Murcia Wins Border War

Written by Our Murcia Correspondent

Friday, 08 August 2008

T he province of Murcia has just become larger after victory in a boundary war with Alicante. Passions have been running high for a long time over a 479,753 square metre of land that divides the two neighbours. Mayors have become excited, citizens have protested, signposts have been moved and tempers run high. Now the Technical Commission of the National Geographic Institute has ruled that the disputed land belongs to Murcia. This has given cause for celebrations in Murcia and despondency in Alicante. The problem, like so many other boundary disputes around the world, dates back into the mists of history. It's hard to see why it matters, but things like this always tend to matter a lot to local people. When the capital of Spain was established in the centre of the country in 1561, the problem arose of how to feed the growing population. The answer included a network of royal roads that fanned out across the nation and along which shepherds drove great flocks of sheep and other livestock to feed the people of the capital. The system became well established, with huge numbers of animals being involved. In addition, the royal roads were used to drive herds down to warmer southern areas in the winter, away from the cold inland uplands and back again when spring arrived. read+: http://www.roundtownnews.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15846&Itemid=9