Murcia

Murcia city (1990 pop. 322,911), capital of Murcia prov., SE Spain, on the Segura River. The city lies in one of the finest irrigated garden regions in Spain. The silk industry, a traditional occupation for many years, has declined. There are food-processing, tanning, textile, and other light industries. Lead, silver, sulfur, and iron are mined nearby and aluminum is produced. Murcia rose to prominence under the Moors, when it was for a time the capital of the independent kingdom of Murcia (see separate article). The Gothic cathedral (14th-15th cent.) and the episcopal palace are landmarks. Murcia is the see of a bishop and has a university (founded 1915).

Murcia Autonomous region in se Spain; the capital is Murcia. It was settled in c.225 bc by the Carthaginians, who founded the port of Cartagena and the city of Murcia. The Moors captured the region in the 8th century. In the 11th century, Murcia became an independent kingdom, but in the 13th century it fell to Castile. Murcia is an arid, rugged province with desert vegetation. Historically, the region has been associated with the production of silk, concentrated around the city of Murcia. Area: 11,317sq km (4368sq mi). Pop. (2000) 1,149,328.