Atlantic (Colombia)

The Atlántico is one of the thirty-two departments that, together with Bogotá, Capital District, make up the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Barranquilla. Located in the Caribbean region, it is bordered to the north by the Caribbean Sea, to the east by the Magdalena River, and to the south and west by the department of Bolívar. With some 2,500,000 inhabitants in 2015, it is the fourth most populous department (behind Antioquia, Valle del Cauca and Cundinamarca); with 3019 km² it is the third smallest (ahead of Quindío and San Andrés y Providencia, the smallest) and with 815 inhab/km² is the second most densely populated (behind San Andrés and Providencia).

Toponymy

Flag of the Atlantic Department.

The name of the department was given in homage to the Atlantic Ocean, which, with one of its seas, the Caribbean, bathes the north of Colombia and is the northern limit of the department.

Symbols

• Hymn: The hymn was adopted in 1976, after the Cultural Extension Office of the Atlantic Department convened a contest to choose it. The letter is authored by María Delina Alvarez and the score of Anita Zabaraín Bermúdez.
• Shield: The shield was adopted in 1913 following the centenary of the award of emblems by the government of the Free State of Cartagena to Barranquilla.
• Flag: The flag consists of three longitudinal strips, white the upper and the lower one, and red the central one. It was adopted in 1989.

History

The pre-Hispanic settlers of the department were the descendants of two great families: the Caribs and the Arawaks. The most outstanding tribe was the Mocaná, which was distributed by zones and, depending on the places they occupied, named the regions that way, many of them of which still keep their name, such as Tubará, Usiacurí, Piojó, Galapa, Malambo and Baranoa, among others. The indigenous settlements in the department were located in its northern half with epicenters in the aforementioned municipalities and in Suan, in the far south, a settlement now extinct.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Rodrigo de Bastidas discovered the mouths of the Magdalena River and named them Bocas de Ceniza. The expeditions of Jerónimo de Melo, Pedro de Heredia and some members of the group led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. During the colony, the territory of the current department of Atlántico was known as the Tierradentro party and was under the jurisdiction of Cartagena.

Sabanalarga, San Juan de Acosta, Manatí, Santo Tomás and Polonuevo are among the first foundations made by Spaniards.

The Tierradentro district belonged to the Cartagena government since 1533, when the Spanish set foot in the territory, until 1821 when the Barlovento department was created and added to the Magdalena department of Gran Colombia.

In 1845 the congress of the republic created by means of a law the canton of Barranquilla, which belonged to the province of Cartagena; In 1852, as a result of the reopening of the port of Sabanilla for the export of products, and due to the establishment of a customs office, which made said port acquire greater commercial importance, the province of Sabanilla was created. When the Sovereign State of Bolívar was established in 1857, Sabanilla formed part of it as one of its administrative divisions; With the 1886 constitution, the country entered a new administrative era, and the states were renamed departments, but with the same previous territorial configuration.

As a department, Atlántico was initially created on April 11, 1905 within the modernization plan of President Rafael Reyes (1904-1909), who appointed General Diego A. De Castro as governor of Atlántico. The department was made up of the provinces of Sabanalarga and Barranquilla (segregated from the department of Bolívar), with the capital in the latter. In 1908, Atlántico was renamed to the department of Barranquilla, but the following year it was suppressed and annexed back to the department of Bolívar. In 1910, it was definitively created again as a department by Law 21 of July 14, 1910, with Daniel Carbonell as governor and Barranquilla as capital.

Geography

Physical map of the Atlantic.

Location

The department of Atlántico is located in the north of Colombia, in the Caribbean region. It is located between 10º15'36'' and 11º 06'37'' north latitude, and 74º42'47'' and 75º16'34'' west longitude. It has an area of 3,386 km², which represents 0.29% of the national territory. It borders to the north and northeast with the Caribbean Sea, in an approximate extension of 90 km; from the western breakwater in Bocas de Ceniza, to the salt flats of Galerazamba. To the east, with the Magdalena River, in a length of 105 km, counted from its mouth in Bocas de Ceniza to the detachment of the Dique channel in Calamar; to the south, southwest and west with the department of Bolívar from Calamar to the Galerazamba salt flats.

