Cartagena ( Spanish pronunciation: Ã, [karta'xena] ; Latin: Carthago Nova ) is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Murcia Region, on the Mediterranean coast of southeastern Spain. In January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the second largest municipalities in the Region and the country's sixth non-province capital. The Cartagena metropolitan area, known as Campo de Cartagena , has a population of 409,586 inhabitants.
Cartagena has been inhabited for over two millennia, founded around 227 BC by Carthaginian Hasdrubal the Fair as Qart Hadasht (Phoenician, meaning 'New Town') under the same name as Carthage's original city. The city had its heyday during the Roman Empire, when it was known as Carthago Nova (New Carthage) and Carthago Spartaria, the capital of Carthaginensis province. It was one of the most important cities during the Umayyad invasion of Hispania, under its Arabic name Qartayannat al-Halfa.
Much of Cartagena's heavy history in the past goes to the coveted port of defense, one of the most important in the western Mediterranean. Cartagena has been the capital of the Maritime Naval Department of Spain in the Mediterranean since the arrival of Spanish Bourbon in the 18th century. As far back as the 16th century it is one of the most important naval ports in Spain, along with Ferrol in the North. It is still an important naval port, Spain's main military haven, and home to a large naval shipyard.
The meeting of civilization as well as its strategic harbor, together with the revival of the local mining industry is manifested by a unique artistic heritage, with a number of landmarks such as the Roman Theater, the second largest Iberian Peninsula after one in MÃÆ'Â © rida, many Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine and Moorish remains , and a large number of Art Nouveau buildings, the result of the bourgeoisie from the early 20th century. Cartagena is now established as a major cruise destination in the Mediterranean and an emerging cultural focus.
This was the first of a number of cities to be finally named Cartagena, especially Cartagena de Indias ( Cartagena of the Indies) in Colombia.
Video Cartagena, Spain
Geography and climate
Geography and relief
The city of Cartagena is located in the southeastern region of Spain in Campo de Cartagena. The Cartagena region can be seen as a large plateau that tends to be slightly toward the NW-SE, bordered on the north and northwest by pre-coastal mountains (Carrascoy, El Puerto, Los Villares, Columbares and Escalona), and in the south and southwest by coastal mountains (El Algarrobo, La Muela, Pelayo, Gorda, La Fausilla y Minera, with his last spur on Cape Palos). The dominant geology in this region is metamorph (slate, marble) and sediment (limestone).
It is located just at the end of the new AP-7 highway. The following villages are part of the city of Cartagena: La AzohÃÆ'a, Isla Plana, Los Urrutias and Los Nietos.
The Old City is bordered by five small hills (Molinete, Monte Sacro, Monte de San José, © DespeÃÆ'Âa aperros and Monte de la ConcepciÃÆ'³n) following the example of Rome. In the past, there was a deep sea between hills called Estero that eventually dried up. On this site, "Ensanche" (Expansion or New Town) was built in the early 20th century.
Urban areas are limited or crossed by several streams of water, some of which go deep into urban networks during most of their programs.
Maps Cartagena, Spain
Climate
Cartagena has a hot, semi-arid climate. Its location near the ocean moderates the temperature, and annual rainfall usually does not exceed 300 mm (12 inches). The average annual temperature rose to around 20.4 ° C (69 ° F), making it the warmest city in Europe. The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of 13.7 Â ° C (57 Â ° F). In August, the hottest month, the average temperature is 28.7 Â ° C (84 Â ° F). Wind is an important climatic factor in the region.
Environment
Despite the intense mining, tourist and industrial exploitation that the region has endured for centuries, the area around the city of Cartagena has an incredible wealth and natural diversity, with a large number of botanical endemic species. Part of its territory is subject to different levels of legal protection.
