Murcia

For the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, see Mercia.
For other uses, see Murcia (disambiguation).

Murcia
Municipality
Cathedral
City hall (Moneo building)
Monteagudo Castle
The Old Bridge
University cloister
Casa Cerdá
Flag of Murcia
Flag
Coat of arms of Murcia
Coat of arms
Map
Location of Murcia
Coordinates: 37°59′10″N 1°7′49″W / 37.98611°N 1.13028°W / 37.98611; -1.13028
CountrySpain
Autonomous communityRegion of Murcia
Founded825 AD (by Abd ar-Rahman II)
Government
 • MayorJosé Ballesta Germán (2023) (PP)
Area
 • Municipality881.86 km2 (340.49 sq mi)
Elevation
43 m (141 ft)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Municipality460,349[1]
 • Urban
672,773[2]
DemonymMurciano/a
GDP
[4]
 • Metro€29.720 billion (2020)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
30001 to 30012
Dialing code968 / 868
WebsiteOfficial website

Murcia (/ˈmʊərsiə/, US also /ˈmɜːrʃ(i)ə/;[5][6][7] Spanish: [ˈmuɾθja] ⓘ) is a city in south-eastern Spain,[8] the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia,[9] and the seventh largest city in the country. It had a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021[10] (about one-third of the total population of the Region). The total population of the metropolitan area was 672,773 in 2020, covering an urban area of 1,230.9 km2.[2] It is located on the Segura River, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a climate with hot summers, mild winters, and relatively low precipitation.

Murcia was founded by Abd ar-Rahman II, Emir of Cordoba, in 825 with the name Mursiyah (Arabic: مرسية). It is now mainly a services city and a university town. Highlights for visitors include the Cathedral of Murcia and a number of baroque buildings, renowned local cuisine, Holy Week procession, works of art by the famous Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo, and the Fiestas de Primavera (Spring Festival).

The city, as the capital of the comarca Huerta de Murcia, is called "Europe's orchard" due to its long agricultural tradition and its fruit, vegetable, and flower production and exports.[11]

  1. ^ "Murcia: Población por municipios y sexo. (2883)". INE (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Atlas Estadístico de las Áreas Urbanas | Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana". www.mitma.gob.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  3. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  4. ^ "Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions". ec.europa.eu.
  5. ^ "Murcia". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Murcia" (US) and "Murcia". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Murcia". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Tourism in Murcia. What to see. Tourist information | spain.info in english". Spain.info. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Región de Murcia. Consejería de Sanidad" (PDF) (in Spanish). 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Murcia: Población por municipios y sexo. (2883)". INE (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  11. ^ Riquelme Manzanera, Ángel Luis (1998). "Declaración del espacio natural Huerta de Murcia" (PDF). Revista Cangilón – Región de Murcia Digital (in Spanish). pp. 32, 33. Retrieved 23 December 2020.