*** Welcome to piglix ***

Carthago Nova

Cartagena
Municipality
Cartagena palacio consistorial5.jpg Muralla de Carlos III (Muralla del Mar).JPG
Teatro romano cartagena 1.jpg
PalacioPedreño.JPG Gran Hotel2.JPG
Cartagena
Flag of Cartagena
Flag
Coat of arms of Cartagena
Coat of arms
Motto: Muy noble, muy leal y siempre heroica ciudad de Cartagena
Cartagena is located in Spain
Cartagena
Cartagena
Location in Spain
Coordinates: 37°36′N 0°59′W / 37.600°N 0.983°W / 37.600; -0.983Coordinates: 37°36′N 0°59′W / 37.600°N 0.983°W / 37.600; -0.983
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Murcia
Province Province of Murcia
Comarca Campo de Cartagena
Judicial district Cartagena
Founded 227 BC
Government
 • Mayor José López Martínez (2015) (MC Cartagena)
Area
 • Total 558.08 km2 (215.48 sq mi)
Elevation 10 m (30 ft)
Highest elevation 50 m (160 ft)
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Total 216,655
 • Density 390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Cartageneros
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 302xx and 303xx
Dialing code (+34) 968
Website www.cartagena.es

Cartagena (Spanish pronunciation: [kartaˈxena]; Latin: Carthago Nova) is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital city. The metropolitan area of Cartagena, known as Campo de Cartagena, has a population of 409,586 inhabitants.

Cartagena has been inhabited for over two millennia, being founded around 227 BC by the Carthaginian Hasdrubal the Fair as Qart Hadasht, the same name as the original city of Carthage. The city had its heyday during the Roman Empire, when it was known as Carthago Nova (the New Carthage) and Carthago Spartaria, capital of the province of Carthaginensis. It was one of the important cities during the Umayyad invasion of Hispania, under its Arabic name of Qartayannat al-Halfa.

Much of the historical weight of Cartagena in the past goes to its coveted defensive port, one of the most important in the western Mediterranean. Cartagena has been the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the Mediterranean since the arrival of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. As far back as the 16th century it was one of the most important naval ports in Spain, together with Ferrol in the North. It is still an important naval seaport, the main military haven of Spain, and is home to a large naval shipyard.


...
Wikipedia

...