output.json

{'query': 'Which city have more citizens: Alicante or Murcia?', 'docs': [Document(page_content='Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population 
of the city was 337,482 as of 2020, the second-largest in the Valencian Community.\n\n\n== Toponymy ==\nThe name of the city echoes the Arabic name Laqant (لَقَنْت), al-Laqant (اللَّقَنْت) or Al-qant (القنت), which in turn reflects the Latin Lucentum and Greek root Leuké (or Leuka), meaning "w
hite".\n\n\n== History ==\n\nThe area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The first tribes of hunter-gatherers moved down gradually from Central Europe between 5000 and 3000 BC. Some of the earliest settlements were made on the slopes of Mount Benacantil. By 1000 BC Greek and Phoenician traders had begun to visit the eastern coast of Spain, establishing small trading ports and introducing the native Iberian tribes to 
the alphabet, iron, and the pottery wheel. The Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca established the fortified settlement of Akra Leuké (Greek: Ἄκρα 
Λευκή, meaning "White Mountain" or "White Point"), in the mid-230s BC, which is generally presumed to have been on the site of modern Alicante.\n\nAlthough the Carthaginians conquered much of the land around Alicante, the Romans would eventually rule Hispania Tarraconensis for over 700 years. 
By the 5th century AD, Rome was in decline and the Roman predecessor town of Alicante, known as Lucentum (Latin), was more or less under the control of the Visigothic warlord Theudimer and thereafter under Visigothic rule from 400 to 700 A.D. The Goths did not put up much resistance to the Arab conquest of Medina Laqant at the beginning of the 8th century. The Moors ruled southern and eastern Spain until the 13th century Reconquista (Reconquest). Alicante was conquered again in 1247 by the Castilian king Alfonso X, but later passed to the Kingdom of Valencia in 1296 with King James II of Aragon. It gained the status of Royal Village (Vila Reial) with representation in the medieval Valencian Parliament (Corts Valencianes).\nAfter several decades of being the battlefield where the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon clashed, Alicante became a major Mediterranean trading station exporting rice, wine, olive oil, oranges, and wool. But between 1609 and 1614 King Felipe III expelled thousands of Moriscos who had remained in Valencia after the Reconquista, due to their cooperation with Barbary pirates who continually attacked coastal cities and caused much harm to trade. This act cost the region dearly; with so many skilled artisans and agricultural labourers gone, the feudal nobility found itself sliding into bankruptcy.\nConditions worsened in the early 18th century; after the War of Spanish Succession, Alicante went into a long, slow decline, surviving through the 18th and 19th centuries by making shoes and growing agricultural produce such as oranges and almonds, and thanks to its fisheries. The end of the 19th century witnessed a sharp recovery of the local economy with increasing international trade and the growth of the city harbour leading to increased exports of several products (particularly during World War I when Spain was a neutral country).\nDuring the early 20th century, Alicante was a minor capital that took profit from the benefit of Spain\'s neutrality during World War I, and that provided new opportunities for local industry and agriculture. The Rif War in the 1920s saw numerous alicantinos drafted to fight in the long and bloody campaigns in the former Spanish protectorate (northern Morocco) against the Rif rebels. The political unrest of the late 1920s led to the victory of Republican candidates in local council elections throughout the country, and the abdication of King Alfonso XIII. The proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic was much celebrated in the city on 14 April 1931. The Spanish Civil War broke out on 17 July 1936. Alicante was the last city loyal to the Republican 
gover', metadata={'title': 'Alicante', 'summary': 'Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 as of 2020, the second-largest 
in the Valencian Community.', 'source': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicante'}), Document(page_content="Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community (Alicante and Elche, respectively) are located in this province.\nAlicante is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east. The province is named after its capital, the city of Alicante.\n\n\n== Territory, population and resources ==\n\nAccording to the 2018 population data, Alicante ranks as the fourth most populous province in Spain (after Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia), with 1,838,819 inhabitants. Cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in the province are Alicante (334,757 inhabitants), Elche (230,112), Torrevieja (101,792), Orihuela (86,164), Benidorm (71,034), Alcoy (61,552), Elda (55,168), and San Vicente del Raspeig (53,126).\nThe province has the largest ratio of foreigner population among all Spanish provinces. The total of 446,368 foreigners are registered in the province, which represents 23.6 percent of the total population.  Out of 141 municipalities that make up the province, foreign population is above 25% in 54 municipalities, and above 50% in 19 municipalities. The latter include San Fulgencio (80%), Rojales (74%), Benitatxell (69.8%), Algorfa (69.7%), Llíber (67%), Teulada (65.5%), Daya Vieja (64.4%); San Miguel de Salinas (64.3%), Calp (62.8%), Els Poblets (61.6%), Alcalalí (60.8%), Benijófar (58.5%), L'Alfàs del Pi (56.6%), Orba (55%), Xàbia (54%), Torrevieja (53.5%), Murla (52%), Fondó (51.7%), and Benidoleig (50%).\nFrom the 50 provinces of Spain, Alicante is the only one with three metropolitan areas—Alicante–Elche, Elda–Petrer and Benidorm—even though only one of them (Alicante–Elche) is ranked within the Spanish top ten metropolitan areas. It has an area of 5,816.5 km2 (2,245.8 sq mi), and so it has a population density of 313.8 inhabitants/km2.\n\n\n=== Geography and climate ===\n\nThe province is mountainous, especially in the north and midwest, whereas it is mostly flat to the south, in the Vega Baja del Segura area; the most elevated points in the province are Aitana (1,558 m), Puig Campana (1,410 m), Montcabrer (1,389 m), Carrascar de la Font Roja (1,354 m), Maigmó (1,296 m), Serra de Crevillent 
