Cartagena

Cartagena ( Spanish: [kaɾtaˈxena] ) is a city in the Region of Murcia in Spain. As of 2024, with a population of 219,235, it is the 2nd-largest city in Murcia and the 25th-largest in Spain. The city lies in a natural harbour of the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The wider urban or 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 military leader Hasdrubal. The city reached its peak under the Roman Empire, when it was known as Carthago Nova, capital of the province of Carthaginensis. Cartagena was briefly held by the Byzantine Empire in late antiquity, before being raided by Visigoths circa 620–625. The Islamic city rebuilt around the Concepción Hill, mentioned as Qartayânnat al-Halfa, was noted by the 11th century as a great harbor.