Region of Murcia

The Region of Murcia is an <a href="/facts/Autonomous_communities_of_Spain/tkAEH5bh">autonomous community</a> of Spain located in the southeastern part of the <a href="/facts/Iberian_Peninsula/ztFXI8zt">Iberian Peninsula</a>, on the <a href="/facts/Mediterranean_Sea/Vr2pzVbM">Mediterranean</a> coast. The region is 11,313 km2 (4,368 sq mi) in area and had a population of 1,511,251 as at the start of 2020. About a third of its population lives in the capital, <a href="/facts/Murcia/BLn9v0Xr">Murcia</a>, and a seventh in the second city, Cartagena. At 2,014 m (6,608 ft), the region's highest point is Los Obispos Peak in the Massif of Revolcadores [es].
A jurisdiction of the <a href="/facts/Crown_of_Castile/T1JrdPkx">Crown of Castile</a> since the Middle Ages, the <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Murcia/j6osaFJs">Kingdom of Murcia</a> was replaced in the 19th century by territory primarily belonging to the <a href="/facts/Provinces_of_Spain/nw4PG6nM">provinces</a> of <a href="/facts/Province_of_Albacete/tnpNr3ep">Albacete</a> and Murcia (and subsidiarily to those of Jaén and Alicante). The former two were henceforth attached to a 'historical region' also named after Murcia. The province of Murcia constituted as the full-fledged single-province autonomous community of the Region of Murcia in 1982.
The region is bordered by <a href="/facts/Andalusia/nkw5oWrL">Andalusia</a> (the provinces of <a href="/facts/Almer%C3%ADa_(province)/L4URpWaq">Almería</a> and <a href="/facts/Province_of_Granada/kR22pzIM">Granada</a>), <a href="/facts/Castilla-La_Mancha/YpxvN97d">Castile La Mancha</a> (the province of Albacete), the <a href="/facts/Valencian_Community/Uqs9mId2">Valencian Community</a> (province of <a href="/facts/Province_of_Alicante/JbVxzCVx">Alicante</a>), and the Mediterranean Sea. The autonomous community is a single <a href="/facts/Provinces_of_Spain/nw4PG6nM">province</a>. The city of <a href="/facts/Murcia/BLn9v0Xr">Murcia</a> is the capital of the region and the seat of the regional government, but the legislature, known as the <a href="/facts/Regional_Assembly_of_Murcia/fBGxwa6Y">Regional Assembly of Murcia</a>, is located in <a href="/facts/Cartagena,_Spain/mTGXjjhW">Cartagena</a>. The region is subdivided into <a href="/facts/List_of_municipalities_in_Murcia/FdrUnUj5">municipalities</a>.
The region is among Europe's largest producers of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, with important vineyards in the municipalities of <a href="/facts/Jumilla/UfoDJRHk">Jumilla</a>, <a href="/facts/Bullas/VbTYj3zU">Bullas</a>, and <a href="/facts/Yecla/PtubxHTu">Yecla</a> that produce wines of Denominación de origen. It also has an important tourism sector concentrated on its Mediterranean coastline, which features the <a href="/facts/Mar_Menor/wUdh716k">Mar Menor</a> saltwater lagoon. Industries include the petrochemical and energy sector (centered in Cartagena) and food production. Because of Murcia's warm climate, the region's long growing season is suitable for agriculture; however, rainfall is low. As a result, in addition to the water needed for crops, there are increasing pressures related to the booming tourist industry. Water is supplied by the <a href="/facts/Segura_River/jmzT69hy">Segura River</a> and, since the 1970s, by the <a href="/facts/Tagus-Segura_Water_Transfer/548VfD8n">Tagus-Segura Water Transfer</a>, a major civil-engineering project that brings water from the <a href="/facts/Tajo/CPNWdzQx">Tagus River</a> into the Segura under environmental and sustainability restraints.
Notable features of the region's extensive cultural heritage include 72 <a href="/facts/Cave_art/yv2BehGH">cave art</a> ensembles, which are part of the <a href="/facts/Rock_art_of_the_Iberian_Mediterranean_Basin/ARN7BB9j">rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin</a>, a <a href="/facts/World_Heritage_Site/6AbWWKV4">World Heritage Site</a>. Other culturally significant features include the <a href="/facts/Council_of_Wise_Men_of_the_plain_of_Murcia/QKVHkUvv">Council of Wise Men of the plain of Murcia</a> and the tamboradas (drumming processions) of <a href="/facts/Moratalla,_Murcia/GlqQxcKP">Moratalla</a> and <a href="/facts/Mula,_Spain/n563N8z4">Mula</a>, which were declared <a href="/facts/Intangible_cultural_heritage/3bXsRUoc">intangible cultural heritage</a> by <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a>. The region is also the home of <a href="/facts/Caravaca_de_la_Cruz/0cvqaMAB">Caravaca de la Cruz</a>, a holy city in the Catholic Church that celebrates the Perpetual Jubilee every seven years in the <a href="/facts/Basilica_of_Vera_Cruz/GztV2Ush">Santuario de la Vera Cruz</a>.

Region of Murcia open-in-new

Region of Murcia