DEPARTMENTS THAT MAKE UP THE CARIBBEAN REGION OF COLOMBIA - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The departments that make up the Caribbean region of Colombia are Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, Córdoba, La Guajira, Magdalena, San Andrés and Providencia and Sucre. Seven of them are located on the continent, while San Andrés y Providencia is a department formed by a small archipelago in the western part of the Caribbean Sea.

The Caribbean region receives its name from the Caribbean Sea, with which it borders the north of the territory. Its territory covers 132,218 km2, which represents approximately 11% of the country's total.

For its part, the population in 2012 was just over 10,000,000 inhabitants, just over 22.5% of the total in Colombia.

Departments that make up the Caribbean region

Atlantic

The capital of the Department of Atlántico is Barranquilla, the most important city in the entire area.

Atlántico is the most populated department in the Region, with almost 2.5 million inhabitants.

Its name comes from the ocean of the same name, of which the Caribbean Sea forms part and with which it borders to the north. Its inhabitants are known as Atlanticists.

Its history as a Department begins on April 11, 1905 and is known worldwide for the famous Carnival that is celebrated every year in its capital, the second largest in the world after Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

Bolivar

Its capital is Cartagena de Indias, named Universal Heritage of Humanity and the most visited city in the entire country.

This Department has a population, according to 2015 projections, of 2,100,000 inhabitants, with almost half residing in the metropolitan area of ​​the capital.

Its name was given in homage to the liberator Simón Bolívar in 1857, replacing its previous name as the Province of Cartagena.

In fact, Bolívar's first visit to Colombia was to the capital, Cartagena de Indias.

cease

The Department of Cesar is located in the northeast of the Caribbean Region, bordering Venezuela.

Its capital is Valledupar, also known as the City of the Holy Kings of the Upar Valley, being known as the cradle of vallenato. The population of the Department is 1,166,420 inhabitants.

It seems accepted that it was the Caesar River that gave the entire Department its name. As for the origin, one of the existing theories affirms that it was baptized thus by the Latin word Cessare, which means "to set aside."

Cordova

Córdoba has a total population of 1,710,000 and is one of the departments that borders the Caribbean Sea.

Its capital is Montería, the most important cattle town in the entire country. Its birth as a Department dates back to 1952, when it was split from Bolívar.

Its name comes from the Colombian independence hero José María Córdova, who fought alongside Simón Bolívar and Sucre in the 19th century.

La Guajira

This Department is located for the most part in the peninsula of the same name, with the southern part of the Sierra Nevada.

It has about 850,000 inhabitants and its capital is Riohacha, known for the pearls that were found on its coast.

This territory is also known as Wajiira, since it is the name that the Wayúu or Guajiros give the Department.

Magdalena

The Department of Magdalena is one of the ones with the most history in Colombia.

In 1863, along with 8 other departments, it formed the United States of Colombia. The capital is Santa Marta and it has just over 1,270,000 inhabitants.

The name comes from the Magdalena River, located in its western area. This Department is the birthplace of the Nobel Prize García Márquez, while Simón Bolívar died in his capital, Santa Marta.

Sucre

The Department of Sucre makes a land border with those of Bolívar and Córdoba, while to the north it borders the Caribbean Sea.

Its capital is Sincelejo and it has around 850,000 inhabitants according to DANE estimates for 2016. It was not until 1966 when the law that gave rise to the birth of this department was enacted.

Its name is a tribute to Antonio José de Sucre, one of the heroes in the fight for independence.

San Andrés and Providencia

Although they have a special administrative regime, this archipelago is considered part of the Caribbean Region.

It is made up of two main islands, being the least extensive department in the country. However, due to its number of inhabitants, 76,500, it is the one with the highest density.

Its capital is San Andrés and it is located west of the Caribbean Sea, just 220 kilometers from Nicaragua.

Precisely the latter country and Colombia have maintained a legal dispute over the sovereignty of the islands, with the International Court of Justice ruling that they belong to Colombia.

References

1. Colombia. The Caribbean Region. Obtained from colombia.com
2. Uncover Colombia. The Caribbean Region. Obtained from uncovercolombia.com
3. Colombia Cultural Heritage. Characteristics of the Caribbean Region. Obtained from colombiapatrimoniocultural.wordpress.com
4. Colombia Info. Colombian Caribbean region. Retrieved from colombiainfo.org
5. Ecodiving Colombia. Caribbean Region. Obtained from ecodivingcolombia.travel