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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

Car flips upside down after crash on La Manga's Gran VíaThe accident resulted in no serious injuries but caused long traffic delays A dramatic crash early on the morning of Wednesday August 26 shook residents of La Manga and led to further traffic delays in the area. A collision between two vehicles left.. 26/08/2026

WATCH: 50 illegal immigrants reach Cartagena beachThe landing is the third of its kind on the Cartagena coast in just over a week Otra lancha rápida con inmigrantes ha llegado esta mañana a las costas de la #RegióndeMurcia con total impunidad. Ante la gravedad de.. 26/08/2026

Blue zone parking could be extended every summer in La Manga and Cabo de PalosCartagena City Council is considering more seasonal paid parking to tackle the huge increase in visitors during summer Cartagena City Council is considering expanding blue-zone parking in La Manga and Cabo de Palos and making it a regular summer measure.. 26/08/2026

Murcia's new Guardia Civil patrol boat still can't catch the fastest drug trafficking boatsThe vessel was brought in to strengthen coastal surveillance, but guards say it cannot keep up with boats capable of reaching 130 kilometres per hour A new Guardia Civil patrol boat has arrived in Cartagena to strengthen the fight against.. 26/08/2026

British cruise giant Queen Anne docks in Cartagena alongside luxury liner AlluraCartagena's port welcomed more than 4,000 cruise passengers in a single day as two of the world's most modern ships called in Tuesday August 25 was one of the busiest days of the year at Cartagena's Juan Sebastián Elcano cruise.. 26/08/2026

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