Limits

The Atlantic borders to the east with the Magdalena River and the department of Magdalena for a length of 105 km from the mouth of the river in Bocas de Ceniza to the ramification of the Dique channel at the height of Suan, Santa Lucía (Atlántico) and Squid (Bolivar); to the north and northwest with the Caribbean Sea in an approximate extension of 90 km, and to the south, southwest and west with the department of Bolívar from Calamar to the Salinas de Galerazamba.

Orography

The territory is dominated by low and flat lands, swamps and mountain ranges and a coastal strip between desert and savannah. The region is part of the Caribbean plains, only interrupted by the Tubará and Piojó mountain ranges, whose highest altitudes are the hills of La Vieja (530 m) and Cabeza de Vaca (250 m).

The flat lands, located to the south of the department, are a marshy area enclosed between the Magdalena river basin and the Dique channel, where there are also hills such as La Punta, near the Guájaro reservoir, and those of Caballo and El Coco, northwest of Manatí.

Another important elevation is Cerro Alto (523 masl). On the border with Bolívar there is a volcanic phenomenon known as "Los Volcancillos de Lodo".

Hydrography

The hydrography of the Cartagena region, formed by rivers and swamps that join the waters of the canal; and the hydrographic one of the Caribbean coast, which extends from the western cutwater of Bocas de Ceniza to Galerazamba and is fed by streams such as Cucambito, Cascabel and Nisperal. It also has the swamps of Luruaco, Totumo, Mallorquín, Tocagua and the Guájaro reservoir. The Magdalena and the Guájaro River area are the main sources that feed the swamps in this region.

Satellite view of Barranquilla.

The Canal del Dique is considered a hydrographic basin, whose course helps regulate the dangers of flooding during the river's growth season. The coastal basin receives small streams and pipes.

Climate

The average annual temperature is 26 °C. With maximum recorded measurements of 29.9 °C and minimums of 25 °C, between October and November. The climate of the department varies between periods of great rains and droughts. It should also be taken into account that its low mountains do not contribute to condensing the waters of the precipitations that fall during the summer and do not serve as a barrier to prevent the winds that come from the sea from passing, absorbing humidity. All this determines the climate of the department, which is tropical, hot and dry. In the central and southern regions, with low-lying and flood-prone areas, the climate is more humid than in the rest of the department. In the northeast, the climate varies between humid and dry tropical and semi-arid due to the low rainfall. In the coastal strip, where the temperatures are very high and the rains scarce, the climate is dry.

The department of Atlántico has a tropical climate of the arid steppe and savannah type at the mouth of the Magdalena River and around Barranquilla; semi-arid in the strips bordering the coast and the Magdalena River and semi-humid from Sabanalarga to the south.

Political-administrative structure

Assembly Building of the Atlantic Department.

Executive branch

The Governor's Office is in charge of matters such as the Universidad del Atlántico, the issuance of passports, environmental management, among others. In 2015, Eduardo Verano was elected governor for the 2016-2019 period. The departmental cabinet is made up of 14 secretariats and 2 managers. Each municipality is administered by a popularly elected mayor.

The Departmental Assembly also represents the executive branch and pronounces itself through ordinances. Each municipality has a popularly elected council. The Assembly does not represent the legislative branch because it is made up of a single body that is the Congress of the Republic and this in turn by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Republic.

Judiciary

The Superior Court of the Atlantic is the department's highest judicial body.

Political-administrative division

Political map of the Atlantic.

The department of Atlántico is made up of 22 municipalities and 1 district and is divided into four provinces:

• Area Metropolitana de Barranquilla: made up of the municipalities of Barranquilla, Galapa, Malambo, Soledad and Puerto Colombia.
• Centre-orient: made up of the municipalities of Baranoa, Palmar de Varela, Polonuevo, Ponedera, Sabanagrande, Sabanalarga and Santo Tomás.
• Atlantic West: made up of the municipalities of Juan de Acosta, Piojó, Tubará and Usiacurí.
• South Atlantic: made up of the municipalities of Campo de la Cruz, Candelaria, Luruaco, Manatí, Repelón, Santa Lucía and Suán.

Demographics

Evolution of the population of the Atlantic Department (1912-2016)

Population by census.Population by projection.Source: Statoids. DANE.

According to the projections for 2020 of the last census carried out in 2018, 2,600,904 people live in the Atlantic, of which 1,994,879 (78%) live in the metropolitan area of Barranquilla.

