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Santa Marta

 
Dictionary: San·ta Mar·ta   (săn'tə mär'tə, sän'tä mär'tä) pronunciation
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A city of northern Colombia on the Caribbean Sea east-northeast of Barranquilla. Founded in 1525, it is the oldest city in the country and an important processing and shipping center. Population: 407,000.

 

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Columbia Encyclopedia: Santa Marta
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Santa Marta (sän'tä mär'tä), city (1993 pop. 270,253), capital of Magdalena dept., N Colombia, a port on the Caribbean Sea. The city's banana industry, operated by the United Fruit Company, is one of the most important in South America. Santa Marta also has fine beaches and is a tourist center. Founded by the Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1525, it was often sacked by corsairs in the 16th cent. During colonial times the city was important as an outlet for the Magdalena River valley. It remained royalist during the revolution and was liberated in 1821. Simón Bolívar died on an estate nearby.

Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Santa Marta, Colombia
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The country code is: 57
The city code is: 5

Wikipedia: Santa Marta
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Santa Marta
El Rodadero Beach

Flag
Nickname(s): America's Pearl (La Perla de America)
Location in the Department of Magdalena.
Municipality (dark gray)
City (red)
Santa Marta is located in Colombia
Santa Marta
Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 11°14′31″N 74°12′19″W / 11.24194°N 74.20528°W / 11.24194; -74.20528
Country  Colombia
Region Caribbean Region
Department Magdalena
Foundation July 29, 1525
Founder Rodrigo de Bastidas
Named for Martha
Government
 - Mayor Juan Pablo Diazgranados Pinedo (Liberal)
Area
 - City 2,393.35 km2 (924.07 sq mi)
 - Urban 55.10 km2 (21.27 sq mi)
Elevation 6 m (19.68 ft)
Highest elevation At Pico Cristóbal Colón 5,775 m (18,946.85 ft)
Population (2005)[1]
 - City 415,270
 - Density 173.5/km2 (449.3/sq mi)
 - Urban 385,122
 - Urban Density 6,989.5/km2 (18,106.3/sq mi)
  DANE
Time zone Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)
Twin Cities
 - Miami Beach United States
Website http://www.santamarta.gov.co/
This article is about the Colombian city. For other uses, see Santa Marta (disambiguation).

Santa Marta is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, capital of the Magdalena Department. The city is an important maritime port and hub for tourism, history and culture. It was founded on July 29, 1525 by Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, who named the city after the Catholic day for Saint Martha, which in Spain was celebrated with festivities. However many historians argue that he named it after the Spanish city of Santa Marta de Astorgas, which he had also visited. It was one of the first cities to be founded in Colombia. The first one was Santa María la Antigua del Darién.

El Libertador Simón Bolívar died at a ranch named Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino on the outskirts of Santa Marta on December 17, 1830. The city has been affected to some extent by the Colombian Armed Conflict.

Contents

History

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta.

Prior to the Arrival of Spanish explorers, the area where Santa Marta lies was inhabited by Amerindians from the Tairona culture, and its subsequent families: Arhuacos and Koguis, among others.

The city was founded in July 29, 1525 by Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, accompanied by some two hundred of his men and a few Amerindians. He named the city after the Catholic day for Saint Martha, which in Spain was celebrated with festivities. However, many historians argue that he named it after the Spanish city of Santa Marta de Astorgas, which he had visited.[2] With its foundation, the Spanish colonization also started the conquering of lands from this region, and the set up of administrative functions for the colony, including a maritime port and the construction of defenses to prevent pirate raids.

During the Colonial times the city started losing its importance as maritime port to nearby city port of Cartagena.

During the mid-19th century, French, English and North American immigrants along with some locals started to introduce industrial ways of productions and founded trade associations among industrials and the farmers. As a result they built railways which would connect productive networks.

In 1871, the University of Magdalena was founded, initially with two faculties: law and medicine.

During the 20th century the city served as a main port for massive exports of bananas and coal, produced inland with the assistance of major multinational corporations.

In 1968 the government decentralized the Port Authority, leaving Santa Marta with its own Port Authority (Capitania de Puerto).[3]

In recent years, Santa Marta has attracted large numbers of people displaced by the paramilitary groups operating in the area. The warm climate and the possibility of occasional work serving the tourist industry has increased the city's population drastically.

Geography and climate

Climate

Global positioning of Santa Marta.

Temperatures in the city of Santa Marta ranges from 18.65 to 31.15 degrees Celsius at sea level, but the Municipality of Santa Marta stretches up to the highest snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Rainfall in this region varies from 12 to 975 mm per month.

Economy

Tourism

Las Fiestas del Mar (The Festival of the Sea) is celebrated on a yearly basis in this city. It serves as a tourist attraction during the midyear vacation period. One of the main events in the festival is the jetski show organized by Santa Marta Esqui. There are beauty pageants, parades and parties in the city. The Festival's slogan is "Santa Marta, la magia de tenerlo todo", which translates as "Santa Marta, the magic of having it all."

  • Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino: Built in the 17th century, was the last home of Simon Bolivar, today it is a house/museum in his honor.
Port of Santa Marta one of Colombia's most important maritime ports.
  • The Cathedral: it is a national monument built in 1766, it held the remains of Simon Bolivar until 1842.
  • La Casa de la Aduana (Customs House): it is the oldest house of America, built in 1530. Today it is the Tayrona Museum.
  • Madame Agustine House: it is a jewel of colonial architecture.
  • San Fernando Fort: built by Spanish conquerors to protect the city from the pirates, it is a fine sample of colonial military architecture.
  • Tayrona National Natural Park: located 34 km north of Santa Marta, it is the most important ecological reserve in Colombia. It has camping zones, virgin beaches, ecotourism, and indigenous tribes.
  • Quebrada Valencia: a majestic waterfall emerging in the middle of the rain forest.
  • Pueblito: also known as Cahirama, it is one of the 200 pre-Columbian cities discovered near Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
  • Taganga: an authentic fishing town, it is known as a great place for scuba diving, and it has beautiful beaches nearby.
  • The Mamancana Natural Reserve: This natural reserve offers the possibility to see wildlife and practice extreme sports such as paragliding, downhill, rock climbing, and canopying.

Sister Cities

Santa Marta has one sister city:[4]

Sports

The town has a football (soccer) team, Unión Magdalena nicknamed El ciclón bananero (The Banana Cyclone).

Santa Marta is the birthplace of Carlos Valderrama, Colombia's most famous football (soccer) player, Carlos Vives, as well as Johan Vonlanthen, a Swiss international.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ (in Spanish) (PDF) Censo General 2005, Bogotá: DANE, 2005, p. 486, ISBN 978-958-624-072-7, http://www.dane.gov.co/censo/files/libroCenso2005nacional.pdf, retrieved June 1, 2009 
  2. ^ Santa Marta: City government santamarta.gov.co Accessed 29 September 2006.
  3. ^ DIMAR: Port Authority of Santa Marta dimar.mil.co Accessed 29 September 2006.
  4. ^ Miami Beach Sister Cities Program

References

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Santa Marta

External links

v • d • e
Municipalities in the Magdalena Department
Flag of Magdalena

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
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