The Costa Calida (Warm Coast) is located in the south-east of Spain on the Mediterranean coastline. Two of its best known and most ancient cities are Cartagena and Murcia, both have a long and distinguished history, and both have played a part in the building of the region.
 

Cartagena was founded by the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal in about 227 BC, he named the city Quart Hadast, and it later became the capital city and headquarters of the famous general Hannibal (of elephant fame). After the Romans defeated the Carthaginians in the Punic Wars, they renamed the city Carthago Novo (New Carthage) and established it as an important trading centre. The Romans realised its prime strategic position and its importance as a deepwater harbour.
 

The Romans were followed by the Visigoths and later the Arabs, but Cartagena came back to Christian control in the 13th Century, and a long period of decline followed, not until the 18th Century, when it became an important naval port, did Cartagena fully recover.
 

Cartagena today has some wonderful archaeological sites including the Roman theatre and the Punic Ramparts.
 

Murcia is the capital of the Murcia Region of Spain and with its population of 563,000 covers a large municipal district. Murcia lies on the banks of the River Segura and its most famous landmark is Murcia Cathedral which is a magnificent structure having Renaissance and Baroque elements, the interior is mostly Gothic. Murcia Cathedral was originally built in the 14th Century on the former site of a Moorish mosque.
 

Murcia is a city of green and peaceful squares, where old Spanish folk sit and watch the world go by. Most of the interesting places to visit lie at the heart of the city, around the Cathedral, take a look at Plaza de las Flores, the Plaza de Cardinal Beluga and the Casa Palarca.
 

The region of Murcia (which also includes Cartagena) has 176 km of beautiful coastline and borders the regions of Valencia, Castilla – La Mancha and Andalucia, it enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate with very low rainfall and long hours of sunshine.
 

Also part of the Costa Calida and Murcia region is the Mar Menor, an inland sea with some fabulous beaches, which lies just north of Cartagena.
 

If you are visiting the south-east coast of Spain, be sure to take in the cities of Cartagena and Murcia on the sunny Costa Calida.