CARTHAGENA, a city, sea-port, and arsenal of Spain, situated on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea. It is in the province or kingdom of Murcia. The port is very secure, both from an enemy and from tempests. Two castles of great strength defend it from the former, whilst high mountains surrounding all its sides, and an island called [7:6:207]Escombra in the centre of the entrance, protect the shipping from the effects of the latter.

As the tide in the Mediterranean does not rise sufficiently high to permit docks to be constructed in the usual manner, they are kept dry by the help of steam-engines and pumps. Some of the largest ships in the Spanish navy were built at this arsenal, and, in prosperous times, every species of store for the building and equipping of ships of the line were collected here; but the late disasters have prevented the re-erection of the store-houses, and the whole marine service has fallen into decay with most deplorable rapidity. Carthagena is a presidio, or place in which felons condemned to slavery are kept at work in chains. These convicts perform the most laborious offices about the arsenal, and are treated with rigorous severity.

The city has very little trade, except the exportation of barilla, which is made from the ashes of marine plants, some of which are cultivated, and others grow naturally on the sea shore. There are manufactures of sail-cloth and cordage, both for the royal navy and for the supply of individuals. The hemp and flax of which these are made is almost wholly grown within the province, which produces annually about 12,000 quintals. Considerable quantities of larger ropes and cables are made from esparto, or broom, the spartium junceum of Linnaeus. The fibres of this plant, when spun into cordage, make cables which are buoyant, and therefore less subject to accidents from rocks at the bottom of the sea than those made from hemp. Carthagena is the see of a bishop, and has a handsome cathedral, besides many other churches and convents. By accurate observations, its latitude is 37. 35. 50. N. and its longitude 0. 29. 13. W. This city contains 29,000 inhabitants.

Carthagena, a province of Colombia, in South America. With the provinces of Santa Martha and Rio Hacha it forms the department of Magdalena, bordering on the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Darien. It is about 300 miles in length by 240 in breadth. The country is composed of mountains and valleys, the former of which are clothed with forests. There is a great variety of plants and trees, and perpetual verdure covers the earth. Wheat and other kinds of European grain do not flourish well, but Indian corn and rice are raised in quantities sufficient to supply the wants of the inhabitants. The climate is very hot, and from May to December a great deal of rain falls. The variety and beauty of the birds is remarkable. Poultry, pigeons, partridges, and geese, are good and plentiful. This province produces pine-apples, papayas, plantains, and other tropical fruits. See Colombia. Carthagena, the capital city of the above province, is situated on a sandy island, on the shore of a large and very commodious bay, more than two leagues in length. It contains a handsome cathedral, besides several churches, convents, and monasteries. The island, which forms a narrow strait on the south-west, opens a communication with that part of the land called Tierra Bomba. To the eastward the city is joined by a wooden bridge to a large suburb called Xeximani, which is connected with the continent by another bridge. The city and suburbs are well laid out, the streets being straight, broad, and uniform. The houses are for the most part built of stone. They consist chiefly of one story above the ground floor. All of them have balconies and lattices of wood, which in this climate is more durable than iron. The climate is excessively hot; and, like the whole province, Carthagena suffers from periodical rains. In former times this city was the scene of frequent contests, and in the late war of independence it was taken and retaken by both parties. The population amounts to about 20,000, of whom a great many are of Indian descent. Long. 77. 30. W. Lat. 10. 25. N.