(835 m) and El Montgó (753 m). All of these peaks are a part of the Subbaetic Range.\nThe coast extends from the cape, Cap de la Nau, in the north 
to almost reaching the Mar Menor (Minor Sea) in the south. With regard to water sources, due to the dry rain regime there are no major rivers, but 
mostly ramblas (dry rivers), which fill in with water when torrential rains occur.\nThe only remarkable streams are the Vinalopó, Serpis, and the river Segura. Other minor seasonal creeks (some completely dried out in summer) are Girona, Algar, Amadorio and Ebo.\nThere are saline wetlands and 
marshlands along the coast such El Fondo and the former wetlands and now salt evaporation ponds in Santa Pola and Torrevieja. All of them are key Ramsar Sites which make the Alicante province of high relevance for both migratory and resident seabirds and waterbirds.\nImportant coastal dunes are present in the Guardamar area which were planted with thousands of pine trees during the 19th century in order to protect the ville from the dunes advancing, which has created now an area of remarkable ecologic value.\nThe climate is strikingly diverse for such a reduced area. Three major areas can be cited:\n\nMost of the province belongs to a semi-arid climate. It roughly goes along the coastal plain from La Vila Joiosa through the southernmost border (cities included here are, amongst others, Alicante, Elche, Orihuela and Torrevieja). Summers are very long, hot to very hot and very dry, winters are cool to mild and its most prominent feature is very scarce precipitation, typically below 300mm. per year and most likely to happen dur", metadata={'title': 'Province of Alicante', 'summary': 'Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern 
part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community (Alicante and Elche, respectively) are located in this province.\nAlicante is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east. The province is named after its capital, the city of Alicante.', 'source': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Alicante'}), Document(page_content='Murcia (, US also , Spanish: [ˈmuɾθja] ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It had a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one-third of the total population of the Region). The total population of the metropolitan area was 672,773 in 2020, covering an urban area of 1,230.9 km2. It is located on the Segura River, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a climate with hot summers, mild winters, and relatively low precipitation.\nMurcia was founded by Abd ar-Rahman II, Emir of Cordoba, in 825 
with the name Mursiyah (Arabic: مرسية).  It is now mainly a services city and a university town. Highlights for visitors include the Cathedral of Murcia and a number of baroque buildings, renowned local cuisine, Holy Week procession, works of art by the famous Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo, and the Fiestas de Primavera (Spring Festival).\nThe city, as the capital of the comarca Huerta de Murcia, is called "Europe\'s orchard" due to its long agricultural tradition and its fruit, vegetable, and flower production and exports.\n\n\n== History ==\n\nThe territory has been inhabited by humans since prehistory. People also lived in the current municipality during the Bronze and Iron Ages. During the late Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age, the occupancy of part of the current municipality was performed by the Argaric people. During the late Bronze Age and the Iron Age, the 
people who inhabited the current municipality were the Iberians. A remarkable site is a religious building, whose name is the De la Luz Iberian Sanctuary. There are traces of people presence during the Roman rule in the Iberian Peninsula era. A construction of the late Roman period in the Iberian Peninsula is a fortress, Castillo de los Garres, located in the south of the northern half of the municipality.\n\nIt is widely believed that Murcia\'s name is derived from the Latin word myrtea or murtea, meaning land of the myrtle (the plant is known to grow in the general area), although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village (Murtius was a common Roman name). Other research suggests that 
it may owe its name to the Latin Murtae (Mulberry), which covered the regional landscape for many centuries. The Latin name eventually changed into the Arabic Mursiya, and then, Murcia.\nThe city in its present location was founded with the name Madinat Mursiyah (مدينة مرسية \'city of Murcia\') in AD 825 by Abd ar-Rahman II, who was then the emir of Córdoba. Umayyad planners, taking advantage of the course of the river Segura, created an imaginative and complex network of irrigation channels that made the town\'s agricultural existence prosperous. In the 12th century the traveller 
and writer Muhammad al-Idrisi described the city of Murcia as populous and strongly fortified. After the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031, 
Murcia passed under the successive rules of the powers seated variously at Almería and Toledo, but finally became capital of its own kingdom with Ibn Tahir (أبو عبد الرحمن بن طاهر). After the fall of the Almoravide empire, Ibn Mardanis made Murcia the capital of a new independent kingdom. At this time, Murcia was a very prosperous city, famous for its ceramics, exported to Italian towns, as well as for silk and paper industries, the first in Europe. The coinage of Murcia was considered as model in all the continent. The mystic Ibn Arabi (1165–1240) and the poet Ibn al-Jinan (d.1214) were born in Murcia during this period.\n\nIn 1172 Murcia was conquered by the north African Almohades, the last Muslim empire to rule southern Spain, and as the forces of the Christian Reconquista gained the upper hand, was the capital of a small Muslim emirate from 1223 to 1243. By the treaty of Alcaraz, in 1243, the Christian king Ferdinand III of Castile made Murcia a protectorate, getting access to the Mediterranean se', metadata={'title': 'Murcia', 'summary': 'Murcia (, US also , Spanish: [ˈmuɾθja] ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It had a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one-third of the total population of the Region). The total population of the metropolitan area was 672,773 in 2020, covering an urban area of 
