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Caribbean region of Colombia | |
|---|---|
 The Caribbean region detailed in dark red with territorial waters | |
 Interactive map of Caribbean region of Colombia | |
| Coordinates:10°27′N74°21′W / 10.450°N 74.350°W /10.450; -74.350 | |
| Country |  Colombia |
| Largest city | Barranquilla |
| Departments | 8 |
| Area | |
• Total | 110,000 km2 (42,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2018) | |
• Total | 11,796,624[2][a] |
TheCaribbean region of Colombia orColombian Caribbean is the northern, coastal region ofColombia located contiguous to the Caribbean. It is mainly composed of 8departments.[1] It is the second most populated region in the country after theAndean 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 theArchipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina in theCaribbean Sea.[1]
The Caribbean region coast extends from theGulf of Urabá to theGulf of Venezuela. Straddling the coast are Colombia's two main Atlantic port cities ofBarranquilla andCartagena.[3] The administration of the region is covered by eightdepartment governments:Atlántico,Bolívar,Cesar,Sucre,Córdoba,Magdalena,La Guajira andSan Andrés and Providencia. These eight departments also cover approximately 182municipalities according to the 2018 Census byDANE Colombia.[4] Most of its inhabitants speak a dialect ofCaribbean 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 thePardo, a mixture ofEuropean, mainlySpanish, theindigenous peoples andAfro-Colombian unlike the other regions, where predominantlyWhite,Castizo andMestizo ofColombia such asAndean Region andOrinoquia Region and black as is the case of thePacific Region. During the 19th and 20th century, a wave of immigrants came fromEurope and theMiddle East, mostly fromLebanon,Italy,Spain,Germany,France,Ireland,Syria, andPalestine. A second wave followed during World War II from other parts of Europe such asLithuania,Russia,Ukraine,Poland,Austria,Hungary,the Netherlands,Romania,Belgium,Armenia,Croatia andJews from other countries affected by the war. There were also important settlements ofBritish,White Americans, andCanadians who founded dozens schools such asMarymount International School Barranquilla,Colegio Karl C. Parrish,Colegio Jorge Washington,Colegio Albania, Colegio Británico deCartagena, Colegio Británico deMonteria, Altamira International School, British International School Barranquilla, Boston International School Barranquilla, American School Barranquilla, Bureche School ofSanta 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 inBarranquilla,Santa Marta,Cartagena,Monteria,Sincelejo,Mompós,Santa Cruz de Lorica,El Banco, etc. The two most populous indigenous ethnic groups are thewayuu in theGuajira Peninsula and theArhuacos andKoguis. Black population is mostly concentrated near Cartagena predominantly in the town ofSan Basilio de Palenque, which was proclaimedMasterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity byUNESCO 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 andoil 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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Unlike the rest of the country where soccer predominates,baseball in this region is the most popular sport, with teams such asCaimanes de Barranquilla,Tigres de Cartagena,Vaqueros de Montería,Leones de Barranquilla andToros de Sincelejo competing in theColombian Professional Baseball League. The Caribbean region has been the cradle of not only successful baseball players, but also for having perhaps the most important and outstanding athlete in the region,Édgar Rentería,St. Louis Cardinals hall of famer, in addition to other successful Major League players and even world champions with theColombia national baseball team at the already extinctAmateur World Series such asOrlando Cabrera,Petaca Rodríguez,Orlando Ramírez,Joaquin Gutierrez,Gio Urshela,Julio Teherán,José Quintana,Donovan Solano,Dayan Díaz,Nabil Crismatt,Ernesto Frieri,Jorge Alfaro,JordanDíaz,Harold Ramírez, orDidier Fuentes. It is the most followed, loved and practiced sports discipline in most of the region, more specifically in the cities ofCartagena,Montería,Sincelejo, and many municipalities in the subregion ofUrabá Antioquia, where the "king of sports" is baseball. It has a traditional game of more than 110 years called "bate tapita" (name it receives in Cartagena), "tapilla" (name it receives in Montería) or "checa" (name it receives in Barranquilla, Sincelejo, and Riohacha). This variant game of baseball contains a long, thin wooden stick, like a bat, and a metal cap like a ball.
On the other hand,soccer is another sport that grew significantly to become one of the most popular sports in this Caribbean area, the second most popular sport now, with teams such asJunior de Barranquilla,Unión Magdalena,Real Cartagena orJaguares de Córdoba competing in the first and second divisions of the country. The Caribbean region has been the birthplace of successful soccer players, many of them world-renowned such asCarlos Valderrama,Radamel Falcao,Teófilo Gutiérrez, andCarlos Bacca.
The region is also known for its love of combat sports.Boxing is a popular sport in certain areas and the region has given rise to numerous world champions, such asAntonio Cervantes (one of the most important athletes in the history of Colombia alongside with Rentería),Rodrigo Valdez andMiguel "Happy" Lora. In some municipalities of Urabá, it is the most popular sport above baseball and soccer, although the latter sports are dominant in almost the entire subregion. Traditionally alongside with baseball, it was one of the two most popular sports, but its popularity declined over the years, and soccer grew immensely in the Caribbean region.
The most popular local rhythms are thecumbia andvallenato however, there is a great musical influence from the rest of the Caribbean nations withSalsa,merengue, more recentlyreggaeton and manyAfro-Caribbean rhythms. This influence also developed theChampeta which has similarities with reggaeton. Other genres includeporro.
Traditional dances are mostly ofAfro-Colombian origin with the influence incumbia and themapalé.
The Caribbean region has a rich tradition of myths and legends that includeLa Llorona,El Hombre Caimán,La Ciguapa, theVallenato Legend,La Madre Monte,El Simborcito,la Mojana Legend,El Lucio, etc.[1]
The most popular and known celebration in the Caribbean region is theCarnival of Barranquilla celebrated every year in February or March. TheMiss Colombia Pageant i, Colombia|Cartagena]], theVallenato Legend Festival inValledupar,Feast of the Sea inSanta Marta and theCorralejas Festivities inSincelejo.
The typical food of the Caribbean region varies according to the geographical location in the sabanas the typical meal is thesancocho made with rabo (cow's tail) and accompanied withcoconut 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, andsalt. Thearepa is also a popular dish with numerous variations likearepa limpia (plain arepa),arepa e' queso (arepa with cheese) andarepa e'huevo (arepa with egg).Cazuela de mariscos, a seafood stew, is also a typical dish found in the region.[7]