Barranquilla is the largest city and port in the northern Caribbean Coast region of Colombia, with a population of 1,885,500 as of 2011 in its metropolitan area, which makes it Colombia's fourth most populous city after Bogotá, Medellin and Cali.

BARRANQUILLA

Barranquilla lies strategically next to the delta of the Magdalena River, 7.5 kilometer from its mouth at the Caribbean Sea, serving as port for river and maritime transportation within Colombia. The city is the core of the Metropolitan Area of Barranquilla, which is constituted by the municipalities of Soledad, Galapa, Malambo, and Puerto Colombia.

NicknamesIn 1921, President Marco Fidel Suarez called the city the Portico Dorado de la República (Golden Gate of the Republic) in recognition of its economic importance as a port since the late 19th century. Barranquilla is also known as La Arenosa (meaning The Sandy), as called by the president of New Granada, Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera, during his stay in Barranquilla in 1849.The thinker Agustín Nieto Caballero called Barranquilla "Ciudad de los Brazos Abiertos"Enrique Ancízar, president of the Colombian Society of Agriculture, called it "Faro de América"

FlagIt consists of three rectangles, red being the outermost, then yellow, and green in the center. Red symbolizes the blood of patriots; yellow, the sun of freedom and hope; and green, a proud home. In the Centre, there is an eight point Silver Star which symbolizes the eight provinces of the confederacy. The flag was carried by Simon Bolívar during the campaign of Lower Magdalena in 1812. In 1910, the Council approved the flag for Barranquilla.

Coat of arms The seal of the city was mentioned in the decree that granted Barranquilla the status of a city by Manuel Rodríguez Torices, the then President of the Sovereign State of Cartagena de Indias, in reward for the determined and courageous patriots who participated in the defense of the independence of Cartagena de Indias against Santa Marta in 1813.

Anthem The music and lyrics of Himno de Barranquilla were chosen in competition by the Sociedad de Mejoras Publica and officially adopted as the anthem of the city by the Municipal Council in a meeting on October 19, 1942.The lyrics are authored by the poet Amira de la Rosa (winner of the contest in 1942) and the music is of Panama, by Simón Urbina (1928).

GeographyThe city is located in the northeastern corner of the department of the Atlantic, on the west bank of the Magdalena River, 7.5 kilometres (originally 25 km before rapid urban growth) from its mouth in the Caribbean. The municipality covers an area of 154 km 2, equivalent to 4.5% of the area of the Atlántico Department.

ClimateBarranquilla has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) according to Köppen climate classification; it is hot all-year-round, with high levels of relative humidity. The average temperature is 28.4 °C (85 °F). Daytime temperature usually remains around 32 °C (90 °F).

Flora According to the Agustín Codazzi Geographic Institute, Barranquilla has a dry tropical forest vegetation (according to the Hold ridge life zones), which includes species like cacti, mangroves, Opuntia elatior, Acanthocereus, Prosopis juliflora, Divi-divi, Tabebuia rosea, Cordia alba and varieties of acacia like Flamboyant or flame tree and Leucaena leucacephala.

Fauna Some animal species can be found in the city such as birds like the owl , wren , the parrot; fish such as mullet in the marshes; insects such as butterflies , flies , mosquitoes , gnats , cockroaches and termites ; mammals such as dogs and cats, monkeys and rodents like zorrochuchos; reptiles such as iguanas , snakes, tortoises .

The Centro histórico is between Carreras 35 and 46 and Calles 30 and 46, and includes parts of San Roque and Downtown districts. It is part of the town historical Centre and North-Central District.

The paseo de Bolívar, in the heart of Barranquilla, is the most important avenue of the city and the place from which it expanded.Until the late nineteenth century it was called Calle Ancha (Broad Street), but in 1886 Mayor Antonio Abello renamed it Abello.

Plaza de San Nicolas, opposite the church of San Nicolas, was the center of the cultural, commercial and religious Barranquilla in early twentieth century.

Plaza de la Paz was built in 1986 opposite the Metropolitan Cathedral to welcome Pope John Paul II.

Parque Tomás Surí Salcedo

was named in honor of the Minister of Finance, and built in 1921.

Bocas de Ceniza and the Magdalena RiverBuilt in 1893 by the Barranquilla Railway & Pier Company under the direction of Cuban engineer Francisco Javier Cisneros, the pier in the neighboring municipality of Puerto Colombia was once one of the longest in the world.

Barranquilla ZooBarranquilla Zoo is a wildlife sanctuary which houses colorful native animal species and other continents, with an emphasis on Colombian fauna and the protection of endangered species. It has over 500 animals of 140 species, from chickens to elephants or lions, to many different mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and primates.

Teatro Amira de la RosaHoused in a traditional strategic sector of the city at the confluence of the deep-rooted neighborhoods of El Prado, Montecristo and Abajo, this theatre, as well as venues such as the Coliseo Humberto Perea and Casa del Carnaval Colosseum has had an important role in cultural diffusion since 1982, with space for gatherings, presentations, meetings, concerts and exhibitions.

Caribbean Cultural ParkParque Cultural del Caribe is ambitious cultural complex, unique in its kind in the Caribbean Region and Colombia. Conceived in the framework of the restoration of the historic center of the city, it promotes the natural, cultural and historical aspects of the Colombian Caribbean.

Culture Throughout the year, the city has considerable cultural activity; its best known is the Carnival of Barranquilla, one of the most famous festivals in Colombia. In 2001 it was declared the "Cultural Patrimony of the Nation" by the National Congress of Colombia and in 2003 "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.

Language In Barranquilla, the people speak a variant of Español costeño (“Coastal Spanish”) with well-defined local variants and accents.

Folk music Cumbia is musical rhythm and dance most important and representative of the city, deeply rooted in the entire Caribbean region of Colombia

Gastronomy Barranquilla serves a wide variety of

cuisine to match its cosmopolitan population and tourists. Very

characteristic of the local cuisine is a pigeon pea stew with salted meat

(which even has its own annual festival), sausage , cheese, fried

arepas , caribañolas , pies , cupcakes , Patacón, black bean rice, chipichipi

and Cucayo ; noodles, drinks like raspao , boli , sugar water, tamarindo

, zapote and níspero , coconut candies and Easter candy, cake, fish, shrimp and oysters, beef, chicken, pork and chicken dishes and pork

rinds.

SportsSports in Barranquilla are promoted at the governmental level by the Ministry of Sports and Deportes de la Alcaldía Distrital. Since the early twentieth century, the most important sports have been football, baseball and boxing. Also practiced are basketball, athletics, swimming, chess , cycling, skating , bowling , tennis, golf, shooting, karate , taekwondo , paragliding , BMX , go-karts , motor sports , fishing, squash , surfing , weightlifting , softball and bowling .

Stadiums and venues The city has developed sports infrastructure, Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez opened on May 11, 1986, with capacity for 49,612 spectators. Estadio Romelio Martínez was built in 1935 for the National Olympic III, capacity for 20,000 people. Estadio Tomás Arrieta was built in 1946 for the V Central American and Caribbean Games, and ishome of Major League Baseball side Edgar Rentería.