Barranquilla
Department
149 quarters ( barrios ) Template: Infobox location / Maintenance / Note
Barranquilla is a city in Colombia, capital of the province of Atlántico and with 1,380,437 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2005) fourth-largest city in the country.
It is the main port of the Caribbean coast of Colombia. In Barranquilla chemical products, cement, textiles and packaging are produced.
The main universities are the Universidad del Atlántico, the Universidad del Norte and Universidad Metropolitana. More universities are the Universidad Autonoma and the Universidad Libre.
Barranquilla is the seat of the Archdiocese of Barranquilla.
Geography
The town lies at the mouth of the Magdalena River in the northwest of the country. The climate is caribbean warm.
History
The small port on the Magdalena River was used until the 19th century only the inland waterways. After the river delta had been made navigable, Barranquilla had access to the sea. Thus the about 50 km distant seaport Puerto Colombia was replaced by the Caribbean Sea.
Carnival
Barranquilla is known as one of the world's biggest carnival strongholds. The carnival is celebrated here during the four days before Ash Wednesday. In November 2003, Carnival of Barranquilla was included by UNESCO in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The Carnival of Barranquilla is Verbal World Heritage Site by the United Nations, the biggest folk festival in Colombia and one of the five largest carnivals in the world. He is celebrated for more than 100 years.
Traditionally, the carnival starts on 20 January with the " Lectura del Bando " by the Carnival Queen. From then on there is up to the actual carnival everywhere evening events and parades in each city. On the Friday before Carnival, the Carnival Queen is crowned ( the Carnival Queen is already fixed since November, but the crowning place only on the Friday before Carnival beginning instead ), who leads the Flower Battle ( Batalla de Flores ) on the following day. Two more major events: the Gran Parada on Sunday and on Monday the Festival de Orquestas y Acordeones. On Tuesday finally dies Joselito Carnaval is celebrated and mourned and buried, in the presence of the royal couple and their extras, all in black and with candles.
Is On Ash Wednesday, as well as in Germany, the carnival past.
Attractions
Barranquilla has a commercial and industrial city itself not many sights. Popular destinations are the World Heritage Site Cartagena with its spectacular old town, the seaside resort of Santa Marta and just behind the Parque Tayrona, part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where there is also the highest peak of Colombia, the Pico Simón Bolívar and Pico Cristóbal Colón, both with about 5600m altitude, located.
People
Barranquilla is the birthplace of the Colombian musician Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll and actress Sofia Vergara.
Barranquilla is also very connected with the work of Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. He spent part of his childhood in Barranquilla and was for many years employed as a journalist for the local newspaper " El Heraldo ". City descriptions in García Márquez works refer very often to Barranquilla. The well-known Colombian sociologist Orlando Fals Borda (1925-2008) is from Barranquilla.
An important institution in Barranquilla is the Colegio Alemán, the oldest German school in Colombia. A private school that was founded in 1912 and opened in 1956 again. Each year there is a student exchange with German students.
Traffic
Barranquilla is accessible through the airport Ernesto Cortissoz, which is 7 km south of the city. The Puente Pumarejo connects the city with the province of Magdalena on the other bank of the Magdalena River and generally with the East of the country.
Twinning
- Tampa, Florida, USA
- Nanjing, China