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Cartagena Today

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

Green light for more than a dozen solar parks in Mar Menor and Cartagena sparks backlashAccoif action group is up in arms over the granting of licenses for 14 plants in the Region of Murcia municipality Outraged residents and the Alliance of Campo de Cartagena for the Management of Photovoltaic Installations (Accoif) have publicly blasted.. 29/09/2022

Cartagena requests 5 million from EU for new bike lanesThe Murcia municipality also plans to create two new car parks with electric vehicle charging points The Cartagena City Council has once again approached Brussels for a cash injection, this time requesting 5 million euros from Next Generation funds.. 29/09/2022

Alfonso XII reopened to traffic in Cartagena as roadworks continue apaceThe section that was closed for the Plaza Mayor works near the Port has been reopened to traffic The section of the Paseo Alfonso XII in Cartagena next to the port, which was closed since the beginning of August due to the refurbishment works taking.. 26/09/2022

Cartagena Port sails to 100,000 cruises passengers so far this yearThe passenger figures for the port in the Region of Murcia are not yet on a par with 2019, but are on a posititve and encouraging upward trajectory Cartagena Port has already welcomed 100,000 cruise passengers so far this year (as of the end of August.. 26/09/2022

WATCH: Torrential rains leave flooding and destruction in Cartagena, Mazarron and La MangaStorms, hailstones, floods and heavy rainfall caused widespread damage in Murcia this weekend The rains forecast for this weekend in Murcia were heavier than expected, leaving flooding in several parts of the Region, including Mazarrón, Cartagena.. 26/09/2022

Licor 43 offers new chocolate liqueur at the Experiencia 43 visitors centre just outside CartagenaLicor 43 Chocolate can be purchased only in selected restaurants and at Experiencia 43! For seventy-six years Licor 43, produced in Cartagena, has been one of the most popular liqueurs in Spain, proving to be an international success as it has been marketed..

El Portus naturist campsite goes solarThe Cartagena camp ground will be entirely energy self-sufficient within a year The urban planning department in Cartagena has granted a licence to the El Portús Naturist Campsite to install and connect a 100 kilowatt photovoltaic solar installation.. 19/09/2022

Man dies after falling from the top of the Muralla del Mar wall in CartagenaPolice currently believe it was an accidental death that happened when the man, aged 40, fell while walking along the calle Muralla del Mar A 40-year-old man died in Cartagena this Saturday, September 17, after falling from the top of the Muralla.. 19/09/2022

Cartagena hosts conference on Mar Menor recovery through oyster filteringThe Oyster Initiative in Murcia's Mar Menor is promoted by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) Cartagena this week hosted a meeting focused on the recovery of the Mar Menor through the filtering effect of oysters, a project promoted.. 16/09/2022

Ecologists in Action say new Cartagena port project will harm dolphins and whalesThe enlargement of Escombreras dock will cause more pollution and put Cabo Tiñoso in danger, they say The environmental campaign group Ecologists in Action have utterly rejected the Barlomar project, an initiative from the Port Authority of.. 15/09/2022

Murcia and Alicante trains to Madrid only stop at Chamartin and not Atocha from today onwardsThe trains from Alicante to the Spanish capital, which are the only option for passengers from Murcia, now stop 20 minutes further from the centre of Madrid As of today, Tuesday September 13, most of the trains to Madrid from Alicante and Murcia will.. 13/09/2022

Licence granted for new Licor 43 gastro-market on the seafront in CartagenaExperiencia 43 already offers fabulous guided tours and tastings of Spain’s favourite liqueur in English! The Town Hall of Cartagena has issued the licence for work to begin on the new gastro-market on the seafront in the city centre, allowing Grupo.. 08/09/2022

Three years and 20 million euros to save the Mar MenorTowns around the Mar Menor are being given massive grants and a 3-year deadline to reduce sewage runoff into the protected lagoon. This Tuesday, September 6, the Spanish Government is approving a grant of 20 million euros that will go to the municipalities.. 06/09/2022

19 delicious gastro experiences in and around Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca!Wine, cheese, honey, beer, liqueurs, wild plants, coffee… just some of the gastronomic delights awaiting you in the Costa Cálida! Of course tourism in the three largest cities of the Region of Murcia (Lorca, Cartagena and the regional capital.. 06/09/2022

How to prepare your home for the rainy season, according to waterproofing experts Leak ProofProperties with flat roofs in Spain are especially susceptible to flooding and leaks The rainy season in Spain is fast approaching, with experts predicting another serious Gota Fría storm some time in the next couple of months, bringing with.. 06/09/2022

Cartagena prepares flood evacuation plan ahead of possible torrential rainsThe city has drawn up a plan to evacuate and shelter residents in case of severe flooding this autumn Cartagena City Council has designed a specific plan to evacuate and shelter residents in each neighbourhood and district in the event of torrential rains..