Alcantarilla

"Alcantarilla es un municipio español de la Región de Murcia. Su término municipal tiene una extensión de 16,24 km² y su población es de 41.021 habitantes (INE 2015), con una densidad de población de 2518,9 hab/km² que es la más alta de la Región de Murcia. En las proximidades de su término municipal se asienta la Base Aérea de Alcantarilla, base del EZAPAC (Escuadrón de Zapadores Paracaidistas del Ejército del Aire) y de la Escuela Militar de Paracaidismo Méndez Parada. El nombre del municipio proviene del árabe Al-qantara, que significa «puente». Probablemente se trata del Qantara-Asqabach o Ascayata, que puede traducirse por «el puente más cercano», al que alude Al-Idrisi en el siglo XII, situándolo entre Murcia y Librilla, en el camino de Almería."

"Alcantarilla is a town and municipality in southeastern Spain, in the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. The town is only 7 km away from the capital of the region, the city of Murcia, and one of its peculiarities is that it is completely surrounded by "pedanías" (satellite districts or boroughs) of the municipality of Murcia like Sangonera La Seca, San Ginés, Nonduermas, Puebla de Soto, La Ñora, Javalí Viejo and Javalí Nuevo. The town is part of a low-lying fertile plain rich in gardens, orchards and citrus fruits, known as the "Huerta", which includes the valleys of the river Segura and its right-hand tributary the Guadalentín or river Sangonera and is surrounded by mountains. The Huerta belongs mainly to the large administrative authority of the city of Murcia but it also includes other small municipalities (Alcantarilla, Beniel y Santomera) that could not be omitted from the Huerta's framework either functionally or visually. It should be also mentioned that is the town where the Parachutist Academy of the Spanish Royal Air Forces has the base (at Alcantarilla Air Base), and it is also used by the Parachutist Academy of the Spanish Army (Parachutist Brigade) that has the base in Murcia, but not far from the air base."