Everything about Murcia totally explained
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time_zone = CET (
UTC+1)|
time_zone_summer = CEST (
UTC+2)|
image_skyline = Murcia.JPG|
image_skyline_size = 250px|
image_skyline_caption = View from
Fuensanta Sanctuary|
native_language = Spanish|
founded = 825|
community = Murcia|
community_link = Region of Murcia|
province = Murcia|
province_link = Region of Murcia|
comarca = Huerta de Murcia|
comarca_link = Huerta de Murcia|
divisions = |
neighborhoods = |
mayor = Miguel Ángel Cámara Botía|
political_party = PP|
political_party_link = People's Party (Spain)|
area = 881.86 |
altitude = 43|
population = 424.362|
date-population = 2006-10-20|
population-ranking = 7|
density = 481.2 |
date-density = 2006-10-20|
website = http://www.ayto-murcia.es/ |
postal_code = 30001-30012|
area_code = 968|
}}
Murcia is a city and
municipality on the river
Segura in southeastern
Spain and the
capital of the
Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. Its population is 422,861 (2007), and the population of its
metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) is 563,272, ranking as the 12th-largest metropolitan area of Spain. Since 1995 the
mayor has been Miguel Ángel Cámara Botía (
PP).
Murcia is built nearly in the centre of a low-lying fertile plain, known as the
huerta or orchard or vinyard of Murcia, which includes the valleys of the
Segura and its right-hand tributary the Guadalentín or river Sangonera, and is surrounded by mountains. Despite the proximity of the sea, the climate is subject to great variations: the summer heat is severe, while frosts are occasionally experienced in the capital during the winter.
Precipitation in Murcia is scarce, with less than 200 mm (7.9 inches) registered in the
hydrological year October 2004 to September 2005.
Murcia-San Javier Airport (MJV) is located on the edge of the
Mar Menor close to the towns of San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera, southeast of Murcia, about 30 minutes by car. The airport at
Alicante is frequently used by travellers to Murcia also.
Geography
The municipal has an approximate extension of and is divided from east to west in two parts separated by a series of mountain ranges (Carrascoy, El Puerto, Villares, Columbares, Altaona and Escalona). These two zones are denominated Field of Murcia and Orchard of Murcia.
The city is located at 43
m.a.s.l., in the medium alluvial plain of the
Segura river (
Vega Media del Segura). The river crosses the city from west to east. It is a river with Mediterranean pluvial regime, little volume but with strong swellings, like those of
1946,
1948,
1973 or
1989 that flooded the Murcian capital.
The most well-known and significant landscape of the municipal area is its
orchard, which dominates in great part the municipality. It is a plain territory but with hills that surround the ample valley of the River Segura, one of the most polluted rivers in Europe, where the mountain ranges of the south (
Cordillera Sur) and the steep hill of Monteagudo in the middle of the plain can be emphasized.
In addition to the orchard and urban zones, the great expanse of the municipal area is made up of different landscapes:
badlands, the
pine groves of Carrasco pine in the precoastal mountain ranges and, pass these towards the south, semi-
steppe surroundings.
Also a part of the natural space of Carrascoy and the Valley (
Carrascoy y el Valle), a Regional Park, is inside the municipality of Murcia.
Districts
The territory of the municipality of Murcia is made up of 54
pedanías (suburban districts) and 28
barrios (city neighborhood districts). The barrios make up the urban section, the main city. The "center" of the city, the old quarter, is approximately across with approximately of area.
Climate
Given its proximity to the
Mediterranean Sea, Murcia enjoys a Mediterranean climate, of semi-arid type, with smooth winters and warm summers.
It has more than 300 days of sun in the year, with few precipitations,water being considered very good in the region, given in addition the great orchard diversity that characterizes the zone. Sometimes it undergoes a
gota fría (heavy rain), where the entire year's precipitation is concentrated into a few days.
The temperature oscillates between 16°C/4°C of January and 29°C/19°C of August, although 36°C is surpassed during many summers. The 20th century record high temperature for Spain was in Murcia on
July 4,
1994.
History
Murcia was founded with the name of
Medinat Mursiya in A.D.