1,230.9 km2. It is located on the Segura River, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a climate with hot summers, mild winters, and relatively low precipitation.\nMurcia was founded by Abd ar-Rahman II, Emir of Cordoba, in 825 with the name Mursiyah (Arabic: مرسية).  It is now mainly a services city and a university town. Highlights for visitors include the Cathedral of Murcia and a number of baroque buildings, renowned local cuisine, Holy Week procession, works of art by the famous Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo, and the Fiestas de Primavera (Spring Festival).\nThe city, as the capital of the comarca Huerta de Murcia, is called "Europe\'s orchard" due to its long agricultural tradition and its fruit, vegetable, and flower production and exports.', 'source': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murcia'}), Document(page_content='Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia ([reˈal ˈmuɾθja], "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded 
in 1919, it currently plays in Primera Federación – Group 2, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which holds 31,179 spectators.\nIn domestic football, the club has won a record 8 Segunda División titles and 1 Spanish Royal Federation Cup.\nHome colours are mainly scarlet shirt and white shorts.\n\n\n== History ==\nOfficially founded in 1919 as Levante Foot-ball Club\n(records show earlier denominations, such as 1903\'s Foot 
Ball Club de Murcia and 1906\'s Murcia Football Club), Real Murcia was named as such, in 1923–24, by King Alfonso XIII. The following year, the La 
Condomina stadium was opened, with the club holding home games there for the next 82 years uninterrupted.\nIn 1929 the club first competed in the Tercera División (third tier), achieving its first ever promotion to La Liga in 1939–40. The highest position of 11th was reached in 1945, 1946, 1984 and 1987.\nMurcia holds the record for the most Segunda División titles with eight, most recently in 2002–03 under manager David Vidal. In that season, the team also equalled its best run in the Copa del Rey by reaching the quarter-finals before losing on the away goals rule to Deportivo de 
La Coruña, despite a 4–3 win in the second leg at home.\nFollowing an immediate descent back to Segunda in last place, the team won promotion to the top flight for the last time under Lucas Alcaraz in 2007, again lasting only one year. In June 2010, the team fell into Segunda División B for the first time in a decade with a 1–1 draw at Girona FC on the final day, with goalkeeper Alberto Cifuentes saving a penalty kick from Kiko Ratón in 
added time before it deflected in off himself.\nMurcia returned immediately to the second tier, winning the 2010–11 Segunda División B title with a penalty shootout win over CE Sabadell FC in June after a 1–1 aggregate draw. In 2014, the team finished fourth and was top seeded for the playoffs, losing 2–1 on aggregate to eventual winners Córdoba CF; weeks later Murcia were relegated for non-compliance with Liga de Fútbol Profesional regulations.\nIn 2019, Murcia won the Spanish Royal Federation Cup for the first time with a penalty shootout victory over CD Tudelano.\n\n\n== Current squad ==\nAs of 1 March 2024.\n\nNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.\n\n\n=== Out of loan ===\n\nNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than 
one non-FIFA nationality.\n\n\n== Season to season ==\n\n\n=== Murcia Regional Championship ===\n\n\n== Honours ==\n\n\n=== League ===\nSegunda División\nWinners (8) – record: 1939–40, 1954–55, 1962–63, 1972–73, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1985–86, 2002–03\n\n\n=== Cups ===\nCopa Federación de España\nWinners (1): 2019–20\n\n\n== See also ==\nReal Murcia Imperial – Murcia\'s reserve team\n\n\n== References ==\n\n\n== External links ==\n\nOfficial 
website (in Spanish)\nFutbolme team profile (in Spanish)\nBDFutbol team profile\nMurciaMania, all about the club (in Spanish)\nLa Futbolteca, Real 
Murcia CF (in Spanish)', metadata={'title': 'Real Murcia CF', 'summary': 'Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia ([reˈal ˈmuɾθja], "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera Federación – Group 2, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which holds 31,179 spectators.\nIn domestic football, the club has won a record 8 Segunda División titles and 1 Spanish Royal Federation Cup.\nHome colours are mainly scarlet shirt and white shorts.', 'source': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Murcia_CF'}), Document(page_content='The Region of Murcia (, US also ; Spanish: Región de Murcia [reˈxjon de ˈmuɾθja], Valencian: Regió de Múrcia) is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean coast. The region is 11,313 km2 (4,368 sq mi) in area and had a population of 1,511,251 as at the start of 2020. About a third of its population lives in the capital, Murcia, and a seventh in the second city, Cartagena. At 2,014 m (6,608 ft), the region\'s highest point is Los Obispos Peak in the Massif of Revolcadores.\nA jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile since the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Murcia was replaced in the 19th century by territory primarily belonging to the provinces of Albacete and Murcia (and subsidiarily to those of Jaén and Alicante). The former two were henceforth attached to a \'historical region\' also named after Murcia. The province of Murcia constituted as the full-fledged single-province autonomous community of the Region of Murcia in 1982.\nThe region is bordered by Andalusia (the provinces of Almería and Granada), Castile La Mancha (the province of 
Albacete), the Valencian Community (province of Alicante), and the Mediterranean Sea. The autonomous community is a single province. The city of Murcia is the capital of the region and the seat of the regional government, but the legislature, known as the Regional Assembly of Murcia, is located in Cartagena. The region is subdivided into municipalities.\nThe region is among Europe\'s largest producers of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, 
