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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

San Javier farmer jailed for dumping brine into the Mar MenorThe man was sentenced to 15 months behind bars for polluting the Murcia lagoon The Provincial Court of Murcia has sentenced a farmer to 15 months in prison and fined him €900 after he admitted dumping 20,300 cubic metres of brine that seeped.. 25/08/2026

Violent hailstorm leaves Tarragona streets underwaterTorrential rain, hailstones measuring more than 5cm and powerful winds of up to 117km/h caused flooding, damage and travel disruption across Tarragona A powerful storm swept across Tarragona on Monday August 24, bringing torrential rain and large.. 25/08/2026

Thousands of feral cats roaming Cartagena as sterilisation funding falls shortCartagena's feral cat population has ballooned to around 10,000, with barely 6% sterilised due to a lack of funding Cartagena has an estimated 10,000 feral cats, but only around 600 have been sterilised, according to animal charity Animur. Since.. 25/08/2026

Watch! Spectacular downburst captured over Lorca as storm sweeps across the areaThe dramatic footage shows a powerful column of rain and wind spreading out as it reaches the ground in Avilés A spectacular weather phenomenon was caught on camera in Lorca as a powerful storm swept through the area on August.. 25/08/2026

Bright green water raises concerns at Los Alcázares beachesLos Alcázares Town Council has issued a statement after images of the unusual green colour flooded social media and prompted concern among residents Los Alcázares Town Council made a statement to reassure residents after.. 25/08/2026

German drug-trafficking fugitive arrested in CartagenaThe man was part of an international drug trafficking network suspected of smuggling narcotics from Spain The Guardia Civil has arrested two fugitives wanted by German authorities, one of them at a residence in Cartagena, over their alleged involvement.. 24/08/2026

New loggerhead turtle hatchlings emerge at CalblanqueThe newly hatched turtles have taken the total born on the Region's coast over the past three summers up to 184 Forty more loggerhead turtles have hatched at Calblanque Regional Park, adding a new generation to the growing population found along.. 24/08/2026

More than 262,000 hectares burned by wildfires across Spain this yearSpain has recorded 43 major forest fires this year, while a change in the weather could bring some relief to fire-hit areas this weekend Spain has seen more than 262,000 hectares of land affected by wildfires since the start of the year, according.. 24/08/2026

Cabo de Palos residents protest against Blue Trail plansThe Town Hall of Cartagena defends a project to “re-naturalize” the southern coast of Cabo de Palos The Town Hall of Cartagena is once again being forced to realize that its plans for the “greater good” of the municipality do not.. 24/08/2026

Inflation pushes up Murcia food prices as eggs rise by 60%Eggs have risen by 60.5% since 2022, while lamb, beef, coffee and cocoa have also seen substantial price increases across the Region Anyone doing the weekly food shop in the Region of Murcia will probably have noticed that some everyday items are.. 24/08/2026

Asian hornets are spreading across Spain, and experts say they are here to stayAsian hornets are spreading into new areas of Spain, putting bees and other ecosystems under growing pressure The spread of Asian hornets across Spain is proving difficult to stop, with the invasive insects now being detected in areas where they.. 21/08/2026

Why more Europeans are choosing Murcia as their permanent home, not just a holiday destinationForeign buyers now account for more than 21% of home sales in the region, drawn by quality of life, climate, connectivity and property prices that other Mediterranean destinations can't match Something is shifting in how Europeans think about Murcia.. 21/08/2026

Illegal 'floating petrol station' discovered at La Manga boat hire businessGuardia Civil officers seize more than 1,000 litres of petrol after finding fuel stored in a van, garage and floating chest without the required licence A La Manga boat and jet ski hire business has been caught storing more than 1,000 litres of.. 20/08/2026

Storms, hail and rain on the way: Murcia weather forecast August 20-23Aemet is forecasting potentially strong thunderstorms, heavy showers and hail inland on Thursday, followed by a drop in temperatures The past few days have brought more hot and humid weather to the Region of Murcia, with the humidity making the.. 20/08/2026

Keep the kids busy this August with free workshops at Cartagena's Museum of Modern ArtThree creative sessions running every week until the end of August, all free and open to children aged 6 to 12 August is ticking by, but there's still time to take advantage of one of the better free activities on offer for children in Cartagena this.. 20/08/2026

€5.2 million flood prevention works planned across Murcia and AlicanteThree Murcia companies have been awarded contracts to carry out preventive work across the four provinces covered by the Segura basin With heavy rain and flash flooding capable of causing serious problems across south-east Spain, more than €5.. 19/08/2026