Urabá

Urabá is a geographic subregion of Colombia, located at a confluence between the departments of Antioquia and Chocó on the border with Panama. The area gets its name from the Gulf of Urabá, around which it sits.

However, the region is not established on any map because the divisions of the departments can hardly reflect the history of the regions and their inhabitants. This region is part of the PDET focused territories.

The region is recognized for having an extraordinary geographical position. It is a crossroads between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, the two largest oceans of the world economy, and between North and Central America and South America.

It was a first-order territorial entity by means of decree 540 from June 7, 1911 until July 1915, under the name of the Urabá Police Station.

Toponym

The region owes its name to Martín Fernández de Enciso in 1500 who, in reference to the low salinity of the waters of the gulf, called it Urabá, literally Gulf of Fresh Water.

It has also been said that in the Katía language, Urabá means The promised land. In this region there is a lot of economic diversity.

Other versions affirm that the 'urabaes', a tribe of the Caribbean linguistic family, lived in that region.

Subdivisions

Urabá Antioquia

Urabá Antioquia is the coastal region of Antioquia, on the Caribbean Sea, a region full of exotic landscapes and great cultural diversity. It is the most important banana and plantain region in the country and a pantry of this tropical fruit for several international markets. A subregion that combines the Paisa, Chocó and Costeña cultures.

Tourism in the area revolves around plantain and banana crops, and agrotourism.

Blacks, whites, indigenous people, mulattoes, zambos and mestizos populate this subregion. It is possible to visit the indigenous people, mostly from the Cuna and Embera Catío ethnic groups, and take advantage of the visit to acquire true works of art of their creation.

There are several airports in the region, the most frequented being Carepa and Turbo, but by land the area is also a common route for travel in Antioquia. Starting from Medellín, you cross the Western Tunnel, travel through Santa Fe de Antioquia and then arrive at Dabeiba, the gateway to Urabá and the seat of two Embera Catíos indigenous reservations.

Urabá Antioquia is divided into three zones: one to the south, which borders with the West and agricultural and fishing activities, with Mutatá as the axis of development; Another area is the central area, the most economically prosperous and with its epicenter in Turbo and Apartadó. Banana cultivation is the main line of the economy; and the northern area, from Turbo to Arboletes, with tourism and fishing as the main activities.

The central and southern area of Urabá is accessed faster by the Highway to the Sea, which starts from Medellín and crosses to Santa Fe de Antioquia, looks for Dabeiba and from there enters Urabá land. The journey lasts, to Turbo, around eight hours; Another option is air travel, with daily flights from Olaya Herrera Airport to different municipalities in the subregion.

The subregion of Urabá Antioquia is divided into three sub-zones.

Urabá Norte is made up of the municipalities of:

• Trees
• San Juan de Urabá
• San Pedro de Urabá
• Necoclin

The central region, also known as the banana axis characterized by its economic dynamism, is made up of the municipalities of:

• Apartadó
• Carepa
• Chigorodo
• Turbo

The Urabá Sur region, made up of three municipalities, which in turn make up the subzone known as the middle Atrato Antioquia, characterized by landscapes of the tropical humid jungle, in the valley of the Atrato River.

• Mutatá
• Murindo
• Guard of the Fort

Urabá Chocoano

Urabá Chocoano is located in a subregion of the department of Chocó known as the lower Atrato and is made up of the municipalities of:

• Acandí
• El Carmen del Darién
• Bethlehem of Bajira
• Riosucio
• Aguía

Since the mid-70s, after centuries of lack of communication, the different towns have resorted to air travel to connect with the rest of the country. Airports for small planes emerged in Acandí and Unguía and in the towns of Capurganá, Santa María and Gilgal. The most important was the Capurganá Airport, which had its golden age in the 1990s when hundreds of eco tourists from all over Colombia traveled to discover the natural beauties of the region.