LOCATION

The Autonomous Community of Murcia is located in the southeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. Its surface area is 11,314 km², which represents 2.2% of total Spanish territory. With clear maritime tendencies thanks to its 274 kilometers of coastline, it occupies a strategic position on the Spanish Mediterranean Rim.

 

 

DEMOGRAPHY

Since 2003, the population of the Region of Murcia has grown by more than 17% and is currently pegged at 1,461,979 inhabitants according to 2010 municipal census figures. Population density is 131 inhabitants per km², higher than the national average of 89 / km².

More than 50% live in the three largest cities: Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca. The city of Murcia is the capital of the Region, and with almost 400,000 inhabitants, is the seventh largest city in Spain. One of the main features of Murcia is the young age of its population, with the greatest percentage of inhabitants falling in the 25-29 year-old age group.

Since 2003, the population of the Region of Murcia has grown by more than 17% and is currently pegged at 1,461,979 inhabitants according to 2010 municipal census figures. Population density is 131 inhabitants per km², higher than the national average of 89 / km².

More than 50% live in the three largest cities: Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca. The city of Murcia is the capital of the Region, and with almost 400,000 inhabitants, is the seventh largest city in Spain. One of the main features of Murcia is the young age of its population, with the greatest percentage of inhabitants falling in the 25-29 year-old age group.

Another important characteristic of the Region’s demographics is that there is net positive growth due to both the Region’s birth rate and national and foreign immigration. In 2009, the Region of Murcia welcomed more than 20,000 people from other regions of Spain, a trend which has intensified over the last few years and is most certainly due to the economic growth our region has enjoyed.

In the following table we see the evolution of immigration patterns by Community of origin:

ORIGIN	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Europe	34,189	43,690	53,318	65,527	70,072
Africa	51,713	63,010	63,878	68,360	74,370
America	76,779	79,282	81,163	87,868	86,917
Asia	2,288	3,001	3,249	3,763	4,532
Oceania	26	24	19	24	29

In addition to being an important destination for citizens from other regions of Spain, the Region of Murcia has become one of the preferred areas of residence for foreigners as well as can be seen by the fact that more than 14% of the Region’s population is not Spanish. We currently have a positive annual migration balance of around 32,000 people. In other words, some 32,000 people have decided to move to our Region to live and work with us

 

 

CLIMATE

The Region of Murcia enjoys a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with annual rainfall of less than 350 mm.  In the summer, temperatures can reach over 40º while winters are short and mild. The average yearly temperature fluctuates between 16º and 19º depending upon altitude. Our region boasts clear skies most of the year (between 120 and 150 days) with some 3,125 hours of sunshine annually.