825 by
Abd ar-Rahman II, emir of
Al-Andalus. The
Arabs, taking advantage of the course of the river Segura, created a complex network of irrigation channels that made the town prosperous and is the predecessor of the modern irrigation system. The Arab traveller
Muhammad al-Idrisi described it in the 12th century as populous and strongly fortified. After the fall of the
Caliphate of Cordoba in 1031, Murcia passed successively under the rule of
Almería,
Toledo and
Seville. In
1172 it was taken by the
Almohades, and from
1223 to
1243 it became the capital of an independent kingdom.
The
Castilians, led by King
Alfonso X, took it at the end of this period, when large numbers of immigrants from north
Catalonia and
Provence settled in the town;
Catalan names are still not uncommon. In
1296, Murcia and its region were transferred to the
Kingdom of Aragon, but in
1304, in virtue of the
Treaty of Torrellas, it was finally incorporated into Castile.
Murcia flourished in the 18th century, mainly due to the boom of the silk industry. Many of its churches and monuments are from this period.
The town and surrounding area suffered badly from floods in
1651,
1879 and
1907, though the construction of a levee did much to keep the Segura within its own channel. A popular walkway, the Malecon, runs along the top of the levee.
Murcia was struck by an
earthquake in
1829. According to contemporary accounts, some 6,000 people died in the province.
Murcia has been the capital of the province of Murcia since
1838, and capital of the autonomous community (which includes only the province) since its creation in
1982.
Demographics
Murcia has 416,996 inhabitants (
INE 2006), making it the seventh Spanish municipality by population. Nevertheless, due to Murcia's large municipal territory, its population density (472 hab./km², 760 hab./sq.mi.) isn't among the highest in Spain.
When adding in the municipalities of Alcantarilla, Alguazas, Beniel, Molina de Segura, Santomera and Las Torres de Cotillas, the
metropolitan area has 564,036 inhabitants, making it the 12th most populous metropolitan area of Spain.
According to the official population data of the
INE, 10.16% of the population of the municipality had a foreign nationality
as of 2005.
Sights and monuments
The
Cathedral of the Diocese of Cartagena (based in Murcia) was built between
1394 and
1465 in Castilian
Gothic style. Its tower was completed in
1792 and it shows a mixture of styles. The first two stories were built in
Renaissance style (
1521-
1546) and the third one is
Baroque. The bell pavilion has
Rococo and
Neoclassical influences. The main façade (
1736-
1754) is considered a masterpiece of the
Spanish Baroque style.
Other noteworthy buildings in the square in front of the Cathedral (Plaza
Cardenal Belluga) are the colourful
Bishop's Palace (18th century) and a controversial extension to the town hall by
Rafael Moneo.
The
Glorieta, next to the
Segura River, has traditionally been the center of the town. This a pleasant landscaped square, built in the 18th century. The
ayuntamiento (
city hall) is located here.
Pedestrian areas cover most of the old town, centered around
Platería and Trapería Streets. Trapería goes from the Cathedral to the Plaza de Santo Domingo, the former market square. Located in Trapería is the
Casino, a social club erected in
1847, with a sumptuous interior that includes a Moorish-style patio inspired by the
Alhambra royal rooms.
The name traperia comes from the days when clothes and fabric were sold by merchants in that street.The Spanish word trapo meaning rag .The word Plateria means silver where in old days the jewish community sold silver gold and precious metals.
Image:Murcia_Ayto.jpg|The Glorieta, with the town hall on the left
Image:Murcia_Cathedral.jpg|Cathedral and Plaza Cadenal Belluga
Image:Murcia_CathedralSquare1.jpg|Plaza Cardenal Belluga (seen from the Cathedral)
Image:Murcia_CathedralSquare.jpg|Cathedral (detail)
Image:Murcia-Pza_Sto_Domingo.jpg|Plaza de Santo Domingo
Image:SanctuaryFuensanta.JPG|Fuensanta Virgin´s Sanctuary
Some other places worth seeing are the
Malecón boulevard,
La Fuensanta sanctuary and
El Valle regional park,
Los Jerónimos monastery, the
Romea theatre,
Almudí Palace,
Monteagudo Castle, the
Salzillo Museum, and the
San Juan de Dios church-museum. In the metropolitan area, you can also see the
Azud de la Contraparada reservoir and the
Noria de La Ñora water wheel.