Flora
The Cartagena coastal coastline has one of the highest botanical biodiversity levels in the Iberian Peninsula. A surprising number of Ibero-African species, found only in southern Spain (mostly in the provinces of Murcia and Almera) and North Africa. Among these, there is a prominent Tetraclinis articulata or Sandarac (sabina mora o ciprÃÆ' Â © s de Cartagena - cypress Cartagena > in Spanish) native Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians, Maltese, and Cartagena, growing at relatively low altitudes in the hot, dry hinterland. Some endangered species such as siempreviva de Cartagena (Limonium carthaginense), rabogato del Mar Menor (Sideritis marmironensis), zamarrilla de Cartagena (Teucrium carthaginense), manzanilla de escombreras (anthemis chrysantha), garbancillo de Tallante (Astragalus nitidiflorus)) and jara de Cartagena Cistus heterophyllus carthaginensis). Fauna
Among animal species including some threatened or endangered species such as hunting eagles, Eurasian eagles-owls, golden eagles and Bonelli's hawks, Spur-thighed turtles, Greater Horseshoe Bat and, most notably, Spanish toothcarp, endemic fish to southeastern Spain. In addition, the presence of a common chameleon (the only chameleon in Europe) has been documented for about 30 years, though it is unclear whether it is genuine or introduced. Some other species of note include larger flamingos, red foxes, European rabbits, European badger, Beech marten, the common genet, wildcat and wild boar.
Protected area
- Mar Menor, a salt lagoon separated from the Mediterranean sea with a sand bar 22 kilometers (14 miles) long and with a variable width from 100 to 1,200 meters (328 to 3,937 feet). It has a surface area of ​​nearly 170 km 2 (66 sq mi), coastal length of 70 km (43 mi), and warm and crystal clear water with a relatively high salinity, not exceeding 7 meters (23 feet) in depth. It belongs to four municipalities, including Cartagena. In 1994, it was included in the Ramsar Convention List (nÃ,º706) for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is also one of the Mediterranean Protected Territories (SPAMI) Specialized by the United Nations. The five volcanic islands (Perdiguera, Mayor or del BarÃÆ'³n, del Ciervo, Redonda and del Sujeto) such as the hills of El CarmolÃÆ' and San GinÃÆ'Â ©, Hita and Amoladora beaches, Lo Poyo salt mars and Marchamalo salt mines are also protected.
- Calblanque, Monte de las Cenizas and Pea  ± a del ÃÆ' Guila, declared as Nature Parks and Site of Importance of the Community (SCI).
- Sierra de la Muela, Cabo TiÃÆ' Â ± oso and RoldÃÆ'¡n mountains, Nature Parks, Community Important Sites, and Special Protection Areas (SPA).
- Sierra de la Fausilla, Special Protection Area
- The islands and islands of the Mediterranean coast, including Grossa Island (belonging to the San Javier municipality, the Hormigas Islands, the Palomas Archipelago and the Escombreras Islands, some of which are also designed as Special Protection Areas.
History
Ancient history
The city was originally named Mastia. Having one of the best harbors in the Western Mediterranean, it was re-established by Hasdrubal general Carthage in 228 BC as Qart Hadasht ("New Town"), synonymous with Carthage, for the purpose of serving as a springboard for conquering Spain. Roman General Scipio Africanus conquered it in 209 BCE and named it Carthago Nova (literally "New Town New") to distinguish it from the capital. Julius Caesar gave the city the Latin Rights, and Octavian named him in his honor as the colony of Colonia Victrix Iulia Nova Carthago or Colonia Vrbs Iulia Nova Carthago (C.Ã, VIÃ, N.., C.) depends on the source. The city is highly relevant both in Carthage and the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. In 298 AD, Diocletian was a new Roman province in Hispania called Carthaginensis and settled in the city's capital. It remains vital until it is fired by Vandals in 435 AD.
During the Roman period, it was a major silver mine site, generating a daily income of 25,000 drachmas. It is also known for the production of salt, fermented fish sauce, and for the esparto grass that gave it a new name, Cartago Spartaria .