with important vineyards in the municipalities of Jumilla, Bullas, and Yecla that produce wines of Denominación de origen. It also has an important tourism sector concentrated on its Mediterranean coastline, which features the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon. Industries include the petrochemical and energy sector (centered in Cartagena) and food production. Because of Murcia\'s warm climate, the region\'s long growing season is suitable for agriculture; however, rainfall is low. As a result, in addition to the water needed for crops, there are increasing pressures related to the booming tourist industry. Water is supplied by the Segura River and, since the 1970s, by the Tagus-Segura Water Transfer, a major civil-engineering project that brings water from the Tagus River into the Segura under environmental and sustainability restraints.\nNotable features of the region\'s extensive cultural heritage include 72 cave art ensembles, which are part of the rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, a World Heritage Site. Other culturally significant features include the Council of Wise Men of the plain of Murcia and the tamboradas (drumming processions) of Moratalla and Mula, which were declared intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The region is also the home of Caravaca de la Cruz, a holy city in the Catholic Church that celebrates the Perpetual Jubilee every seven years in the Santuario de la Vera Cruz.\n\n\n== Toponymy and denomination ==\nThe toponym (place name) Murcia is of uncertain origin. According to Francisco Cascales, it could refer to the Roman goddess Venus Murcia, from the myrtles on the banks of the Segura River. Historical studies conclude that, like the deity, Murcia is of Latin origin deriving most likely from Myrtea or Murtea (\'place of myrtles\' or \'place where myrtles grow\'). Furthermore, Mursiya (already documented in the Islamic period as the name of the city of Murcia), was the adaptation in the Arabic of the pre-existing Latin. According to Bienvenido Mascaray, it is also possible that the name originates from the Iberian language in the form m-ur-zia, meaning \'the water that empowers or moistens.\'\n\nThe use of "Murcia" to define the present 
region has its origin in the Taifa of Murcia, an Arab kingdom that existed at different times in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. After the Christian conquest of Murcia  between 1243 and 1266, the Kingdom of Murcia emerged, a territorial jurisdiction that ', metadata={'title': 'Region of Murcia', 'summary': "The Region of Murcia (, US also ; Spanish: Región de Murcia [reˈxjon de ˈmuɾθja], Valencian: Regió de Múrcia) is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean coast. The region is 11,313 km2 (4,368 sq mi) in 
area and had a population of 1,511,251 as at the start of 2020. About a third of its population lives in the capital, Murcia, and a seventh in the 
second city, Cartagena. At 2,014 m (6,608 ft), the region's highest point is Los Obispos Peak in the Massif of Revolcadores.\nA jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile since the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Murcia was replaced in the 19th century by territory primarily belonging to the provinces of Albacete and Murcia (and subsidiarily to those of Jaén and Alicante). The former two were henceforth attached to a 'historical region' also named after Murcia. The province of Murcia constituted as the full-fledged single-province autonomous community of the Region of Murcia in 1982.\nThe region is bordered by Andalusia (the provinces of Almería and Granada), Castile La Mancha (the province of Albacete), the Valencian Community (province of Alicante), and the Mediterranean Sea. The autonomous community is a single province. The city of Murcia is the capital of the region and the 
seat of the regional government, but the legislature, known as the Regional Assembly of Murcia, is located in Cartagena. The region is subdivided into municipalities.\nThe region is among Europe's largest producers of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, with important vineyards in the municipalities of Jumilla, Bullas, and Yecla that produce wines of Denominación de origen. It also has an important tourism sector concentrated on its Mediterranean coastline, which features the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon. Industries include the petrochemical and energy sector (centered in Cartagena) and food production. Because of Murcia's warm climate, the region's long growing season is suitable for agriculture; however, rainfall is low. As a result, in addition to the water needed for crops, there are increasing pressures related to the booming tourist industry. Water is supplied by the Segura River and, since the 1970s, by the Tagus-Segura Water Transfer, a major civil-engineering project that brings water from the Tagus River into the Segura under environmental and sustainability restraints.\nNotable features of the region's extensive cultural heritage include 72 cave art ensembles, which are part of the rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, a World Heritage Site. Other culturally significant features include the Council of Wise Men of the plain of Murcia and the tamboradas (drumming processions) of Moratalla and Mula, which were declared intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The region is also the home of Caravaca de la Cruz, a holy city in the Catholic Church that celebrates the Perpetual Jubilee every seven years in the Santuario de la Vera Cruz.", 'source': 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region_of_Murcia'})], 'output': 'Okay, let me think through this step-by-step:\n<scratchpad>\nTo answer this question, I will need information on the population sizes of the cities of Alicante and Murcia in Spain. My first query should be:\n<search_query>Alicante</search_query><item index="1">\n<page_content>\npage_content=\'Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 as of 2020, the second-largest in the Valencian Community.\\n\\n\\n== Toponymy ==\\nThe name of the 
city echoes the Arabic name Laqant (لَقَنْت), al-Laqant (اللَّقَنْت) or Al-qant (القنت), which in turn reflects the Latin Lucentum and Greek root L
