Murcia

(mûrˈshə, -shē-ə, mo͞orˈthyä)

1. A region and former kingdom of southeast Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. Settled by Carthaginians, it was conquered by the Moors in the 8th century and became an independent Moorish kingdom in the 11th century. It was annexed by Castile in 1266.
2. A city of southeast Spain north-northwest of Cartagena. Originally a Roman settlement, it was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Murcia. Population: 423,000.