Santa Marta (), officially Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta ("Touristic, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta"), is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

on the coast of the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fourth-largest urban city of the

Caribbean Region of Colombia The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean.Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...

, Cartagena, and Soledad. Founded on July 29, 1525, by the Spanish conqueror

Rodrigo de Bastidas Rodrigo de Bastidas (; Triana, Seville, Andalusia, c. 1465 – Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 28 July 1527) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who mapped the northern coast of South America, discovered Panama, and founded the city of Santa Marta. ...

, it was the first Spanish settlement in Colombia, its oldest surviving city, and second oldest in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. This city is situated on a bay by the same name and as such, it is a prime tourist destination in the Caribbean region.

History

Pre-Colombian times

Before the arrival of Europeans, the South American continent was inhabited by a number of

indigenous groups Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. Due to a combination of tropical weather, significant rainfall, and the destruction and misrepresentation of many records by Spanish conquistadors, our understanding of the peoples of this region is limited. The Tairona formed mid- to large-size population centers, consisting of stone pathways, terraces, protected waterways, and spaces dedicated to agricultural produce. Their economy was primarily agricultural, cultivating corn, pineapple, yucca, and other local foodstuffs. The Tayrona are considered quite advanced for their time period. Surviving archaeological sites consisted of formed terraces and small scale underground stone channels. They also were known to actively collect and process salt, which was a significant trading commodity. We know that they traded with other indigenous groups along the coast and interior. Archaeological excavations have recovered significant works in pottery, stonework and gold.

Flag

Santa Marta's flag consists of two colors: white and blue. White symbolises peace, in that all are united without restriction. Blue symbolises the sky, the sea, the magic found in the horizon, and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains.

Geography

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta desde el espacio

Santa Marta is located on Santa Marta Bay of the Caribbean Sea in the province of Magdalena. It is 992 km from Bogotá and 93 km from Barranquilla. It is bordered to the north and west by the Caribbean and to the south by the municipalities of Aracataca and Ciénaga.

Climate

Santa Marta experiences a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-a ...

( Köppen ''BSh'') with largely uniform temperatures year round. The dry season lasts from December to April, while the wet season lasts from May to November.

Economy

Santa Marta's economy is based on tourism, trade, port activities, fishing and agriculture, in that order. The main agricultural products are:

bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distingui ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

and

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...

Infrastructure

Santa Marta is a major port. Simon Bolivar International Airport is from the city centre. Historic figure

Simon Bolivar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

died here, a significant event for South America as a whole. His villa known as La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino is located just outside the city centre. As the main city centre is located close to the coast, the city itself has had difficulty controlling expansion. Although, technically a separate locality, Rodadero is part of Santa Marta itself.

Gallery

File:AnfiteatroQuinta.JPG, Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta File:Santa Marta 2.JPG, Casa de la Aduana y Alcapulca File:2018 Santa Marta (Colombia) - Estatua de Rodrigo de Bastidas.jpg, Statue of Rodrigo de Bastidas File:2018 El Rodadero (Santa Marta) - Playa principal desde el Canal de Las Iguanas - Colombia.jpg, Rodadero, Santa Marta File:Acuario el rodadero2.jpg, Rodadero aquarium file:2018 Santa Marta (Colombia) - Casa amarilla en la esquina de la calle 18 con carrera 4.jpg, Traditional house in Santa Marta File:Faro de Santa Marta.JPG, Lighthouse in the bay of Santa Marta File:Isla El Morro en el horizonte.jpg, El Morro island off the coast of Santa Marta File:2019 Santa Marta - Containters y grúas en el Puerto.jpg , Harbour of Santa Marta File:2019 Santa Marta - Ensenadas en el Parque nacional natural Tayrona.jpg,

Tayrona National Natural Park The Tayrona National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona) is a protected area in the Colombian northern Caribbean region and within the jurisdiction of the city of Santa Marta, from the city centre. The park presents a biodi ...

File:Кафедральный собор (внутренний вид).jpg, The cathedral (inner view) File:На центральной площади.jpg, On central square File:Кафедральный собор САНТА-МАРТА (Колумбия).jpg, The cathedral

Notable people

Carlos Vives Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as ge ...

, singer of vallenato music * Radamel Falcao, professional footballer * Taliana Vargas, actress and model *

Alejandro Palacio Alejandro Palacio is a Colombian musician and singer of vallenato music, actor and TV host. Palacio was one of the backup singers for the vallenato group Binomio de Oro de America who joined in 2004 after many singers passed through the musical ...

, singer of vallenato music *

Sergio Díaz-Granados Guida Sergio Díaz-Granados Guida (born 3 October 1968) was the 3rd Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia. Before he was called to head the ministry, he served as Deputy Minister of Industrial Development. He has served as Member of ...

, IDB Executive Director for Colombia and Peru *

Maria Claudia Lacouture Maria Claudia Lacouture (born 1974, Santa Marta, Colombia) was the ColombiaMinister of Commerce, Industry, Tourismbetween May 2016 and August 2017. Previously was president of ProColombia (August 2010 - April 2016). Since October 3rd 2017 is the Ex ...

, executive director of the Colombo American Chamber of Commerce * Carlos Valderrama, professional footballer *

Andrés Solano Andrés Felipe Solano Dávila (born 24 February 1998) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a right-back. Club career Solano joined the youth academy of Atlético Madrid at the age of 16. He was promoted to A ...

, professional footballer * Johan Vonlanthen, professional footballer * Arturo Reyes, football coach *

Inés María Zabaraín Inés María Zabaraín Pinto (born August 23, 1969 in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia) is a journalist and newscaster, mainly known for presenting Noticias Caracol of Caracol Television until 2011. Early career She is the second daughter of t ...

, journalist

Media appearances

Santa Marta is the production location of the TV series The White Slave.

References

External links

*
UNIMAGDALENA
*
Bank of the Republic, economic history of Santa Marta
* * * {{Authority control Capitals of Colombian departments Municipalities of Magdalena Department Populated places established in 1525 Port cities in the Caribbean Ports and harbours of Colombia Port cities in Colombia 1525 establishments in the Spanish Empire