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Murcia
car hire
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Murcia Spain
Location
Privileged Surroundings
Located at the South-East corner of the Iberian Peninsula, between
the regions of, Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha and Valencia, the region
of Murcia occupies an area of 11,317 km2 (2.2% of the total surface
area of Spain), bordering the province of Albacete in the North, the
province of Alicante in the East, the provinces of Granada, Albacete
and Almería in the West, and the Mediterranean in the South-East.
In terms of surface area the region of Murcia is the ninth largest of
the Spanish autonomous communities. The Murcia region lies at the centre
of the Spanish Mediterranean coastal arch, between the longitudes 37º
23' - 38º 45'N and the latitudes 0º 39' - 2º 20'W taking
as reference the Greenwich Meridian.
A little history
The territory which is today known as the Region of Murcia has been
inhabited by man for over 1,500,000 years, and this human presence has
been a constant factor in the development of the Murcian landscape since
the remotest periods of prehistory. The first evidence of the presence
of man dates back to the Neanderthal and Cromagnon periods, whilst archaeological
finds become abundant from Neolithic times onwards. Iron age remains
begin to speak of a certain level of progress leading to the development
of agriculture and the domestication of livestock during the Iberian
period and, later, intense commercial activity with the presence of
Phoenecian, Greek and Carthaginian settlers in permanent conflict with
the autoctonous peoples. Scipio's conquest of the city of Carthago Nova
in 209 BC led to the definitive expansion of what had already become
an important economic and political centre in the Mediterranean.
The conquest of the region by Rome initiated a period of uninterrupted
growth all along the Murcian coast which was to go on for more than
600 years. During this period communications in the area were developed,
mining came to be of great importance and the foundations of its future
agricultural prosperity were laid. Already at that time, market-garden
produce from the valley irrigated by the Segura River (then known as
the River Thader) was highly appreciated, as was fish caught on the
rich off-shore fishing-grounds. After a prolonged spell of political
instability, a consequence of the disintegration of the Roman Empire,
a long period of Arab domination began in 713 AD when Abdelaziz defeated
Theudemir's Hispano-Visigoth army in Cartagena. The year 825 AD constituted
a further historical landmark, when the city of Murcia was officially
founded by Abderraman II. These events marked the onset of Murcia's
economic prosperity since the Arabs initiated the large-scale exploitation
of the Segura river valley, creating a whole complex irrigation system,
composed of canals, dams and water-wheels, the forerunner of today's
irrigation network, which made it possible to reap the maximum benefit
from the vast expanse of fertile land surrounding the city. However,
the economic abundance brought to the South of Spain by the Arabs was
placed in jeopardy by internal strife, military pressures from the Northern
frontier and internal political disorders. The creation of the Taifa
kingdoms at the beginning of the eleventh century was the swansong of
a territory which would shortly fall - in 1243 - under the vassalage
of Castile, and the remains of Andalusia were finally incorporated into
this kingdom with the signing of the Granada Peace Treaty in 1492. From
this time onwards peace came to the Murcian territories, and they went
through a sustained period of economic and demographic growth.
Important projects were undertaken, new guilds were born and cities
flourished during the course of the sixteenth century. The XVII century
brought a new period of instability, with a succession of epidemics,
plagues and prolonged droughts, after which a slow process of recuperation
gradually set in thanks to the expansion of the surface area dedicated
to agriculture and the liberalization of commerce.
The arrival of the XVIII century hailed a new period of growth where
urban splendour - contemporary with the artistic development of the
famed Murcian baroque - was accompanied by the completion of the Cathedral
in Murcia and the construcción of the Arsenal in Cartagena, evident
signs of the civil and military prosperity. With the coming of the XIX
century, History's ups and downs brought a new period of crisis to the
Region coinciding with a long succession of floods and droughts, and
it was only when the second half of the century was well under way that
a new relaunching of the economy in the area took place, thanks to a
process of industrialization powered mainly by mining wealth derived
from its rich ore deposits. However, the depletion of natural resources,
the weakness of an economy based mainly on industry funded by foreign
capital, together with instability provoked by revolutionary riots and
the short-sightedness of commerce unwilling to direct its attention
towards external markets, together wove a precarious panorama with which
to initiate the XX century.
And in fact we must wait until the end of the decade of the 20's before
the region definitively boards the train of progress - with the inevitable
parenthesis of the Civil War - giving birth to an industry dedicated
to the transformation of agricultural products in sectors such as food-processing,
leading to the modernisation of all its agricultural structures. On
these bases, the Region has set about its expansion, confidently undertaking
the necessary social and economic changes required to enter a Twenty-first
Century full of challenges for the future.
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All
included |
New
cars |
No
booking fee |
Free
cancellation |
Unlimited
milleage |
24
Hour road assistance |
Full
insurance |
2nd
driver free |
No
waiting time |
No
bus journies |
No
visa number need for reservation |
No
hidden extras |
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