Ethnography

The racial makeup of the department is:

• Mestizo and white (77.73%).
• Black or Afro-Colombian (20.84%).
• Amerindians or indigenous people (1.33%).
• Gypsies (0.09%).

Language

The language spoken by the entire population is Spanish.

Education

Higher education is carried out entirely in the city of Barranquilla, where there are renowned universities such as the one at the Atlantic, an establishment that offers programs at the CERES in Sabanalarga, Sabanagrande and Suan, and the one in the North. In the municipality of Soledad, the ITSA University Institution works, focused on technological careers and professional techniques. It is a pioneer in the Caribbean Region in the implementation of propaedeutic programs and in the Articulation Projects of Secondary Education with Higher Education. In addition, it has an office in Barranquilla. It manages the CERES (Regional Centers for Higher Education) a program of the National Government.

Since 2017, the southern branch of the Universidad del Atlántico has been operating in the municipality of Suan

Each municipality has several secondary schools, elementary schools, and preschools. In Campo de la Cruz is the IETC La Inmaculada, coordinated by Melba L. Zapata Rico. In Suan, there is the IE Adolfo León Bolívar Marenco, made up of 6 campuses (high school and primary). The state National Learning Service (SENA) operates in Barranquilla offering technical and commercial training, and in Sabanalarga in the agro-industrial area.

Economy

Industry and commerce occupy a place of the first order in Barranquilla, capital of the department, due to its status as a maritime and fluvial port. The main sectors are chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, metalworking, beverages, and paper. The Atlantic economy is quite diversified, with a predominance of services (66%), industry (25%), and agricultural activities. (8%). Mining is of little importance (1%), although there are deposits of coal, limestone, gypsum and other minerals that in some cases are exploited illegally. An important commercial and industrial activity takes place in the municipalities of Soledad and Malambo, the most important in the Caribbean region and one of the main ones at the national level, thanks to its proximity to Barranquilla, represented in several shopping centers and industrial parks.

Transportation

Puerto de Barranquilla.

Control tower of Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport.

Aerial

Air transportation to the main cities of the country, the rest of the continent and Europe is done through the Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport located in the municipality of Soledad. Airlines such as Avianca, LAN Colombia, EasyFly, Copa Airlines Colombia, among others, fly from within the country and abroad.

Terrestrial

In the department of Atlántico, two of the most important corridors of the National Road Network of the country converge:

• La Troncal de Occidente (Ruta Nacional 25, called in Barranquilla Carretera Oriental) which runs parallel to the Magdalena River, leads to the departments of Bolívar, Sucre and Córdoba, continues to reach Medellín and from there to all the cities of the western Colombia, and then to connect with the Pan American road.
• The Caribbean Troncal (National Route 90), which allows you to communicate with the other cities of the Caribbean Coast and the Venezuelan road network. In Barranquilla this route is fork in two different and very important: The Cordiality Road (national 90), with a length of 143 km, between Barranquilla and Cartagena, and the Paralela al Mar (national 90A) road that with a length of 114 kilometers and better infrastructure joins these two cities. Towards the east, the Caribbean's troncal allows to reach the point called The Y de Ciénagawhere it connects with the Magdalena Troncal to access important cities such as Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Valledupar, among others.

The department also has the Algodón highway that connects Barranquilla with the township of Juan Mina and other municipalities in the department of Atlántico such as Tubará, Juan de Acosta and Piojó.

In addition, Barranquilla has an intermunicipal and interdepartmental transport terminal located in the municipality of Soledad, and a mass urban transport system, Transmetro, for the entire metropolitan area.

Maritime and fluvial

Barranquilla has an important maritime and fluvial port, third in importance by cargo volume in the country. The maritime and fluvial terminal is managed, operated and marketed by the private Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Barranquilla. Sociedad Portuaria del Norte provides multipurpose port and logistics services such as a maritime and fluvial terminal. Traffic through the port of Barranquilla (including the Magdalena River) is regulated by the Port Captaincy of Barranquilla, a dependency of the General Maritime Directorate - Dimar, national maritime authority, which is in charge of the direction, coordination and control of maritime activities such as arrivals, departures, ship status, security, licensing procedures, announcements, among others. The Malambo Industrial Park, located in the municipality of Malambo, has a private port.

