Cartagena

Historic port, industrial centre, and capital of Bolívar department, on the Caribbean coast of northwest Colombia; population (1999 est) 805,800. There are petrochemical, textile, and pharmaceutical industries; oil and coffee are exported. The city is also a fashionable tourist resort, with beaches, lakes, and inland lagoons. There is a 16th-century cathedral, and several 16th- and 17th-century churches, and a state university, founded in 1827. The fortress ‘Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas’ was constructed over a period of 150 years, commencing in 1639.

Dating from 1533, Cartagena was one of the first cities to be founded in South America by Pedro de Heredia, and Spanish treasure from the Americas was stored here to await transport to Europe; consequently it suffered frequent attacks by foreign privateers - in the 16th century alone it suffered five sieges; the English buccaneer Francis Drake sacked the city in 1586. In response to these attacks, fortified walls were constructed around the city, including outer forts. The fortifications protected the city against future attacks, particularly that led by Edward Vernon in 1741. In 1650 a stretch of the River Magdalena was canalized (Canal del Dique) from Calamar to Cartagena to allow access for ships from the up-river ports. A pipeline brings petroleum to the city from the refineries at Barrancabermeja.