euké (or Leuka), meaning "white".\\n\\n\\n== History ==\\n\\nThe area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The first tribes of hunter-gatherers moved down gradually from Central Europe between 5000 and 3000 BC. Some of the earliest settlements were made on the slopes of Mount Benacantil. By 1000 BC Greek and Phoenician traders had begun to visit the eastern coast of Spain, establishing small trading ports and introducing the native Iberian tribes to the alphabet, iron, and the pottery wheel. The Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca established the fortified settlement of Akra Leuké (Greek: Ἄκρα Λευκή, meaning "White Mountain" or "White Point"), in the mid-230s BC, which is generally presumed to have been on 
the site of modern Alicante.\\n\\nAlthough the Carthaginians conquered much of the land around Alicante, the Romans would eventually rule Hispania 
Tarraconensis for over 700 years. By the 5th century AD, Rome was in decline and the Roman predecessor town of Alicante, known as Lucentum (Latin), was more or less under the control of the Visigothic warlord Theudimer and thereafter under Visigothic rule from 400 to 700 A.D. The Goths did not put up much resistance to the Arab conquest of Medina Laqant at the beginning of the 8th century. The Moors ruled southern and eastern Spain until the 13th century Reconquista (Reconquest). Alicante was conquered again in 1247 by the Castilian king Alfonso X, but later passed to the Kingdom of Valencia in 1296 with King James II of Aragon. It gained the status of Royal Village (Vila Reial) with representation in the medieval Valencian Parliament (Corts Valencianes).\\nAfter several decades of being the battlefield where the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon clashed, Alicante became a major Mediterranean trading station exporting rice, wine, olive oil, oranges, and wool. But between 1609 and 1614 King Felipe III expelled thousands of Moriscos who had remained in Valencia after the Reconquista, due to their cooperation with Barbary pirates who continually attacked coastal cities and caused much harm to trade. This act cost the region dearly; with so many skilled artisans and agricultural labourers gone, the 
feudal nobility found itself sliding into bankruptcy.\\nConditions worsened in the early 18th century; after the War of Spanish Succession, Alicante went into a long, slow decline, surviving through the 18th and 19th centuries by making shoes and growing agricultural produce such as oranges and almonds, and thanks to its fisheries. The end of the 19th century witnessed a sharp recovery of the local economy with increasing international trade and the growth of the city harbour leading to increased exports of several products (particularly during World War I when Spain was a neutral 
country).\\nDuring the early 20th century, Alicante was a minor capital that took profit from the benefit of Spain\\\'s neutrality during World War I, and that provided new opportunities for local industry and agriculture. The Rif War in the 1920s saw numerous alicantinos drafted to fight in the long and bloody campaigns in the former Spanish protectorate (northern Morocco) against the Rif rebels. The political unrest of the late 1920s led to the victory of Republican candidates in local council elections throughout the country, and the abdication of King Alfonso XIII. The proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic was much celebrated in the city on 14 April 1931. The Spanish Civil War broke out on 17 July 1936. Alicante was the last city loyal to the Republican gover\' metadata={\'title\': \'Alicante\', \'summary\': \'Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 as of 2020, the second-largest in the Valencian Community.\', \'source\': \'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicante\'}\n</page_content>\n</item>\n<item index="2">\n<page_content>\npage_content="Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of 
the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community (Alicante and Elche, respectively) are located in this province.\\nAlicante is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east. The province is named after its capital, the city of Alicante.\\n\\n\\n== 
Territory, population and resources ==\\n\\nAccording to the 2018 population data, Alicante ranks as the fourth most populous province in Spain (after Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia), with 1,838,819 inhabitants. Cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in the province are Alicante (334,757 inhabitants), Elche (230,112), Torrevieja (101,792), Orihuela (86,164), Benidorm (71,034), Alcoy (61,552), Elda (55,168), and San Vicente del Raspeig 
(53,126).\\nThe province has the largest ratio of foreigner population among all Spanish provinces. The total of 446,368 foreigners are registered 
in the province, which represents 23.6 percent of the total population.  Out of 141 municipalities that make up the province, foreign population is above 25% in 54 municipalities, and above 50% in 19 municipalities. The latter include San Fulgencio (80%), Rojales (74%), Benitatxell (69.8%), Algorfa (69.7%), Llíber (67%), Teulada (65.5%), Daya Vieja (64.4%); San Miguel de Salinas (64.3%), Calp (62.8%), Els Poblets (61.6%), Alcalalí (60.8%), Benijófar (58.5%), L\'Alfàs del Pi (56.6%), Orba (55%), Xàbia (54%), Torrevieja (53.5%), Murla (52%), Fondó (51.7%), and Benidoleig (50%).\\nFrom the 50 provinces of Spain, Alicante is the only one with three metropolitan areas—Alicante–Elche, Elda–Petrer and Benidorm—even though only one of them (Alicante–Elche) is ranked within the Spanish top ten metropolitan areas. It has an area of 5,816.5 km2 (2,245.8 sq mi), and so it has a population density of 313.8 inhabitants/km2.\\n\\n\\n=== Geography and climate ===\\n\\nThe province is mountainous, especially in the north and midwest, whereas it is mostly flat to the south, in the Vega Baja del Segura area; the most elevated points in the province are Aitana (1,558 m), Puig Campana (1,410 m), Montcabrer (1,389 m), Carrascar de la Font Roja (1,354 m), Maigmó (1,296 m), Serra de Crevillent (835 m) and El Montgó (753 m). All of these peaks are a part of the Subbaetic Range.