Barranquilla

Barranquilla is an industrial port city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. It lies at the mouth of the river Magdalena. Barranquilla is the most important port in Colombia. It is known as the "Golden Gate" of Colombia. Its settlement or initial founding can be traced back to at least 1629. However, its residents have come to traditionally conmemorate as the city's "birthday" the date in which Barranquilla was legally erected as a village, April 7th 1813.

The climate is rather hot, but in December the Alisios wind cools it to a more comfortable temperature. In contrast to Cartagena de Indias, the next major town to the east, it is a modern, industrial city. It has more than 1,200,000 inhabitants.

Barranquilla has several universities, including the Universidad del Norte, a private institution. The Ernesto Cortizzos International airport is served by domestic and international flights.

El Carnaval de Barranquilla, from February 21st to the 24th, is broadly recognized as one of the world's largest Carnivals, second only to the Carnival do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In November of 2003,UNESCO proclaimed it as one of 28 different "masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity".