OVERVIEW
The Murcia Region is located right in the middle of the Mediterranean arch, between Valencia, Andalusia, and Castilla-La Mancha. It covers an area of 11,317 km2, ranking 9th in size among Spain's Autonomous Regions.
Murcia, the capital, is open and dynamic, with excellent access to all other cities on Spain's east coast, and highly interesting commercial activity. Its climate and the good-natured character of its people make it a cosy city, a virtue reflected in the constantly busy streets and plazas of its old quarters, where residents and visitors chat, take walks, savour delicious "tapas", or embark on one of its many cultural routes.
Centuries of history and numerous civilizations provide the Murcia Region with a rich historical and cultural heritage, with highly representative buildings such as the Cathedral and the Casino in the capital, the Roman Theatre in Cartagena, and the medieval castles of Lorca and Mula.
Over 30 museums, 22 castles, and remains of fortresses spread across the entire land complete this region's appeal, a land full of history and a tremendously varied artistic heritage.
Furthermore, today the Murcia Region is experiencing enormous growth, with new, modern infrastructures, while concurrently sustaining meticulous respect for the environment. Development that endows it with a special uniqueness, resulting from a mix between tradition and modernity, and ranks it as one of the Regions with greater tourist interest, with an extensive offering of culture, leisure and services.
Murcia is one of the regions with the most sunny days a year, an average annual temperature of 21º C, and 250 km of shoreline along two seas: the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean. It is noted for being a land of contrasts, with mountainous national parks, southern basins with steppe landscapes, and wonderful beaches such as those of La Manga, Mazarrón and Calblanque.
Murcia's coastline is rich and diverse, areas of rough water contrasting with gentle coves and quiet beaches. Dunes, salt flats, wetlands... The coastline of Murcia Region contains a considerable number of areas of indisputable environmental interest, many of them Nature Reserves. Places where you can still find native flora and fauna such as the Phoenician juniper (Sabina mora), a native tree variety, and the "fartet" (Aphanius iberus), a minute and highly unusual fish, the only one of its kind.
The diversity of the landscape, the privileged climate and the cultural and historical richness make Murcia the perfect region to holiday in and enjoy the outdoors, practice water sports in the Mar Menor, explore its mountains, go hiking, rural tourism... and, of course, play golf.
FESTIVALS, TRADITIONS AND COOKING
The most important festival of the region is that of Santisima y Vera Cruz (May). The Easter-Week celebrations in Cartagena, Jumilla, Jorca and Murcia are spectacular. As too is the Patronal of the Purisima Concepcion in Yecla. Other notable festivities are the Tamborada and the many romarios (local pilgrimages), such as San Blas de Santiago de la Ribera(San Javier). And finally, mention must be made of the festivals of the Carthaginians and Romans, and the Moors and Christians.
Murcian dishes depend on the excellent quality of the region's market garden vegetables, which when added to the meat, especially pork, recipes and the plentiful fish choices one is spoilt for choice. The Romans left the art of fish preserving and seasoning. The Arabs introduced rice and how to cook it with a thousand spices, condiments and aromatic plants.
HISTORY
Given its location it is not surprising that the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Carthaginians all came to Murcia and left their mark. But it fell to the Romans to establish a period of some six hundred years of relative economic prosperity throughout the coastal region.
The Arabs, under Abdelaziz, conquered the army of the Visigoth's in 713 at Cartagena and in turn fell under the control of Castile from 1243 onwards, to be eventually expelled in 1492.
Some three hundred years of, seemingly, agricultural anonymity was relieved in the eighteenth century by a period of baroque splendour.
The nineteenth century was a period of crises and droughts.
The twentieth century saw industrial growth (mining) and a transformation of agricultural processes which finally has given the region the necessary economic base to protect its enviable natural heritage and to enable residents and visitors to make sustainable good use of it.
COASTLINE AND BEACHES
The Costa Calida offers two seas - Mar Menor and the Mediterranean - on one coastline. The Mar Menor was originally an open bay of some 65sq miles that is now virtually enclosed and provides an ideal bathing and water sports sea of no more than seven metres deep.
The coastline ranges from impressive cliffs to inviting beaches of white sand that seem to go on and on, until they meet a fishing village or a cove with mirror-clear waters. One can enjoy all of this in almost three thousand hours of sun a year at an average daytime temperature of 18c.
But the coast is not solely about beaches and water sports; there are protected natural areas such as the salt marshes of San Pedro and the wildlife reserve of Calblanque close to La Manga and the village of Cabo de Palos.
COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE, ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS
In environmental terms Murcia is halfway between Africa and Europe which helps to explain its variety of landscapes and habitats. In a relatively small area one can pass from mountains to arid, steppe-like, plains, to the forests of the Betis Sierras and then to the rich meadows of the Segura basin and finally to one hundred miles of coastline.
This environmental diversity is faithfully represented in the nineteen specially protected countryside and wildlife areas. The most important ones are – Parque Natural de Sierra Espuña, the regional parks of Carrascoy and El Valle, Sierra de Pila, the salt marsh of Don Pedro del Pinatar, Cablanque and Cape Cobo, and Calnegre Point, the Nature Reserve of Sotos, and the riparian forests of Cañaverosa.
The region is an excellent place for activity holidays in the countryside. Throughout the whole length of the coast from Cabo de Palos and Portman, as far as Cartagena the Country park of Calnegre, offers great scope for walking and hiking. Further inland there are interesting routes for walking, horse riding and mountain biking as well as complete packages for the more energetic sports of climbing, caving, rafting, paragliding, hang-gliding and cave-diving. There are also courses on agro-tourism, including the traditional crafts of cheese-making and confectionary
The Mar Menor offers an ideal location to take-up or to perfect such sports as sailing, canoeing, swimming, diving, water-skiing and similar sports in the many clubs and schools around the sea.
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Alicante, and its wonderful boulevard with palm trees and shopping streets, is one of the most well-known towns along the Costa Blanca.
Known for its miles of sandy beaches, Alicante is a starting point for thousands of tourists every year.
Famous for its excellent weather, the city invites you to take a trip along the coast or to the wonderful island of Tabarca. Along the Alicante harbour you find beautiful long alleys for nice relaxing walks, enjoying the palm trees and the mild climate.
With many historical buildings around the entire city, Alicante offers countless sightseeing attractions, from cathedrals to churches and of course a wonderful harbour area.
Additional to sightseeing, direct from the harbour area, a long wide sandy beach leads its way up to San Juan. Just drop your towel on the sand and enjoy a wonderful day in the sun.
During summer time, Alicante with its Airport, is a starting point for many Costa Blanca tourists, while during the winter months tourists and residents tend to live along the coast in places like Benidorm, Calpe and Denia.
Alicante has about 340 000 habitants (2005 numbers) and lies directly at the Mediterranean sea.
The Alicante weather in winter is around 16 ºC. However in the summer the average is around 32 ºC. |