\\nThe coast extends from the cape, Cap de la Nau, in the north to almost reaching the Mar Menor (Minor Sea) in the south. With regard to water sources, due to the dry rain regime there are no major rivers, but mostly ramblas (dry rivers), which fill in with water when torrential rains occur.\\nThe only remarkable streams are the Vinalopó, Serpis, and the river Segura. Other minor seasonal creeks (some completely dried out in summer) are Girona, Algar, Amadorio and Ebo.\\nThere are saline wetlands and marshlands along the coast such El Fondo and the former wetlands and now salt evaporation ponds in Santa Pola and Torrevieja. All of them are key Ramsar Sites which make the Alicante province of high relevance for both migratory and resident seabirds and waterbirds.\\nImportant coastal dunes are present in the Guardamar area which were planted with thousands of pine trees during the 19th century in order to protect the ville from the dunes advancing, which has created now an area of remarkable ecologic value.\\nThe climate is strikingly diverse for such a reduced area. Three major areas can be cited:\\n\\nMost of the province belongs to a semi-arid climate. It roughly goes along the coastal plain from La Vila Joiosa through the southernmost border (cities included here are, amongst others, Alicante, Elche, Orihuela and Torrevieja). Summers are very long, hot to very hot and very dry, winters are cool to mild and its most prominent feature is very scarce precipitation, typically below 300mm. per year and most likely to happen dur" metadata={\'title\': \'Province of Alicante\', \'summary\': \'Alicante (Valencian: Alacant) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community (Alicante and Elche, respectively) are located in this province.\\nAlicante is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, 
Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east. The province is named after its capital, the city of Alicante.\', \'source\': \'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Alicante\'}\n</page_content>\n</item>\n<search_quality>\nThe search results provide some useful information about the city of Alicante, including its population size of around 337,000 as of 2020. However, I still need information on the population of Murcia to be able to compare the two cities and answer the question.\n</search_quality>\n\n<search_query>Murcia</search_query><item index="1">\n<page_content>\npage_content=\'Murcia (, US also , Spanish: [ˈmuɾθja] ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It had a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one-third of the total population of the Region). The total population of the metropolitan area was 672,773 in 2020, covering an urban area of 1,230.9 km2. It is located on the Segura River, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a climate with hot summers, mild winters, and relatively low precipitation.\\nMurcia was founded by Abd ar-Rahman II, Emir of Cordoba, in 825 with the name Mursiyah (Arabic: مرسية).  It is now mainly a services city and a university town. Highlights for visitors include the Cathedral of Murcia and a number of baroque buildings, renowned local cuisine, Holy Week procession, works of art by the famous Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo, and the Fiestas de Primavera (Spring Festival).\\nThe city, 
as the capital of the comarca Huerta de Murcia, is called "Europe\\\'s orchard" due to its long agricultural tradition and its fruit, vegetable, and flower production and exports.\\n\\n\\n== History ==\\n\\nThe territory has been inhabited by humans since prehistory. People also lived in the current municipality during the Bronze and Iron Ages. During the late Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age, the occupancy of part of the current municipality was performed by the Argaric people. During the late Bronze Age and the Iron Age, the people who inhabited the current municipality were the Iberians. A remarkable site is a religious building, whose name is the De la Luz Iberian Sanctuary. There are traces of people presence during the Roman rule in the Iberian Peninsula era. A construction of the late Roman period in the Iberian Peninsula is a fortress, Castillo de los Garres, located in the south of the northern half of the municipality.\\n\\nIt is widely believed that Murcia\\\'s name is derived from the Latin word myrtea 
or murtea, meaning land of the myrtle (the plant is known to grow in the general area), although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village (Murtius was a common Roman name). Other research suggests that it may owe its name to the Latin Murtae (Mulberry), 
which covered the regional landscape for many centuries. The Latin name eventually changed into the Arabic Mursiya, and then, Murcia.\\nThe city in its present location was founded with the name Madinat Mursiyah (مدينة مرسية \\\'city of Murcia\\\') in AD 825 by Abd ar-Rahman II, who was then the emir of Córdoba. Umayyad planners, taking advantage of the course of the river Segura, created an imaginative and complex network of irrigation 
channels that made the town\\\'s agricultural existence prosperous. In the 12th century the traveller and writer Muhammad al-Idrisi described the city of Murcia as populous and strongly fortified. After the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031, Murcia passed under the successive rules of the powers seated variously at Almería and Toledo, but finally became capital of its own kingdom with Ibn Tahir (أبو عبد الرحمن بن طاهر). After the 
fall of the Almoravide empire, Ibn Mardanis made Murcia the capital of a new independent kingdom. At this time, Murcia was a very prosperous city, 
famous for its ceramics, exported to Italian towns, as well as for silk and paper industries, the first in Europe. The coinage of Murcia was considered as model in all the continent. The mystic Ibn Arabi (1165–1240) and the poet Ibn al-Jinan (d.1214) were born in Murcia during this period.\\n\\nIn 1172 Murcia was conquered by the north African Almohades, the last Muslim empire to rule southern Spain, and as the forces of the Christian Reconquista gained the upper hand, was the capital of a small Muslim emirate from 1223 to 1243. By the treaty of Alcaraz, in 1243, the Christian king Ferdinand III of Castile made Murcia a protectorate, getting access to the Mediterranean se\' metadata={\'title\': \'Murcia\', \'summary\': \'Murcia (, US also , Spanish: [ˈmuɾθja] ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It had a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one-third of the total population of the Region). The total population of the metropolitan area was 672,773 in 2020, covering an urban area of 1,230.9 km2. It is located on the Segura River, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a climate with hot summers, mild winters, and relatively low precipitation.\\nMurcia 
