Murcia Tourist Information
The autonomous community of Murcia is Spain’s largest ‘one province’
community. Situated in the south-east of the country, it can be divided into
very differing geographical areas. The largest river of the region, the Segura,
acts as the main source of irrigation for Murcia’s best farming lands, the
fertile plains, or huerta, but other parts of the province experience serious
drought conditions; there is an annual rainfall of less than 300 mm.
The highest points of Murcia can mostly be found in the Parque Natural de
Sierra Espuña and the Revolcadores Massif, with some impressive pine forests.
The other main point of interest geographically is the impressive Mar Menor, a
65 square mile salt water lagoon separated from the Mediterranean by the long
strip of La Manga. The 177 mile coastline, known as the Costa Cálida, although
becoming more popular recently, is still nowhere near as developed as some of
the other southern Spanish costas.
History of the Murcia Region
The Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Carthaginians all settled in Murcia at
different times, although there are cave paintings near Cieza, Jumilla and
Moratalla which indicate a heritage even older than those. The Carthaginians
established a permanent trading post on the coast , which later became Carthago
Nova under the Romans, who first fully established the region. The Arabs, under
the control of Abdelaziz, seized the area in 713 after a battle at Cartagena,
bringing with them their systems of irrigation to enable the previously barren
land to be farmed. After their defeat at the hands of Alfonso X in 1243, the
region lost much of its significance and, indeed, much of its territory, which
was annexed by its more powerful neighbours. It was in the 18th century that the
city of Murcia and the province as a whole found their most glorious times,
thanks mainly to the silk industry that developed there. The name Murcia itself
is derived from the Latin word for mulberry, murtae, the tree that fed the
silkworms in the region for hundreds of years.
Language
Although most of the population speak standard Castilian Spanish, some of the
isolated rural areas still have speakers of the old dialect known as Panocho,
which has vocabulary more or less straight from the Arabic.
Local Economy
Murcia’s economy is very dependent on both agriculture and tourism. Oranges,
lemons, grapes, tomatoes and lettuces are grown in abundance here and, largely
thanks initially to the development of the La Manga Resort Club and other golf
resorts, the area’s touristic appeal has increased dramatically during the last
two decades. The economy of the region has undoubtedly benefitted from the
numbers of Northern Europeans who now have homes here – either permanently or as
holiday accommodation.
Murcia Climate
The majority of Murcia experiences a Mediterranean-type climate of hot
summers and mild winters. With about 2,800 hours of sunshine each year, the
average annual temperature is 18°C. Apparently, the official highest 20th
Century temperature in Spain was recorded in Murcia in July, 1994 – a mere
47.2°C. The differences in temperature between the coast and the inland regions
are much more pronounced in the winter with temperatures seldom falling below
10° on the coast but being much cooler in the mountains inland.
Generally, there is very little rainfall in the region, with hardly any in the
summer period. In the coastal areas there are few days of rain throughout the
year but the majority of the precipitation will fall in spring and autumn and is
often concentrated into a few very wet days. The coast experiences about 300 mm
of rainfall annually but the mountain areas can expect about twice this amount.
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