Medieval
The death and fall of Western Roman sovereignty caused the city to degenerate. It was occupied successively by Vandals (409-425), Visigoth (425-551 and 624-714) and the Eastern Romans (551-624), making it the capital of Spania (the westernmost province of the Byzantine Empire). Cartagena was conquered by the Visigoths, who held it up to the Muslim conquest in 714 AD, when it was called Qartayannat-al-Halfa. It was later ruled by the Umayyads (714-756), the Cordova Caliphate (756-1031), Taifa of Denia (1031-1076), Taifa of Saragossa (1076-1081), Taifa of Tortosa (1081- 1092), Almoravids (1092- 1145), Almohads (1145-1229) and Taifa of Murcia (1229-1245). King Alfonso X of Castile (Alfonso the Wise) conquered Cartagena in 1245; he reestablished the Christian and Carthonese Dioceses. In 1270 Alfonso created the Order of Santa MarÃÆ'a de Espaà ± a for the naval defense of the Crown of Castile and established its headquarters in Cartagena. In 1296, Cartagena was annexed to the Kingdom of Aragon when the Reconquista focused on the remaining Muslim kingdom, Granada, which fell in 1492. Cartagena entered a period of decadence and massive decay, despite a brief economic rise in the 16th century, due to Spanish activity colonial use port to west. Cartagena had not fully recovered until the 18th century, when it became a leading naval port in the Mediterranean.
Modern history
On September 3, 1643, the French led by the Rear Admiral Jean Armand de Maillà © © -BrÃÆ' © zÃÆ'  © defeated most of the Spanish fleets here.
In 1728, Cartagena became the capital of the Maritime Department of the Spanish Navy in the Mediterranean and the city was heavily guarded by the construction of a modern Castle in the former Kasbah Moor, several large barracks and armory. In a relatively short time, the city's population grew from about 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants.
In 1757, during the Seven Years War, French naval forces were forced to take refuge in the harbor. Squadrons under Duquesne who were sent to strengthen them were attacked and defeated by a British squadron under Henry Osborn at the Battle of Cartagena.
In 1873, the city formed a self-governing government and became the center of the Canton Revolution. Government forces surrounded the city for several months until they surrendered.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Cartagena was the main base of the Spanish Republican Navy and one of the main bastions of the Republican Government. It defended against General Francisco Franco's forces longer than any other city in Spain, becoming the last of his cities to surrender. The city saw its industrial activity increase during the 1950s, generating more prosperity and this trend continued until a general decline in manufacturing across Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Attend
At present, Cartagena is made up of parts of the autonomous community of the Murcia Region, and is the center of the Murcia Regional Assembly. It is also the capital of the maritime province of Cartagena, granted by the Royal Decree of 5 October 1607 under the reign of Philip III.
Demographics
According to the City census, in January 2011, Cartagena had 218,210 inhabitants, ranked 24th in Spain in terms of population (and 6 among non-capitals). 182,021 people live in urban areas and 39,840 in some satellite sites. According to official population data, 14.73% of municipal residents have foreign citizenship.
Its metropolitan area, which includes the municipalities of La UniÃÆ'³n, Fuente ÃÆ' lamo de Murcia, Los Alcázares, San Javier, Torre Pacheco, San Pedro del Pinatar and MazarrÃÆ'³n, has a total of 390,983 inhabitants.
Main view
Due to its strategic position in the Mediterranean, Cartagena has been inhabited by many different cultures, which have left their mark on the rich cultural heritage during its glorious and turbulent history.
The "Cartagena, Port of Cultures" initiative was created to enable visitors to enjoy various activities and visits, discovering the rich cultural and historical richness of the city. This is one of several projects to energize the possibilities of tourism from this major potential cultural destination, often overshadowed by mass tourism due to proximity to several holiday resorts, and refineries and industrial development, which provide a bad reputation to the city due to pollution, is now fortunately eradicated.
Archaeological Sites
Although there are some ruins from the Carthaginian era, such as the remains of the Punic fortress (built in 227 BC with the foundations of the city), most of the oldest monuments date from the Roman Empire when Cartagena developed. Blanca Roldan's archaeologist studied Punic Rampart and other remnants of punishment, especially at Molinete Hill. Among the many remains of the Roman relics, the recently renovated Carthago Nova Roman Theater is very prominent and is one of the city's landmarks. The building work began at the end of the 2nd century BC. The Roman Theater Museum was recently officially opened for the first time. In the Times of the Roman Republic, a mine near Cartagena provided Silver and Lead to all Roman Empires.
