Cartagena or Cartagena de Indias (Spanish pronunciation: [kartaˈxena ðe ˈindjas] "Cartagena of the Indies"), is a city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of the Bolívar Department. The port city had a population of 892,545 as of the 2005 census. It is the fifth-largest city in Colombia and the second largest in the region, after Barranquilla. The Cartagena urban area is also the fifth-largest urban area in the country. Economic activities include maritime and petrochemicals industry, as well as tourism.
The city was founded on June 1, 1533, and named after
Cartagena, Spain. However, settlement in this region around Cartagena Bay by various indigenous people dates back to 4000 BC. During the colonial period Cartagena served a key role in administration and expansion of the Spanish empire. It was a center of political and economic activity due to the presence of royalty and wealthy viceroys. In 1984 Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
(Wikipedia)
The city was the first Spanish colony on the American continent and one of the first sanctuaries of freed African slaves in the Americas. It is currently populated by an ethnic mix representative of Colombia's own variety.
Cartagena, located on Colombia's northern coast and facing the Caribbean Sea, is the most visited city in the country by tourists. It gets extremely crowded in the December holidays and the holy week, when schools are out and most Colombians take their vacations. The city has basically two main parts where tourists go: the walled colonial city ("ciudad amurallada"), which is truly amazing and has many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels; and a long strip of hotel towers and condos fronting onto the beach, known as Bocagrande. It is also nice to visit the exclusive neighborhood of Castillogrande, filled with recently built condos, places to jog, and a quiet beach to soak up some sun.
(Wikitravel)
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Cartagena is considered to be one of the safest cities in South America and is also the outlet for the renowned Colombian Emeralds (much to Nancy's delight). We toured the city and did a comprehensive walking tour of the old walled city.
The walls were metres thick to stop cannon ball penetration. You could almost picture swashbuckling pirates cavorting through the old streets
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| Even the pelicans are different |
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| A large and busy port |
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| Must be the national colours |
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| Old fortress |
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| Entrance to the walled city |
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| Street vendors in the walled city |
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| Market area |
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| Tourist market area |