Media

The Atlantic has a telecommunications infrastructure in which the submarine fiber optic cable that leaves from the coasts of the municipality of Puerto Colombia to the United States stands out, connecting Colombia with the main world communication centers. Since 2008, the South America 1 (Sam1) cable has been operating in Barranquilla, operated by the company Movistar, which will increase Colombia's access capacity to broadband Internet by 50 percent, projecting Barranquilla as a new free zone for telecommunications.

Telephone

In the city department, local, national and international fixed public telephony services are available, provided by the companies Metrotel, Claro Colombia, ETB and Movistar, which also offer broadband Internet services and dedicated business channels, services offered also by UNE.

In terms of cellular telephony, Barranquilla has at its disposal state-of-the-art services such as GSM, 3.5G and PCS, provided by the operators Movistar, Claro, Tigo, Virgin Mobile and Uff, all with national coverage and 4G technology, 3G, GSM.

Television

Since 1986, the Colombian Caribbean Coast has had the regional television channel Telecaribe, which has its headquarters in Barranquilla. In mid-2014, it became the first regional channel in Colombia to broadcast content in high definition (HD) through Digital Terrestrial Television. In addition, in Barranquilla, Channel 23 of the Autonomous University of the Caribbean and the five national television channels (RCN, Caracol, Canal Uno, Señal Colombia and Canal Institucional) operate by open signal, available both in their Analog signal and Digital Television. Terrestrial in the DVB-T2 standard. Likewise, the national university channel ZOOM TV generates a signal from the city with transmission throughout the country. The main cable television operators are Claro Colombia, Movistar Colombia and UNE.

Radio

In the department, various AM and FM stations broadcast, both local (mainly Barranquilla and Soledad) and national, both informative and musical, among others.

Press

In the Atlantic, newspapers with local and national circulation circulate, all morning: El Heraldo, La Libertad, Al Día (from the publishing house of El Heraldo), Qhubo, and the nationally distributed newspapers El Tiempo, with a special circulation for the Caribbean Region, and El Espectador. Since September 2008, ADN (free national newspaper of the El Tiempo Editorial House) has been circulating.

Tourist sites

Mouths of Ash. Mouth of the Magdalena River with the Caribbean Sea, 15 minutes from Barranquilla. The ride can be by open wagon train, which leaves the Las Flores camp, at the end of track 40.

Barranquilla Zoo. It houses colorful and exotic native animal species and those from other continents, with emphasis on Colombian fauna and the protection of endangered species. You can see more than 500 animals belonging to 140 species, from chickens to elephants or lions, including all kinds of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and primates. Integrated into the zoo are the library, the natural history museum, amusement park and shops.

Colombian port. Town that, with its old dock, recalls the glory days that it lived at the beginning of the century, as the first seaport in the country. Its wooden and steel pier was very attractive to natives and foreigners due to the trade of the time. It is a flat and warm terrain that has swamps such as Aguadulce, El Rincón and El Salado; and beaches like Punta Roca, Sabanilla, Puerto Caimán and Pradomar; as well as an old Spanish fort, the Castillo de Salgar.

Sabanagrande. Ecological park and Crocodile reptile hatchery zoo.

Usiacuri. House-museum of the poet Julio Flórez, crafts.

The Totumo volcano, a mud volcano 70 km from Barranquilla.

Spaniards

• Pradomar (Puerto Colombia).
• Salgar (Puerto Colombia).
• Punta Roca (Puerto Colombia).
• Sabanilla (Puerto Colombia).
• Puerto Cayman (Tubara).
• Saint Veronica (John of Acosta).
• Puerto Velero (Tubará).
• Sweet cloth (Tubara).
• Tubará Beach (Tubará).

Other tourist sites in the Atlantic are:

Mojana Cave, Cisne Lake (Puerto Colombia), the Luruaco and Totumo swamps and the Guájaro reservoir, ideal for water sports and sport fishing. In the Cupino hill (Puerto Colombia), paragliding is practiced. Galapa is an important center for handicrafts.

Education

El Atlántico has practically total coverage in free basic education for its entire child population.

In addition to primary and secondary schools and colleges (both private and state), the department has the Universidad del Atlántico, the only state institution of higher education, as well as approximately 15 private universities. These centers cover most of the university degrees offered in the country (basic sciences, engineering, health sciences, economic and administrative sciences, human sciences, Law, languages, Fine Arts, Education sciences, among others), as well as multiple postgraduate studies (specializations, masters and doctorates).