Other Roman relics can be found in several buildings and centers for interpretation, including the Roman ranks, the House of Fortune, the decemberus and the Augusteum. The Torre Ciega was built by Rome for burial rights; it is part of the Necropolis.
The Roman Amphitheater (1st century AD) is located where the now-abandoned Bullring is built, but only a few walls around it and some of the rooms below the tribune are still visible.
In addition to Roman relics, archaeological sites include remnants of the Cathedral of Santa MarÃÆ'a la Vieja, which was destroyed irreversibly during the Spanish Civil War. It dates from the end of the 13th century. Floors decorated from a 1st century BC Roman house can be found in the basement.
The Byzantine Fortress can be found, closer to the Roman theater and the Cathedral.
The ConcepciÃÆ'³n Castle (now Center of Cartagena's Interpretation of History) was rebuilt in the 13th century using the large structure of the Amphitheater. Apart from the Roman Theater museum, there are also two important archaeological museums: the recently opened Archeological Archeology and Arqua Museum (National Museum of Marine Archeology).
Baroque and Neo-classical Buildings
The Muralla del Mar Campus , the old military hospital, was one of the first works to be done after the transformation of the city into a major Spanish naval base in the Mediterranean, and now the chair of the Polytechnic University. In the vicinity, there is an autopsy theater, which is the anatomical class used for granted. Tourism rehabilitation offers a patrimonial interpretation of nearby buildings at the time of its construction.
These buildings and some other baroque or neo-classical buildings show the importance of the Cartagena military. These included Charles III castle, Castillo de San JuliÃÆ'¡n, Arsenal, Barracks Mid (academy and naval barracks), Navy Headquarters (built in 1740 and later reformed) and Artillery Headquarters, which also houses the Military Museum. Among the baroque or neo-classic churches in Cartagena are El Carmen , Santo Domingo
The harsh Façade of Molina House conceals the Center for Arts and Crafts.
Modernist and eclectic building
Cartagena was home to many Art Nouveau buildings from the early 20th century, when Bourgeoisie settled in the city due to the growth of the local mining industry. These buildings include City Hall, Grand Hotel, Casino (all among the city's landmarks).
The Railway Station has some fabulous iron doors and columns in façade, and inside it can still be seen the original ticket office, door frames, ceilings and lights. Other modernist or eclectic homes include Clares House, Aguirre Castle (which houses the Museum of Modern Regional Art), Cervantes House (relatively large compared to other modernist buildings), Llagostera House, PedreÃÆ' Â ± o Palace, Dorda House, Zapata House, and House Urban Expansion.
Some of the charming lifestyles include this area, such as Calle Mayor (High Street), the city's main pedestrian and commercial street, full of boutiques and bars with typical "tapas", Carmen Street, Puertas de Murcia street and more.
Caridad Church is one of the most important churches in the city, as it is dedicated to the patron saint of Cartagena. The interior is dominated by a dome, similar to the Roman ranks of Agrippa. There are also some extraordinary sculptures by famous sculptor Francisco Salzillo and his school.
Contemporary landscape
The Civil War museum is located in galleries excavated out of the hill ConcepciÃÆ'³n (where the Palace) was used as a refuge for air strikes during the Spanish Civil War. Many of the naval and military attractions of this route, such as the world-renowned Naval Museum and Peral Submarine found by Isaac Peral (born in Cartagena) were launched in 1888 as one of the first ever U-Boats. It was shown at the Cartagena promenade until it moved to the Navy Museum after a full restoration.
The Heroes Monument of Santiago de Cuba and Cavite (1923) is a memorial of war established to honor the sailors of Spain who were killed in combat with the US Navy in the waters of Cavite and Santiago off the coast of the Philippines and Cuba.
