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The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean Colombian is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean. [1] It's the second most populated region in the country after Andean Region with approximately 11 million residents according to the Colombian Census 2018. [2] The area covers a total land area of 110,000 km2 (42,000 sq mi), including the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina in the Caribbean Sea. [1]
The Caribbean region coast extends from the Gulf of Urabá to the Gulf of Venezuela. Straddling the coast are Colombia's two main Atlantic port cities of Barranquilla and Cartagena. [3] The administration of the region is covered by eight department governments: Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, Sucre, Córdoba, Magdalena, La Guajira and San Andrés and Providencia. These eight departments also cover approximately 182 municipalities according to the 2018 Census by DANE Colombia. [4] Most of its inhabitants speak a dialect of Caribbean Spanish with variations within its subregions. [5]
Eight departments form the Caribbean region:
Department | Capital |
---|---|
|
Partial territory pertaining to:
It is considered the only tri-racial region, giving it the status of the most diverse and mixed region in the country, as the predominant ethnic group in the region is the Pardo, a mixture of European, mainly Spanish, the indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombian unlike the other regions, where predominantly White, Castizo and Mestizo of Colombia such as Andean Region and Orinoquia Region and black as is the case of the Pacific Region. During the 19th and 20th century, a wave of immigrants came from Europe and the Middle East, mostly from Lebanon, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Ireland, Syria, Palestine . A second wave followed during World War II from other parts of Europe such as Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Belgium, Armenia, Croatia and Jews from other countries affected by the war. There were also important settlements of British, White Americans, and Canadians who founded dozens schools such as Marymount International School Barranquilla, Colegio Karl C. Parrish, Colegio Jorge Washington, Colegio Albania, Colegio Británico de Cartagena, Colegio Británico de Monteria, Altamira International School, British International School Barranquilla, Boston International School Barranquilla, American School Barranquilla, Bureche School of Santa Marta, and Cartagena International School among many others across the region. Most of the immigrants settled in the main urban centers or trade port towns such as in Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Monteria, Sincelejo, Mompós, Santa Cruz de Lorica, El Banco, etc. The two most populous indigenous ethnic groups are the wayuu in the Guajira Peninsula and the Arhuacos and Koguis. Black population is mostly concentrated near Cartagena predominantly in the town of San Basilio de Palenque, which was proclaimed Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO for preserving its African heritage.
Department | 2018 Census | 2005 Census | Capital |
---|---|---|---|
Atlántico | 2,835,509 | 2,112,001 | Barranquilla |
Bolívar | 2,258,929 | 1,836,640 | Cartagena de Indias |
Cesar | 1,359,719 | 878,437 | Valledupar |
Córdoba | 1,868,166 | 1,462,909 | Montería |
La Guajira | 1,015,909 | 655,943 | Riohacha |
Magdalena | 1,476,665 | 1,136,819 | Santa Marta |
San Andrés and Providencia | 65,663 | 55,426 | San Andrés |
Sucre | 981,727 | 762,263 | Sincelejo |
Total Caribbean | 11,796,624 | 8,900,438 |
The economy of the Caribbean region is based mainly in the exploitation of natural resources such as coal and natural gas, salt, agricultural products mainly bananas, coffee and oil palm, cotton, tropical fruits among many other products, livestock raising which is practiced extensively in almost all the territory, in Córdoba, Sucre, Atlántico, Magdalena, Bolívar, Cesar and southern La Guajira. There is also a service industry and a local import-export industry, mainly in the ports of Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Santa Marta. Another major part of the economy is tourism, which concentrates also in Cartagena and Santa Marta along with San Andres and Providencia Islands.
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Like in the rest of Colombia, football is by far the most popular sport in the zone, with teams like Junior Barranquilla, Jaguares de Córdoba, Real Cartagena and Unión Magdalena competing in the first and second divisions of the country. The Caribbean region has been the home of successful football players, many of them world famous like Carlos Valderrama, Radamel Falcao and Carlos Bacca.
Unlike in rest of the country, but shared with Venezuela, baseball is an important sport in the region, although its popularity has been fading in the last few years. Nevertheless, the region has produced major league players like Édgar Rentería and Orlando Cabrera.
The region also is known for its love of combat sports. Boxing is a popular sport in certain zones and the region had produced many world champions, such as Antonio Cervantes, Rodrigo Valdéz, and Miguel "Happy" Lora.
The most popular local rhythms are the cumbia and vallenato however, there is a great musical influence from the rest of the Caribbean nations with Salsa, merengue, more recently reggaeton and many Afro-Caribbean rhythms. This influence also developed the Champeta which has similarities with reggaeton. Other genres include porro .
Traditional dances are mostly of Afro-Colombian origin with the influence in cumbia and the mapalé .
The Caribbean region has a rich tradition of myths and legends that include La Llorona , El Hombre Caimán , La Ciguapa , the Vallenato Legend, La Madre Monte , El Simborcito , la Mojana Legend, El Lucio , etc.
The most popular and known celebration in the Caribbean region is the Carnival of Barranquilla celebrated every year in February or March. The Miss Colombia Pageant i, Colombia|Cartagena]], the Vallenato Legend Festival in Valledupar, Feast of the Sea in Santa Marta and the Corralejas Festivities in Sincelejo.
The typical food of the Caribbean region varies according to the geographical location in the sabanas the typical meal is the sancocho made with rabo (cow's tail) and accompanied with coconut rice. In the coast, the typical meal is fish, sometimes fried or sometimes cooked in coconut milk. A popular soup is also prepared with the head of the tarpon, yuca, plantain, coconut milk, lime, and salt. The arepa is also a popular dish with numerous variations like arepa limpia (plain arepa), arepa e' queso (arepa with cheese) and arepa e'huevo (arepa with egg). Cazuela de mariscos, a seafood stew, is also a typical dish found in the region. [7]
Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the early culture of Spain of the 16th century and its collision with Colombia's native civilizations. The Spanish brought Catholicism, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European descendants.
