Murcia is a city in southeastern Spain, and is the capital of the Autonomous Community of Murcia, on the Segura river. Population of the city of Murcia proper was 391,000 as of 2003 estimates. Population of the urban area was 485,000 as of 2000 estimates. Population of the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) was 558,000 as of 2003 estimates, ranking as the 11th-largest metropolitan area of Spain.

• Lat: 37 59 N degrees min Lat: 37.983 degrees decim.
• Long: 001 08 W degrees min. Long: -1.133 degrees decim.

Roman Catholic Holy Week in the city of Murcia is famous throughout Spain. Life-sized sculptures by Francisco Salzillo (1707-1783) are taken out of museums and carried around the city in elegant processions full of flowers and, at night, candles. These finely detailed sculptures portray events leading up to and including the crucifixion. Murcia is also known for its beautiful, handmade nativity figurines.

The river running through Murcia, the Segura, is one of the most polluted in Europe. Organic farming is difficult because of this. Certification is difficult to obtain due to the amounts of cadmium and mercury dumped into the river upstream near Molina de Segura by the canning industry. However, Murcia serves as a major producer of agricultural products; for example, it is common to find tomatoes, lettuce, and lemons grown in Murcia in Scandinavian supermarkets.

Murcia is also home of the Universidad de Murcia.

On-line editions of local newspapers are available. See La Opinión and La Verdad.

See also: San Javier-Murcia Airport.