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CARTAGENA, or CARTHAGENA

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 413 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CARTAGENA, or CARTHAGENA  , a seaport of See also:south-eastern See also:Spain, in the See also:province of See also:Murcia; in 370 36' N. and o° 58' W., at the See also:terminus of a See also:branch railway from the See also:city of Murcia, and on the Mediterranean See also:Sea . Pop . (1900) 99,871 . See also:Cartagena is fortified, and possesses an See also:arsenal and See also:naval See also:dockyards . Together with See also:Ferrol and See also:San Fernando near See also:Cadiz, the other See also:great naval stations of Spain, it is governed by an See also:admiral with the See also:title of See also:captain-See also:general . It has also an episcopal see . The city stands on a See also:hill separated by a little See also:plain from theharbour; towards the See also:north and See also:east it communicates with a fertile valley; on the south and See also:west it is hemmed in by high mountains . Its See also:grey houses have a neglected, almost a dilapidated See also:appearance, from the friable See also:stone of which they are constructed; and there are no buildings of antiquarian See also:interest or striking architectural beauty, except, perhaps, the ruined citadel and the remnants of the See also:town walls . The wide streets are traversed by a See also:system of tramways, which pass through See also:modern suburbs to the See also:mining See also:district about two leagues inland, and on the west a See also:canal enables small vessels to enter the town without using the See also:port . The See also:harbour, the largest in Spain after that of See also:Vigo, and the finest: on the east See also:coast, , is a spacious See also:bay, deep, except near its centre, where there is a ledge of See also:rock barely ft. under See also:water, It is dominated, on the seaward See also:side, by four hills, and approached by a narrow entrance, with forts on either See also:hand; a See also:breakwater affords shelter on the east, and on the west is the Arsenal See also:Basin, often regarded,as the See also:original harbour, of the Carthaginians and See also:Romans . The See also:island called La Escom-, brera, the See also:ancient Scombraria (i.e . " See also:mackerel See also:fishery "), 21 M. south,; protects Cartagena from the violence, of See also:wind and waves .

The mines near the city are very productive, and thousands of men and beasts areemployed in transporting See also:

lead, See also:iron, See also:copper, See also:zinc and See also:sulphur to the coast . ,The See also:industrial and commercial progress of Cartagena was much hindered, during the first See also:half of the 19th See also:century, by the prevalence of epidemic diseases, the See also:abandonment of the arsenal; and rivalry with the neighbouring port of See also:Alicante . Its sanitary See also:condition, though still defective, was improved by the drainage of the adjacent Almajar See also:Marsh; and after 187o, • when the See also:population had dwindled to about 26,000, Cartagena advanced rapidly in See also:size and See also:wealth, The . opening of the railway enabled it to compete successfully with Alicante, and revived the mining and metallurgical See also:industries, while considerable sums were expended on bringing the coast and See also:land defences up to date, and adding new quays, docks and other harbour See also:works . As a naval station, Cartagena suffered severely in 1898 from the maritime disasters of the See also:Spanish-See also:American, See also:War; and its See also:commerce was much affected when, at the beginning of the.same See also:year, Porman, or Portman, a mining See also:village on a well-sheltered bay about 11 m. east, was declared by royal See also:order an See also:independent port . Vessels go to Porman to land See also:coke and See also:coal, and to. load iron ore and lead . From Cartagena the See also:principal exports are metallic ores, See also:esparto grass, See also:wine, cereals and See also:fruit . Esparto grass, which grows freely in the vicinity, is the spartum, or Spanish See also:broom, which gave the town its See also:Roman designation of Carthago Spartaria . It is still used locally for making shoes, See also:ships' cables, mats and a See also:kind of spun See also:cloth . See also:Timber is largely imported from the See also:United States, See also:Sweden and See also:Russia; coal from Great See also:Britain; dried codfish from See also:Norway and See also:Newfoundland . In 1904, exclusive of coasters and small See also:craft trading with north-west See also:Africa, 662 ships of 604,208 tons entered the port of Cartagena, 259 being See also:British and 15o Spanish; while 90 vessels were accommodated at Porman . Cartagena was founded about the year 243 B.C. by the Carthaginian See also:Hasdrubal, and was called Carthago Nova or New See also:Carthage, to distinguish it from the See also:African city of Carthage . It was conveniently situated opposite to the Carthaginian territory in Africa, and was See also:early noted for its harbour .

Its See also:

silver and See also:gold mines were the source of great wealth both to the Carthaginians and to the Romans . In 210 B.C. this important See also:place, the headquarters and treasure city of the Punic See also:army, was stormed and taken with great slaughter by P . Scipio . The city continued to flourish under the Romans, who made it a See also:colony, with the name Colonia Victrix Julia Nova Carthago . In A.U . 425 it was pillaged and nearly destroyed by the Goths . Cartagena was a bishopric from about 400 to 1289, when the see was removed to Murcia . Under the See also:Moors it became an independent principality, which wasdestroyed by See also:Ferdinand II. of See also:Castile in 1243, restored by the Moors, and finally conquered by See also:James I. of See also:Aragon in 1276 . It was rebuilt by See also:Philip II. of Spain (1527-1598) for the See also:sake of its harbour . In 1585 it was sacked by an See also:English See also:fleet under See also:Sir See also:Francis See also:Drake . In 17o6,rin the War of the Spanish See also:Succession, ' it was occupied by Sir See also:John See also:Leake; and in the next year it was retaken by the See also:duke of See also:Berwick . On the 5th of See also:November 1823 it capitulated to the See also:French .

In consequence of the insurrection in Spain, Cartagena was in 1844 again the See also:

scene of warfare . On the 23rd of See also:August 1873 it was bombarded by the Spanish fleet under Admiral Lobos; on the 1th of See also:October a See also:battle took place off the town, between the ships of the See also:government and the rebels, and on the 12th of See also:January 1874 Cartagena was occupied by the government troops . See Biblioteca historica de Cartagena, by G . Vicent y Portillo (See also:Madrid, 1889, &c.); Fechos y fechas de Cartagena, by I . Martinez Rito (Cartagena, 1894) ; and Serie de los obispos de Cartagena, by P . See also:Diaz Casson (Madrid, 1895) .

End of Article: CARTAGENA, or CARTHAGENA
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