest saltwater lake.

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

Cartagena Spain has a rich cultural offering, with an important Semana Santa, the Romans and Carthaginians Fiestas, Carnival, the Mar de Músicas and Cartagena Jazz festivals, the newly inaugurated El Batel auditorium and congress centre promising an enriched cultural programme.

Where is Cartagena Spain?

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, as well as Industrial centre.

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

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

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CARTAGENA

Plans get underway to turn the Fajardo gun battery in Cartagena into a hotelThe Ministry of Defence is open to repurposing the Cartagena landmark to attract more tourists The proposal made in February by Cartagena’s mayor, Noelia Arroyo, to set up a national parador (a government-operated hotel) in the disused Fajardo.. 08/08/2022

Decomposed body of a woman washes up on beach in CartagenaThe corpse was found on the shore in La Manga del Mar Menor, in the Region of Murcia The body of a woman in an advanced state of decomposition has washed up in La Manga del Mar Menor, Cartagena, and police believe the corpse could have been in the.. 08/08/2022

2023 Rock Imperium festival in Cartagena extended to three days with Deep Purple topping the billSeason ticket prices unchanged despite an extended line-up for the second edition of Rock Imperium Just six weeks after the resounding success of the first Rock Imperium festival in Cartagena, which brought together dozens of metal and rock bands and.. 08/08/2022

Fur flies over new Cartagena dog beachesResidents are concerned that owners won’t pick up after their pets, further jeopardising the Mar Menor While animal lovers across the Region have welcomed the decision to open up two of Cartagena’s beaches to dogs at the end of the summer.. 08/08/2022

5 Mar Menor chiringuitos to be forcibly closed down for only serving customers who don’t use the beachThe five beach bars are accused of not opening in the mornings to beach users as they should, and of polluting the Mar Menor The coastal authority ‘Costas’, which rules on matters relating to Cartagena’s coastline and beaches, has.. 05/08/2022

217 kilometres of cycling on the EuroVelo 8 route as it passes through the Region of MurciaEasily manageable sections of the 7,560-km route which runs from Cádiz in south-western Spain to Athens and Cyprus! The Region of Murcia has long been a preferred destination for cycling holidays, the varied terrain attracting tourists from all over..

Black sheep: Cartagena’s runaway goat escapes... again!The goat that sowed chaos in the centre of Cartagena escaped again from its farm the very next day The goat that ran rampant through Cartagena city centre this Wednesday and was eventually caught in a jewellery store bathroom has escaped again. &.. 05/08/2022

Revealed: list of the 100 most expensive places to buy and rent in Spain (and some of them may surprise you)A billionaire’s playground on the Costa del Sol where Putin has a house tops the ranking, but five coastal towns in Murcia and Alicante also make the list A recent ranking of the 100 most expensive towns and cities to buy and rent a home in.. 04/08/2022

Thieves arrested in Torrevieja for string of burglaries in Alicante and the Region of MurciaThe robbers stole cash and jewellery from several homes in Elche, Petrer, Badajoz and Cartagena Two thieves have been arrested in Torrevieja and sentenced to prison for committing a wave of burglaries in Cartagena, Petrer, Elche and Badajoz. In addition.. 04/08/2022

Cartagena chiringuito among the 25 best beach bars in Spain, according to ForbesLa Cangreja, located on Galúa beach in La Manga, is among the 25 beach bars selected by Forbes magazine One of the most popular summer destinations is the beach. Enjoying a swim, the sand and the sun is one of the most best bits of summer.. 04/08/2022

Escaped goat runs through Cartagena city centre and smashes through jewellery shop windowThe animal was finally caught after police locked it in the store’s toilet and called for backup from local shepherds Shoppers and suppers strolling along the Calle Mayor pedestrian street in Cartagena shortly before nine o'clock this Wednesday.. 04/08/2022

Paseo Alfonso XII in Cartagena will be closed to traffic for the whole of AugustThe main artery into the city will be closed this summer. Here are the alternative routes Work on the first phase of the Plaza Mayor project in Cartagena, which is being carried out by the Port Authority on the Paseo Alfonso XII boulevard, means traffic.. 03/08/2022

Are house prices really falling around the Mar Menor because of pollution?A new report has found that the poor state of the Mar Menor has not affected property prices in the area, but they are still below pre-pandemic levels Contrary to the rumour mill, the problems of pollution in the Mar Menor do not seem to have affected.. 03/08/2022

Cartagena police arrest drunk driver, 64, who hit cyclist in La MangaThe 64-year-old was over the limit when he drove into a cyclist on the La Manga strip The Cartagena Local Police have arrested a 64-year-old driver who hit a cyclist with his car on Gran Vía de La Manga. Officers reported that.. 03/08/2022

Cartagena cracks down on unlicensed chiringuito concertsBeach bars holding unauthorised gigs have been given a warning to stop, or face being shut down The City Council of Cartagena is sending an official reminder to its chiringuito beach bars that concerts are not authorised in these locales. .. 02/08/2022

52-year-old drowns on La Manga beachEmergency services were unable to save the man from going into cardiorespiratory arrest on the beach this weekend A 52-year-old man drowned on the beach of Las Amoladeras in La Manga del Mar Menor yesterday, Sunday July 31. The Emergency.. 01/08/2022

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