was founded by Abd ar-Rahman II, Emir of Cordoba, in 825 with the name Mursiyah (Arabic: مرسية).  It is now mainly a services city and a university town. Highlights for visitors include the Cathedral of Murcia and a number of baroque buildings, renowned local cuisine, Holy Week procession, works of art by the famous Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo, and the Fiestas de Primavera (Spring Festival).\\nThe city, as the capital of the comarca Huerta de Murcia, is called "Europe\\\'s orchard" due to its long agricultural tradition and its fruit, vegetable, and flower production and exports.\', \'source\': \'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murcia\'}\n</page_content>\n</item>\n<item index="2">\n<page_content>\npage_content=\'Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia ([reˈal ˈmuɾθja], "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera Federación – Group 2, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which holds 31,179 spectators.\\nIn domestic football, the club has won a record 8 Segunda División titles and 1 Spanish Royal Federation Cup.\\nHome colours are mainly scarlet shirt and white shorts.\\n\\n\\n== History ==\\nOfficially founded in 1919 as Levante Foot-ball Club\\n(records show earlier denominations, such as 1903\\\'s Foot Ball Club de Murcia and 1906\\\'s Murcia Football Club), Real Murcia was named as such, in 1923–24, by King Alfonso XIII. The following year, the La Condomina stadium was opened, with the club holding home games there for the next 82 years uninterrupted.\\nIn 1929 the club first competed in the Tercera División (third tier), achieving its first ever promotion to La Liga in 1939–40. The highest position of 11th was reached in 1945, 1946, 1984 and 1987.\\nMurcia holds the record for the most Segunda División titles with eight, most recently in 2002–03 under manager David Vidal. In that season, the team also equalled its best run in the Copa del Rey by reaching the quarter-finals before losing on the away goals rule to Deportivo de La Coruña, despite a 4–3 win in the second leg at home.\\nFollowing an immediate descent back to Segunda in last place, the team won promotion to the top flight for the last time under Lucas Alcaraz in 2007, again lasting only one year. In June 2010, the team fell into Segunda División B for the first time in a decade with a 1–1 draw at Girona FC on the final day, with goalkeeper Alberto Cifuentes saving a penalty kick from Kiko Ratón in added time before it deflected in off himself.\\nMurcia returned immediately to the second tier, winning the 
2010–11 Segunda División B title with a penalty shootout win over CE Sabadell FC in June after a 1–1 aggregate draw. In 2014, the team finished fourth and was top seeded for the playoffs, losing 2–1 on aggregate to eventual winners Córdoba CF; weeks later Murcia were relegated for non-compliance with Liga de Fútbol Profesional regulations.\\nIn 2019, Murcia won the Spanish Royal Federation Cup for the first time with a penalty shootout victory over CD Tudelano.\\n\\n\\n== Current squad ==\\nAs of 1 March 2024.\\n\\nNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.\\n\\n\\n=== Out of loan ===\\n\\nNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under 
FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.\\n\\n\\n== Season to season ==\\n\\n\\n=== Murcia Regional Championship ===\\n\\n\\n== Honours ==\\n\\n\\n=== League ===\\nSegunda División\\nWinners (8) – record: 1939–40, 1954–55, 1962–63, 1972–73, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1985–86, 2002–03\\n\\n\\n=== Cups ===\\nCopa Federación de España\\nWinners (1): 2019–20\\n\\n\\n== See also ==\\nReal Murcia Imperial – Murcia\\\'s reserve team\\n\\n\\n== References ==\\n\\n\\n== External links ==\\n\\nOfficial website (in Spanish)\\nFutbolme team profile (in Spanish)\\nBDFutbol team profile\\nMurciaMania, all about the club (in Spanish)\\nLa Futbolteca, Real Murcia CF (in Spanish)\' metadata={\'title\': \'Real Murcia CF\', \'summary\': \'Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia ([reˈal ˈmuɾθja], "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera Federación – Group 2, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which holds 31,179 spectators.\\nIn domestic football, the club has won a record 8 Segunda División titles and 1 Spanish Royal Federation Cup.\\nHome colours are mainly scarlet shirt and white shorts.\', \'source\': \'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Murcia_CF\'}\n</page_content>\n</item>\n<item index="3">\n<page_content>\npage_content=\'The Region of Murcia (, US also ; Spanish: Región de Murcia [reˈxjon de ˈmuɾθja], Valencian: Regió de Múrcia) is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean coast. The region is 11,313 km2 (4,368 sq mi) in area and had a population of 1,511,251 as at the start of 2020. About a third of its population lives 
in the capital, Murcia, and a seventh in the second city, Cartagena. At 2,014 m (6,608 ft), the region\\\'s highest point is Los Obispos Peak in the Massif of Revolcadores.\\nA jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile since the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Murcia was replaced in the 19th century by territory primarily belonging to the provinces of Albacete and Murcia (and subsidiarily to those of Jaén and Alicante). The former two were henceforth attached to a \\\'historical region\\\' also named after Murcia. The province of Murcia constituted as the full-fledged single-province autonomous community of the Region of Murcia in 1982.\\nThe region is bordered by Andalusia (the provinces of Almería and Granada), Castile La Mancha (the province of Albacete), the Valencian Community (province of Alicante), and the Mediterranean Sea. The autonomous community is a single province. 