The main headquarters of the Universidad del Atlántico is located in Puerto Colombia, and it has branches in Barranquilla and Suan.

Culture

Music

The vernacular and autochthonous rhythm is cumbia. Other popular genres and rhythms are salsa, vallenato, porro, Dominican merengue, champeta, and reggaeton.

Cultural scenes

Apart from the cultural scenes of Barranquilla, the department has the Julio Flórez House Museum in Usiacurí, the Bolivarian Museum - Casa de Bolívar in Soledad and the House of Culture in Sabanagrande.

Gastronomy

Atlantic gastronomy includes sancocho such as pigeon peas, mondongo, ribs or chicken, lisa rice, fish such as bocachico and mojarra, coconut and black bean rice, the butifarra, the yuca buns, limpio, corn and angelito buns, the arepa de huevo, the caribañola, the patacon, tropical fruit juices, the hayaca, the cake (rice), the chicharrón, the stewed grains (beans such as zaragoza, cabecita negra, lentils, among others) and corn cakes.

Fairs and festivals

• Sabanalarga: March-April, Easter. September-October, Patron Festivals of Our Lady of the Mercedes.
• Polonuevo: January, Fiestas de San Pablo.
• Sibarco: January, Fiestas del Guandú.
• Puerto Colombia: February, Sirenato Departamental de la Cumbia. June, St. John the Baptist Day. Julio, Fiestas de la Virgen del Carmen.
• Candelaria and Ponedera: February, Carnavales. Feasts of the Virgin of the Candelaria.
• Luruaco: March, San José party. Julio, Festival de la Arepa de Huevo.
• Manatí: October, patron saint of San Luis Beltrán. December, Immaculate Conception Party.
• Juan de Acosta: February, Intermunicipal Queen of the Millo
• Sabanagrande: May, patron saint of Santa Rita de Casia.
• Barranquilla: February or March, carnival.
• Soledad: June, festivals of merecumbé and butifarra.
• Piojó, festival and reign Intermunicipal de la Palma Amarga (Carnival sites) June Patronal Festivals of San Antonio de Padua (June 13)
• Usiacurí: August, Feast of the Virgin of the Transit.
• Pital Megua: June, last weekend, Pastel Festival. May 15, San Isidro Labrador.
• Campeche, correction of Baranoa: March, Festival de la Ciruela.
• Galapa: Festival Intermunicipal del Folclor is celebrated Tuesday of carnival.
• Malambo: July, Patron Festivals of Santa Maria Magdalena.
• Caracoli, Malambo Correction: fiestas in honor of the Virgin of Carmen on July 16.
• Saint Lucia: Son de Negro National Festival, in the middle of the year and patron saints of Saint Lucia, in December.
• St. Thomas: In February the intermunicipal reign is held; in March-April, the Holy Week (tradition of penitents); in September, the patron saints' parties of St.Thomas of Villanueva.

• Suan: Suan Art and Culture Festival of the Trinity (24-27 June). Immaculate Conception Festivals on December 7 and 8.

Religion

The religion of the majority of the population is Catholic.

Sports

Professional sports activity takes place almost exclusively in Barranquilla, where soccer and baseball stand out, the latter also being very popular in Repelón. Soccer is the most popular sport in the department, and is also practiced in Malambo, Puerto Colombia, Sabanagrande, Sabanalarga, Soledad and Suan, among others. Barranquilla is the headquarters of Junior, one of the most important and oldest soccer clubs in the country that plays in the first A category of Colombian soccer and its subsidiary team Barranquilla Fútbol Club that plays in the first B, it is also the headquarters of the Junior Femenino. In futsal it has the Independiente Barranquilla team of the Argos League.

Water sports such as surfing, windsurfing and sport fishing are practiced in Puerto Colombia, in the Luruaco and Totumo swamps and in the Guájaro reservoir. There is a small community of windsurfers in the department who practice in places like Puerto Velero, where there is a windsurfing and kitesurfing school considered one of the most comfortable places to learn these sports, and the Sabanilla beaches, with their waves, are ideal for athletes. experienced, where the modality of Waves or Wave is practiced. Paragliding is practiced on the Cupino hill in Puerto Colombia.

Atlántico ranked eighth in the last National Sports Games held in 2008.