Barranquilla

Barranquilla, capital of Atlántico departamento, northwestern Colombia. It is situated in the Caribbean lowlands, 15 miles (24 km) upstream from the mouth of the Magdalena River, and is Colombia’s largest port along the Caribbean Sea. Founded in 1629, it remained unimportant until the construction of a railroad to satellite ports on Sabanilla Bay and the clearing of sandbars from the Magdalena River’s mouth in the 1930s. Since World War II, the relative decline in traffic on the river and the growth of road transport have instead favoured the development of the Pacific Ocean port of Buenaventura. Barranquilla, however, continues to handle much coffee and petroleum from the interior and cotton from the surrounding region. It is also the terminus of natural-gas pipelines from fields in northern Colombia. Textiles, beverages, cement, shoes, clothing, cardboard, and chemicals are among its industrial products. Barranquilla houses Atlántico University (1941) and the University of the North (1966). The city is accessible by highway, possesses an international jet airport, and is a major gateway to tourism on the Caribbean coast. Pop. (2003 est.) 1,329,579.