Other attractions include the Lift-Gangway near the former Bullring and Concepcion hills, the Regional Assembly (Parliament of Murcia Region) that faÃÆ'§ade has the influence of Renaissance architecture while maintaining the modernist air (typical in the Levant), and the Carmen Conde-Antonio Moliner museum that reconstructs the atmosphere where the this Cartagena poet created a part of their important works.
Beach
Although the city itself is just a port, within the city limits is located part of La Manga del Mar Menor (another part belonging to the San Javier municipality) which includes Mar Menor. Cartagena also includes parts of the Mediterranean Coast of Murcian. Cartagena holds the distinction of being a Spanish city with most of the beaches (10) certified "Q for Quality" by ICTE (Instituto para la Calidad TurÃÆ'stica EspaÃÆ' Â ± ola). These beaches are: Cala Cortina, Islas Menores, Playa Honda beach, Mar de Cristal, Cala del Pino, Cavanna beach, Barco Perdido beach, El GalÃÆ'ºa beach, Levante beach and La Gola beach.
El Porta Beach is adjacent to the naturis camping site, the naked bath is practiced on this beach.
Famous people
- Hasdrubal the Fair (around 270 BC - 221 BC), military and general leaders
- Hannibal (247 BC - 183 BC), military commander
- Liciniano de Cartagena (554-602), archbishop of Diocese Cartaginense
- Hazim al-Qartayanni (1184-1211), poet
- Juan FernÃÆ'¡ndez (1528-1599), sailor and explorer of the Pacific Ocean and Polynesia
- SebastiÃÆ'¡n Raval (1550-1604), composer
- Antonio de EscaÃÆ' Â ± o (1750-1814), army and naval officers
- Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros (1755-1829), naval officer
- Isidoro MÃÆ'¡iquez (1768-1820), actor, painted by Francisco de Goya
- Isaac Peral (1851-1895), engineer, naval officer and designer of Peral Submarine
- Marcos JimÃÆ'Â © nez de la Espada (1831-1898), zoologist, geographer, historian, herpetologist, explorer and author
- Juan Luis Beigbeder y Atienza (1888-1957), military and political leader
- Luis Calandre (1890-1961), doctor
- Antonio Oliver (1903-1968), poet, poeta related to Generacià ± n del 27
- Carmen Conde (1907-1996), author of
- Alfonso PÃÆ'Â © rez SÃÆ'¡nchez (1935-2010), art historian and director of the Museo del Prado from 1983 to 1991
- JoaquÃÆ'n Navarro-Valls (born 1936), physician, journalist and author
- Arturo PÃÆ' Â © rez-Reverte (b) 1951), novelist and journalist, member of Real Academia EspaÃÆ' Â ± ola
- Dolores Soler-Espiauba (born 1935), novelist
- Federico Trillo (b) 1952), a politician affiliated with Partido Popular, former president of Congreso de los Diputados and Spanish Defense Minister and current Spanish ambassador to the United Kingdom
- JosÃÆ'Â © Ortega Cano (born 1953), matador
- Eduardo Zaplana (born 1956), a politician affiliated with Partido Popular
- JosÃÆ'Ã… © Carlos MartÃÆ'nez (born 1969), dancer and choreographer
Festival
- Holy Week Cartagena, announcing an item of International Tourist Interest
- Carthaginians and Romans, declared an item of National Tourism Interest. The main celebration of the city, a colorful Karthagin and Roman parade filled with events reminiscent of the Punic War and the conquest of the city by both Empires. Held in the last weekend of September.
Twin towns - Twin cities
Cartagena twins with:
- Carthage, Tunisia since 1989
- Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
- Terni, Italy
See also
- Campo de Cartagena
- Spanish Naval Manufacture Industry
- Spanish Navy
- Isaac Peral Cartagena inventor of an electric submarine
References
Bibliography
External links
- Official Tourism Site of Murcia, Spain
- Cartagena City Hall (in Spanish)
- Viva Murcia Information and photos for Cartagena
- Coastal batteries Cenizas and Castillitos
- Photos of Cartagena (click on English at the bottom)
- Handball Club Cartagena, Spain
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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