The city of Murcia is the capital of the region and the seat of the regional government, but the legislature, known as the Regional Assembly of Murcia, is located in Cartagena. The region is subdivided into municipalities.\\nThe region is among Europe\\\'s largest producers of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, with important vineyards in the municipalities of Jumilla, Bullas, and Yecla that produce wines of Denominación de origen. It also has an important tourism sector concentrated on its Mediterranean coastline, which features the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon. Industries include the petrochemical and energy sector (centered in Cartagena) and food production. Because of Murcia\\\'s warm climate, the region\\\'s long growing season is suitable for agriculture; however, rainfall is low. As a result, in addition to the water needed for crops, there are increasing pressures related to the booming tourist industry. Water is supplied by the Segura River and, since the 1970s, by the Tagus-Segura Water Transfer, a major civil-engineering project that brings water from the Tagus River into the Segura under environmental and sustainability restraints.\\nNotable features of the region\\\'s extensive cultural heritage include 72 cave art ensembles, which are part of the rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, a World Heritage Site. Other culturally significant features include the Council of Wise Men of the plain of Murcia and the tamboradas (drumming processions) of Moratalla and Mula, which were declared intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The region is also the home of Caravaca de la Cruz, a 
holy city in the Catholic Church that celebrates the Perpetual Jubilee every seven years in the Santuario de la Vera Cruz.\\n\\n\\n== Toponymy and 
denomination ==\\nThe toponym (place name) Murcia is of uncertain origin. According to Francisco Cascales, it could refer to the Roman goddess Venus Murcia, from the myrtles on the banks of the Segura River. Historical studies conclude that, like the deity, Murcia is of Latin origin deriving most likely from Myrtea or Murtea (\\\'place of myrtles\\\' or \\\'place where myrtles grow\\\'). Furthermore, Mursiya (already documented in the Islamic period as the name of the city of Murcia), was the adaptation in the Arabic of the pre-existing Latin. According to Bienvenido Mascaray, it is also possible that the name originates from the Iberian language in the form m-ur-zia, meaning \\\'the water that empowers or moistens.\\\'\\n\\nThe use of "Murcia" to define the present region has its origin in the Taifa of Murcia, an Arab kingdom that existed at different times in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. After the Christian conquest of Murcia  between 1243 and 1266, the Kingdom of Murcia emerged, a territorial jurisdiction that \' metadata={\'title\': \'Region of Murcia\', \'summary\': "The Region of Murcia (, US also ; Spanish: Región de Murcia [reˈxjon de ˈmuɾθja], Valencian: Regió de Múrcia) is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean coast. The region is 11,313 km2 (4,368 sq mi) in area and had a population of 1,511,251 as at the start of 2020. About a third of its population lives in the capital, Murcia, and a seventh in the second city, Cartagena. At 2,014 m (6,608 ft), the region\'s highest point is Los Obispos Peak in the Massif of Revolcadores.\\nA jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile since the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Murcia was replaced in the 19th century by territory primarily belonging to the provinces of Albacete and Murcia (and subsidiarily to those of Jaén and Alicante). The former two were henceforth attached to a \'historical region\' also named after Murcia. The province of Murcia constituted as the full-fledged single-province autonomous community of the Region of Murcia in 1982.\\nThe region is bordered by Andalusia (the provinces of Almería and Granada), Castile La Mancha (the province of Albacete), the Valencian Community (province of Alicante), and the Mediterranean Sea. The autonomous community is a single province. The city of Murcia is the capital of the region and the seat of the regional government, but the legislature, known as the Regional Assembly of Murcia, is located in Cartagena. The region is subdivided into municipalities.\\nThe region is among Europe\'s largest producers of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, with important vineyards in the municipalities of Jumilla, Bullas, and Yecla that produce wines of Denominación de origen. It also has 
an important tourism sector concentrated on its Mediterranean coastline, which features the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon. Industries include the petrochemical and energy sector (centered in Cartagena) and food production. Because of Murcia\'s warm climate, the region\'s long growing season is suitable for agriculture; however, rainfall is low. As a result, in addition to the water needed for crops, there are increasing pressures related to the booming tourist industry. Water is supplied by the Segura River and, since the 1970s, by the Tagus-Segura Water Transfer, a major civil-engineering project that brings water from the Tagus River into the Segura under environmental and sustainability restraints.\\nNotable features of the region\'s extensive cultural heritage include 72 cave art ensembles, which are part of the rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, a World Heritage Site. Other culturally significant features include the Council of Wise Men of the plain of Murcia and the tamboradas (drumming processions) of Moratalla and Mula, which were declared intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The region is also the home of Caravaca de la Cruz, a holy city in the Catholic Church that celebrates the Perpetual Jubilee every seven years in the Santuario de la Vera Cruz.", \'source\': \'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region_of_Murcia\'}\n</page_content>\n</item>\n<search_quality>\nThe search results provide the key information needed to answer the question, including the population of Murcia city being around 460,000 as of 2021. Comparing this to the population of Alicante of around 337,000, it 
is clear that Murcia has more citizens. I now have enough information to provide a final answer.\n</search_quality>\n\n<information>\nKey information:\n\n- Alicante is a city in Spain with a population of around 337,482 as of 2020.\n\n- Murcia is a city in Spain with a population of around 460,349 as of 2021.\n\nSo Murcia has a significantly larger population than Alicante.\n</information>\n\n<result>\nBased on the information from Wikipedia, the city of Murcia has more citizens than the city of Alicante. As of 2021, Murcia had a population of around 460,349, while Alicante had a population of around 337,482 as of 2020. So Murcia is the more populous of the two cities.\n</result>'}