Murcia Province. Washed by the Mediterranean
Murcia Province the autonomous region of Murcia lies in the southeast of the Spanish mainland. It borders Castile-La Mancha in the north, the region of Valencia in the east, the Mediterranean sea in the south, and Andalusia in the west.
The coastline of Murcia is characterised by its sandy beaches. The most beautiful natural wonder on the coast is the Mar Menor. It is a shallow lagoon or pool, which is the largest of its kind in Spain. The water in the lagoon is very salty and maintains a hot temperature (5ºC above the average Mediterranean temperature). It has four openings or passages that lead to the sea.
The mountainous scenery of the region is full of foothills that roll in from the Penibetica and Subbetica ranges that help create the Guadalentin river and Sangonera depressions. The most outstanding part of the area is without doubt the Revolcadores massif, that reaches an altitude of 2,027 metres.
The El Caruche, Espuña, La Pila and Ricote sierras are all over 1000 metres high. The rivers are short and irregular, given the close proximity of the sierras to the sea and the low rainfall. The most notable river in size and the area it irrigates is the Segura. It enters the region from Albacete, via Calasparra, and leaves the region heading towards Alicante.