General Information

Washed by the Mediterranean
The autonomous region of Murcia lies in the southeast of the Spanish mainland. It borders Castile-La Mancha in the north, the region of Valencia in the east, the Mediterranean sea in the south, and Andalusia in the west.

The coastline of Murcia is characterised by its sandy beaches. The most beautiful natural wonder on the coast is the Mar Menor. It is a shallow lagoon or pool, which is the largest of its kind in Spain. The water in the lagoon is very salty and maintains a hot temperature (5ºC above the average Mediterranean temperature). It has four openings or passages that lead to the sea. The mountainous scenery of the region is full of foothills that roll in from the Penibetica and Subbetica ranges that help create the Guadalentin river and Sangonera depressions. The most outstanding part of the area is without doubt the Revolcadores massif, that reaches an altitude of 2,027 metres. The El Caruche, Espuña, La Pila and Ricote sierras are all over 1000 metres high. The rivers are short and irregular, given the close proximity of the sierras to the sea and the low rainfall. The most notable river in size and the area it irrigates is the Segura. It enters the region from Albacete, via Calasparra, and leaves the region heading towards Alicante.

Transportation

Network connections
The region of Murcia has excellent land, sea and air transport connections. San Javier airport is a clear example of this.

The region is well connected by a road network linking it to the rest of Spain.The exit to Albacete and Madrid is on the A3 and N-301. The connection with the Mediterranean Basin, towards Alicante and Valencia can be made inland on the E-15 main road or on national highway N-332 that runs from Cartagena along the coastline. The Cartagena-Alicante journey along the coast can also be made on the main road, linking up with the AP-7 motorway in the direction of Catalonia. The region of Murcia also has some notable ports, with a relatively heavy traffic of goods and passengers. The most important are the Cartagena-Escombreras and Aguilas ports to name just two.

Administration

Regional Assembly
Murcia Region is an autonomous single province region, whose capital and only province have the same name: Murcia.

The Statute of Autonomy was approved in 1982. Its institutional bodies are based in the capital, with the exception of the Regional Assembly that is located in the city of Cartagena. The Regional Assembly is the legislative body of the Autonomous Region and comprises 45 deputies, whose responsibilities, amongst others, include electing the President of the Autonomous Region.

Population

Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca are where the majority of the population live
The population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2004, after having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 1,294,694.

Murcia's main cities are Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca, Caravaca de la Cruz, Molina de Segura, Cieza and Alcantarilla. Fifty per cent of the population within the region live mainly in the cities of Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca.

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