ATLÁNTICO
Inhabitants: Atlanticenses
The department of Atlántico lies in the north of Colombia. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea and the departments of Bolívar and Magdalena. It covers an area of 3,388 square kilometres. With nearly 2,150, 000 people, it is the most densely populated region in the country.
Before the discovery of the Americas, the land was inhabited by the Caribbean Indians. They were considered the bravest warriors among native populations.
The first conquerors that traveled through their lands were Rodrigo de Bastidas and Alonso de Ojeda.
Before 1910, when the department was created, the region was part of the State of Bolivar whose capital was Cartagena. Throughout the years, numerous immigrants from different countries and cultures have populated the department and today they live together while maintaining their own idiosyncrasies. Still, the
Atlanticenses (people born in Atlántico) have many things in common: they are spontaneous and enterprising people who love to party.
The chemical products industry (the most important in the region), as well as oil refineries, textile and paper industries, machinery, food and beverages and commerce, play a very important role in the department's economy. Breeding livestock, fishing, agriculture, mining and deposits of coal, limestone and gypsum, also play a considerable role in Atlántico's wealth.
Capital: Barranquilla
The so-called “Golden Gate of Colombia” is the largest industrial city on the Atlantic coast. More than one million people live in this prosperous metropolis located on the western bank of the Magdalena river.
Barranquilla's average temperature varies from 27 to 30 degrees Celsius.
It is a very modern city with skyscrapers, elegant districts, exellent department stores, outstanding museums such as the Museum of Modern Arts and the Romantic Museum, beautiful churches including the Immaculate Conception, very nice and comfortable hotels, like the well known Hotel El Prado. Other tourist attraction places are the zoo of Barranquilla, the Amira de la Rosa theatre, the old Customs building and the Montoya Station.
The city is surrounded by very pretty natural landscapes such as Bocas de Ceniza, the El Dique Canal, Luruaco and Totumo swamps, Puerto Colombia with its beaches and the historical wharf.
It has an important duty-free zone, industrial parks and many other places of interest.
The famous Carnival of Barranquilla that takes place in February and lasts four days, attracts thousands of tourists every year. Barranquilla is the most important maritime and river port in Colombia.
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