Barrancabermeja

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Barrancabermeja
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Oil Capital of Colombia
Location of the town and municipality of Barrancabermeja in the Santander Department
Government
• Mayor	Elkin David Bueno Altahona, Convergencia
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
Population
• Total	300,000
• Density	186/km2 (480/sq mi)

Barrancabermeja is a city and municipality in Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. It is located on the banks of the Magdalena River in the Middle Magdalena region, 110 km west of Bucaramanga. Founded in 1536, Barrancabermeja is home of the biggest petroleum refinery in Colombia, which is owned by the state company Ecopetrol. Petroleum farming and services comprise most of city's economic activity.

History

There is evidence of a small settlement in the area dating back to the 16th century, but the city was not incorporated until 1922, not long after the discovery of oil and the construction of the first extraction wells by the Tropical Oil Company (Standard Oil Company).^[1]

Legend says that the name Barrancabermeja comes from a description by the Spanish 16th century explorer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, who wrote that the area was characterized by "reddish ravines" or "reddish embankments," which is Spanish amounts to "unas barrancas bermejas" [See Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.]

The state-owned oil company Ecopetrol took over the refinery in 1951 [See Ecopetrol, Concesión de Mares] and since then, Barrancabermeja has grown into a city of 200,058 inhabitants, as of 2009.^[2]

The city has become a major industrial base for the country, providing most of Colombia's gasoline and petroleum products.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

To the north of Barrancabermeja lies Puerto Wilches; to the south, Puerto Parra and Simacota ; to the southeast, San Vicente de Chucurí and Girón; and to the west, Magdalena River. It is approximately 2 hours by car from Bucaramanga, the capital of Santander.^{[citation needed]} Placed in the riverbank, in earlier times a Ferry service would cross between Santander and Antioquia, on the opposite side, where further oil fields are found. A bridge now spans the river at this location.

The area is quite picturesque. However, the heat is oppressive and humid and mosquitoes thrive in the surrounding countryside. Due to the presence of oil the city sometimes has a characteristic smell.

Culture

Barrancabermeja's culture has been largely affected by the migratory movements caused by the oil boom. The city exhibits an amalgam of many regional customs from Colombia.^{[citation needed]} Due to its history as an oil town, the city is often visited by moneyed foreigners, often engineers and supervisory employees and technicians of oil companies. Thus Barrancabermeja has a reputation as an open and vibrant city and may be somewhat cosmopolitan.

Barrancabermeja's night life flourishes. Salsa and merengue dance clubs abound, and the port area is vibrant as bars compete for patrons. The drink of choice is Aguila, a Colombian beer whose yellow logo is painted on walls and billboards throughout the town.

Several local and national political organizations including unions, women's organizations, and human rights groups are active. Marches and demonstrations are quite common and the oil workers union is among the most important in the nation.

The city's culture presents a strong Caribbean influence that nevertheless is not exclusive of other cultural expressions from among the variety found in Colombia. The predominant music in the city is vallenato and other Caribbean rhythms including papayera.

The commercial area of the city is adjacent to the river port ("the port") where motor boats and canoes constantly arrive with fish and agricultural products from farmers along the river that include maize, cassava (or yuca in Spanish), plantain, and cacao.

In 1996 and 2000,^[3] Barrancabermeja hosted the Mundial de Patinaje, an international rollerblading competition.

Recent Conflict

Due to its strategic situation in the zone known as the "Magdalena Medio," as the production center of one of the main sources of wealth in the country, and as an important center for labor and employment, in the past Barrancabermeja was the scene of heated conflict between the various armed groups in Colombia's ongoing internal conflict. For a brief period the city was under the influence and control of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), an umbrella paramilitary group which demobilized in 2006. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest guerrilla group, has long since left the area. Because of the presence of the oil refinery, the city is also home to various gasoline cartels. Illegal tapping of the oil pipeline and sale of stolen gasoline is a common occurrence.

References/Works Cited

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Further reading

• "The Sixth Division" -Report on paramilitary-military ties in Colombia by Human Rights Watch
• "Barrancabermeja, La Otra Versión". Report on forced disappearance between 2000 and 2003. CREDHOS & Banco de Datos del CINEP.

External links

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• Vanguardia Liberal - the city's main newspaper
• Corporación Regional para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos - human rights organisation operating in Barrancabermeja and the surrounding Magdalena Medio region
• Organización Femenina Popular - the main women's rights and development organisations in the city
• Christian Peacemaker Teams - International violence reduction work.

v t e Municipalities in Santander Department Aguada Albania Aratoca Barbosa Barichara Barrancabermeja Betulia Bolívar Bucaramanga Cabrera California Capitanejo Carcasi Cepita Cerrito Charala Charta Chima Chipata Cimitarra Concepción Confines Contratación Coromoro Curiti El Carmen El Guacamayo El Peñón El Playón Encino Enciso Florián Floridablanca Galan Gambita Girón Guaca Guadalupe Guapota Guavata Guepsa Hato Jesus María Jordan La Belleza Landazuri La Paz Lebrija Los Santos Macaravita Málaga Matanza Mogotes Molagavita Ocamonte Oiba Onzaga Palmar Palmas Socorro Paramo Piedecuesta Pinchote Puente Nacional Puerto Parra Puerto Wilches Rionegro Sabana de Torres San Andrés San Benito San Gil San Joaquín San José de Suaita San José Miranda San Miguel San Vicente de Chucurí Santa Bárbara Santa Helena del Opón Simacota Socorro Sucre Surata Tona Valle San José Vélez Vetas Villanueva Zapatoca

Coordinates: 7°04′N 73°51′W / 7.067°N 73.85°W / 7.067; -73.85