- Caribbean Region of Colombia
The Caribbean Region or Caribbean Coast Region is a natural region of
Colombia mainly composed of eight Departments located contiguous to theCaribbean Sea . [http://www.memo.com.co/fenonino/aprenda/geografia/regiones.html es icon MEMO: Natural Regions of Colombia] Memo.com.co Accessed 22 August 2007.] The area covers a total land area of 132,288 km² including the San Andres Island in the Caribbean sea and corresponding to approximately 1/10 of the total territory of Colombia. The Caribbean region of Colombia is home to approximately 9 million people according to theColombian Census 2005 . [http://www.ocaribe.org/region/region.htm]The area is characterized for having a massif plain that extends from the Colombian Andean Mountain range, surrounds the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and covers theGuajira Peninsula to border the Caribbean sea. In the western side of the region there is also a relative low altitude mountain range, theMontes de Maria which are also separate from the Andean mountain range. The Caribbean region is crossed by many rivers and contains one of the largest marshes in Colombia, theCiénaga Grande de Santa Marta marsh among many others. The main river is theMagdalena River which is fully navigable in the region and a major path for the flow of shipments from and for inland Colombia. The Madgalena river has numerous sub basins within its basin.The Caribbean region coast extends from the
Gulf of Uraba to theGulf of Venezuela with the main port cities ofBarranquilla and Cartagena bordering it. The administration of the region is covered by eight department governments; Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, Sucre, Córdoba, Magdalena,La Guajira and San Andrés y Providencia. These 8 departments also cover approximately 182 municipalities, 1093 "corregimiento s" and 493 "caserios" according to the2005 Census by DANE. Most of its inhabitants speak a dialect ofCaribbean Spanish with variations within its subregions.Geographical sub-regions
The Caribbean region contains 6 subregions which differ in certain natural aspects. [ [http://web.minambiente.gov.co/ecorre/peramb9/resumen.htm Ecorregiones Estratégicas, Proceso de Concertación Nacional ] ]
Guajira Peninsula region
The Guajira Peninsula is the most septentrional point of
South America , also mostly desertic, only crossed by theRanchería River with no other major water stream in the area, water is scarce. The Guajira is inhabited mostly by thewayuu ethnic group, mixed from Europeans, Indigenous and Black and also houses one of the largest population of muslims in Colombia. La Guajira. The peninsula forms most of the territory of theLa Guajira Department and is rich in mineral resources such ascoal andnatural gas . The region also contains a large reserve ofsalt near the town of Manaure. The largest city isRiohacha .ierra Nevada de Santa Marta region
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range region rises isolated in the middle of the
Caribbean Savanna and the Caribbean sea with a tetrahedral shape. The region presents a very rough terrain withmountain climate variations on its three faces; the northern area facing the Caribbean sea near the city ofSanta Marta at sea level presents a semi-arid hot ecosystem. As the altitude increases vegetation increases and temperature drops. The vegetation becomes scarce once again at the "páramo " altitude terrains as temperature continues to drop. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta has one of the highest peaks in Colombia, the Simón Bolívar peak at 5,775 meters (18,947 ft) above sea level containsglacier s. The area is shared by the Departments of Magdalena, Cesar and La Guajira.Magdalena river mouth
The Magdalena river basin extends from the Andean region through the Magdalena river valley and crossing into the Caribbean region where major sub-basins integrate to form this sub-region. The region constitute a very rich ecosystem for numerous fauna and flora species as well as a fertile ground for human subsistence agriculture and livestock raising. The river flows into the Caribbean sea were the port city of
Barranquilla is located by the mouth. It is also the largest and most populous city in the Caribbean region.Caribbean savanna
Valley of the Sinú River
main|Sinú River
Valley of the San Jorge
Administrative divisions within region
The Caribbean region is formed by the Departments of:
;partial territory pertaining to:
*
Antioquia Department : in theGulf of Urabá most of the territory of the subregion ofUrabá Antioquia .
*Chocó Department : covering a small territory in the Gulf of Urabá. Chocó is the only Department of Colombia with coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.Protected areas in the Caribbean region
:
Parque Nacional Natural corales del Rosario y San Bernardo :Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta Fauna and Flora Sanctuary:Tayrona National Natural Park :Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta:Parque Nacional Natural Macuira:Santuario de Fauna y Flora los Colorados :Flamingos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary :El Corchal Fauna and Flora Sanctuary :Island of Salamanca Park Way Demographics
The predominant ethnic group in the region is the
mestizo , a mixture ofwhite people of European descent, mainly Spanish, the indigenous peoples and black people. The region also presented human immigration coming from Europe and the Middle East mostly fromLebanon ,Syria andTurkey during the early 20th Century which was followed by a second wave duringWorld War II . Most of the immigrants settled in the main urban centers or trade port towns such as in Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Sincelejo,Mompox ,El Banco , etc. The two most populated indigenous ethnic groups are thewayuu in theGuajira Peninsula and theArhuacos ,Koguis andArsarios . 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.Economy
The economy of the Caribbean region is based mainly in the exploitation of natural resources such coal and natural gas, salt, agricultural products mainly bananas, coffee and
oil 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, Barranquilla and Santa Marta along with San Andres and Providencia Islands.Culture
Music and dances
The most popular local rhythms are the
cumbia andvallenato however, there is a great musical influence from the rest of the Caribbean nations with Salsa, merengue, more recentlyreggaeton and manyAfro-Caribbean rhythms. This influence also developed the "Champeta " which has similarities with reggaeton. Other genres include "porro .Traditional dances are mostly of
Afro-Colombian origin with the influence incumbia and themapalé .Myths and legends
The Caribbean region has a rich tradition of myths and legeds that include "
La Llorona ", "El Hombre Caimán ", "La Ciguapa ", theVallenato Legend , "La Madre Monte ", "El Simborcito ",la Mojana Legend , "El Lucio ", etc [http://www.colombiaaprende.edu.co/html/familia/1597/propertyvalue-33413.html]Celebrations
The most popular and known celebration in the Caribbean region is the Carnival of Barranquilla celebrated every year in February. The Miss Colombia Pageant in Cartagena, the
Vallenato Legend Festival inValledupar ,Feast of the Sea inSanta Marta and theCorralejas Festivities inSincelejo .Cuisine
The typical food of the Caribbean region is the
sancocho made with sabalo fish (locally known as "bocachico") accompanied with Coconut rice. The soup is also prepared with the head of the Sabalo,yuca ,plantain , coconut water, lime andsalt . The "arepa " is also a popular dish with numerous variations like "arepa limpia" (plain arepa), "arepa e' queso" (arepa with cheese) and "arepa e'huevo" (arepa with egg).References
External links
*es icon [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/geografia/carcol/vegcar1.htm Luis Angel Arango Library: Colombian Caribbean]
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