The port of Cartagena ( es, Puerto de Cartagena) is the port located in
Cartagena, Spain. It is the fourth nationwide port in freight traffic behind
Algeciras
Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...
,
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
and
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
.
It occupies the eighth place in relation to the number of cruises.
[ 60% of exports and the 80% of imports from the ]Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia (, ; es, Región de Murcia ), is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. The region is in ...
are made through the port of Cartagena. More than 40% of the tourism that Cartagena receives is made by its port.
It historical importance relies on both the good harbour offered by the natural bay and its strategic location near the East–West maritime route linking the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
to the strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...
. It was used by the Punic civilization, and then by Romans. Besides its location, it also was appreciated at the time because of the metal ore mining ( argentifourous galenas) in the surrounding mountains as well as the esparto
Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. ''Stipa tenacissima'' and ''Lygeum spartum ...
exports.
In 2006, the Autoridad Portuaria de Cartagena proposed the expansion of the port with a new dock in El Gorguel. The estimated cost exceeded 1500 million of euros.
The Port of Cartagena has two independent docks (Cartagena and Escombreras), separated from each other by a distance of 5 km by road and 1.5 miles by sea.
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
*
External links
Puerto de Cartagena, Autoridad Portuaria de Cartagena
Puertos del Estado
El Puerto de Cartagena en Google Maps
Sport in Cartagena, Spain
Marinas in Spain
Sports venues in the Region of Murcia
Cartagena
{{Spain-stub