Valledupar is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Cesar Department. Its name, Valle de Upar, was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; Cacique Upar. The city lies between the mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía del Perijá to the borders of the Guatapurí and Cesar rivers.
Montería is a municipality and city located in northern Colombia and the capital of the Department of Córdoba. The city is located 50 km (31 mi) away from the Caribbean sea, by the Sinú River. The city and region are known for their distinct cultural heritages, which include a blend of mainly colonial Spanish descendants, Indigenous Zenú peoples, Crypto-Jews, and more recently, Middle East immigrants. The city is home to the Sombrero Vueltiao, a national symbol; and is the home of Porro folklore music. The city has an inland seaport connected to the Caribbean Sea by the Sinú River.
Sincelejo is the capital and largest city of the Colombian department of Sucre in the Caribbean region. It is also the capital of the department's subregion, Sabanas, and is the 25th largest city by population of the country. It is located 30 kilometers from the Caribbean Sea at the Gulf of Morrosquillo, 125 kilometers from Cartagena, and 200 kilometers from Barranquilla.
The municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,104 municipalities (municipios). Each one of them is led by a mayor (alcalde) elected by popular vote and represents the maximum executive government official at a municipality level under the mandate of the governor of their department which is a representative of all municipalities in the department; municipalities are grouped to form departments.
La Guajira is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the department is Riohacha.
The contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was US$5,880.3bn in 2016. Tourism generated 556,135 jobs in 2016. Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.6 million in 2007 to 4 million in 2017. Responsible tourism became a peremptory need for Colombia because it minimizes negative social, economic and environmental impacts and makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.
Because of its natural structure, Colombia can be divided into six distinct natural regions. These consist of the Andean Region, covering the three branches of the Andes mountains found in Colombia; the Caribbean Region, covering the area adjacent to the Caribbean Sea; the Pacific Region adjacent to the Pacific Ocean; the Orinoquía Region, part of the Llanos plains mainly in the Orinoco river basin along the border with Venezuela; the Amazon Region, part of the Amazon rainforest; and finally the Insular Region, comprising the islands in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Colombia is located in South America.
Immigration to Colombia during the early 19th and late 20th Century, is what makes it one of the most diverse countries in the world, above other countries in the Latin region. Colombia inherited from the Spanish Empire harsh rules against immigration, first in the Viceroyalty of New Granada and later in the Colombian Republic. The Constituent Assembly of Colombia and the subsequent reforms to the national constitution were much more open to the immigrants and the economic aperture. However naturalization of foreigners, with the exception of those children of Colombians born abroad, it is still difficult to acquire due 'Jus soli' law is not allowed by the government, and only 'Jus sanguinis' law is accepted. Immigration in Colombia is managed by the "Migración Colombia" agency.
Colombian geography presents formidable challenges to roadbuilders, who need to integrate its largest production centers deep within the Andes with major ports in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. All of this creates a heavy premium to roadbuilding, compared with the cost of building highways in flat terrain. Therefore, the Colombian government is undertaking a great effort in order to improve the highway system, under the name of Fourth Generation Highways, with the intent of updating major roads to international safety and speed standards. This project will be funded through both public and private capital, with a total worth of nearly US$23 billion, accounting to a yearly investment of 3% of national GDP, improving or building a grand total of over 8.000 km of roads. These roads are expected to improve Colombia's competitiveness in order to successfully take advantage of the many trade agreements signed in recent years.
Miss Colombia 2002, the 68th Miss Colombia pageant, was held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on November 12, 2002, after three weeks of events. The winner of the pageant was Diana Lucia Mantilla, Miss Santander.
The Colombian Professional Baseball League, is a professional baseball league based in Colombia. It is a four-team winter league that plays during the Major League Baseball offseason. In the past, the league's champion has taken part in the Caribbean Series.
Bolívar State was one of the states of Colombia, which existed from 1857 until 1886. Today the area of the former state makes up most of modern-day Bolívar Department, Sucre Department, Córdoba Department and Atlántico Department in northern Colombia.
Lebanese Colombians are Colombians of Lebanese descent. Most of the Lebanese community's forebears immigrated to Colombia from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for economic, political and religious reasons. The first Lebanese moved to Colombia in the late nineteenth century. There was another wave in the early twentieth century. It is estimated that over 10,000 Lebanese immigrated to Colombia from 1900 to 1930.
The Episcopal Conference of Colombia is an administrative institution and permanence of the Catholic Church, composed of all the bishops of the dioceses of Colombia in a college, in communion with the Roman Pontiff and under his authority to exercise set of certain pastoral functions of the episcopate on the faithful of their territory under the rule of law and statutes, in order to promote the life of the Church, to strengthen its mission of evangelization and respond more effectively to the greater good that the Church should seek to men.
Colombia Migration is Colombia's border control agency responsible for monitoring and conducting migratory control within the framework of national sovereignty and in accordance with the law.
The Magdalena-Santa Marta mangroves ecoregion covers the mangrove forests along the coast of Colombia on the Caribbean Sea, from Gulf of Urabá in the west at the Colombia-Panama border to the Guajira Peninsula in the east. The region is relatively dry, with low precipitation and high evapotranspiration, so the mangroves depend for water and nutrients on the rivers flowing across the estuarine plain from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains to the east. Efforts are currently underway to restore mangroves degraded by development and road building from the 1950s to 1980s.
Cazuela de mariscos is a popular seafood stew from the Caribbean region of Colombia. Its preparation, as well as its ingredients, tend to vary slightly in different regions. It may have been influenced by the Catalonia region in Spain.