The Autonomous Community of the
Region of Murcia (Spanish: Comunidad Autónoma de la
Región de Murcia) is one of Spain's seventeen autonomous
communities. It is located in the southeast of the country,
between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the
Mediterranean coast.
The autonomous community consists of a
single province (region), unlike most autonomous
communities, which have several provinces within the same
region. Because of this, the autonomous community and the
province are operated as one unit of government. The city of
Murcia is the capital of the Region, and seat of government
organs, except for the parliament (Regional Assembly), which
is in Cartagena. The autonomous community and province is
subdivided in municipalities.
The Region of Murcia is bordered by
Andalucía (the provinces of Almería and Granada);
Castilla-La Mancha (the province of Albacete), which was
historically connected to Murcia until 1833; the Valencian
Community (province of Alicante); and the Mediterranean Sea.
The highest mountain is Revolcadores (2015 m).
The community measures 11,313 km² and
has a population of 1.4 million, of whom one-third live in
the capital.
The region is a major producer of
fruits, vegetables, and flowers for Spain and the rest of
Europe. Excellent wineries have developed near the towns of
Bullas, Yecla, and Jumilla, as well as olive oil near
Moratalla. Murcia is mainly a warm region which has made it
very suitable for agriculture. However the precipitacion
level is low and water supply is a hot subject today since,
in addition to the traditional water demand for crops, there
is now also a demand of water for the booming tourist
developments which take advantage of the mild weather and
beaches. Water is supplied by the Segura River or Río Segura
and, ever since the 70's, by the Tajo transvasement, a major
civil engineering which, under some environmental and
sustaintibility restraints, brings water from the Tajo into
the Segura.