Festivals
The
Holy Week processions in the city of Murcia are famous throughout Spain. Life-sized sculptures by
Francisco Salzillo (
1707–
1783) are taken out of museums and carried around the city in elegant processions full of flowers and, at night, candles. These finely detailed sculptures portray events leading up to and including the
Crucifixion.
Possibly the most colourful celebrations are the week after
Holy Week, when Murcians dress in traditional
huertano clothing to celebrate the
Bando de la Huerta (
Huerta parade) on Tuesday and fill the streets for the
Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine) parade on Saturday.
Murcia Three Cultures International Festival: takes place in May and was created with the idea of overcoming the barrier of racism and xenophobia, understanding and reconciliation of the three cultures that populated the peninsula: Christians, Jews
(External Link
) and Muslims. Each year the festival brings us closer to these three cultures through music, but also we find exhibits,symposiums and conferences.
Economy
Murcia serves as a major producer of agricultural products; it's common to find Murcia's tomatoes and lettuce, and especially
lemons and
oranges, in European supermarkets.
These days, the economy of the region is turning towards "residential tourism" in which many people from northern European countries have a second home in sunny Murcia.
The economy of Murcia is also supported by fairs and congresses, museums, theatres, cinemas, music, aquariums, bullfighting, restaurants, hotels, campings, sports, foreign students, and tourism.
Transportation
- Bus: The transport is provided by Latbus which operates the urban bus and other interurban services.
- Tramway: Provided by Tranvimur which operates the urban tram, a little line 2 kilometres long, finished in April 2007. There are, in total, 4 lines in project.
- Train: Provided by RENFE. Murcia have two lines of Cercanías trains, to Alicante and Águilas
Healthcare
The hospitals and other public primary healthcare centers belong to the
Murcian Healthcare Service. There are three public hospitals in Murcia:
Ciudad Sanitaria Virgen de La Arrixaca in El Palmar, that includes obstetrics and pediatrics units
Hospital Reina Sofía
Hospital Morales Meseguer
Education
Murcia has three universities:
two public universities: the University of Murcia, founded in 1912 and the UPCT, Polytechnic University of Cartagena; and
one private university: the UCAM, Saint Anthony Catholic University.
There are also several high schools, elementary schools, and professional schools. Murcia has 3 types of schools for children: private schools such as El Limonar (well-known English language school), semi-private schools (concertado) such as Los Maristas (well-known for its graduates), and public schools such as Colegio Publico (CP) San Pablo (known for maths and science). The private schools and concertados can be religious (Catholic) or nonreligious. The public schools are strictly nonreligious. More information is needed here to define concertado: a school receiving government money but private in nature even religious. Such schools fill the gap by providing schools where the government isn't able to or come from a time in the past before the government developed a national school system and these private schools were working and were thus left in place and given the responsibility to act as public schools in educating all without having to become nonreligious like all other public schools.
Image:Murcia_University.jpg|Old University Building
Image:Murcia_UniversityCloister.jpg|Old University (cloister)
Notable people from Murcia
Muhyī al-Dīn Ibn al-‘Arabī (1165–1240), a Sufi thinker.
Diego de Saavedra Fajardo (1584–1648), a writer and diplomat.
Francisco Salzillo (1707–1783), a Baroque sculptor.
José Moñino, conde de Floridablanca (1728–1808), a statesman, minister of King Charles III of Spain.
Juan de la Cierva (1895–1936), the inventor of the autogyro, a forerunner of the helicopter.
Francisco Sánchez Bautista (1925–), a poet.
Julián Romea (1818–1863), a theater actor.
Alejandro Valverde (1980–), a cyclist.
Luis León Sánchez Gil (1983–), a cyclist.
Nicolás Almagro (1985–), a tennis player.
Charo (1951–), a musician, actress and entertainer.
Maria Teresa Chicote (1935–), a notable scientist.
Laura Dominguez
Sport teams
Real Murcia — Spanish First Division football (soccer)
Polaris World Murcia — basketball
El Pozo Murcia Turistica — indoor soccer
Sister cities
Miami, USA
Lecce, Italy
Grasse, France
Irapuato, Mexico
Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Łódź, PolandFurther Information
Get more info on 'Murcia'.
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