page_title: Guajira Peninsula
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Guajira Peninsula / Economy
caption_attribution_description: Español: Molinos de viento (modernos), en el desierto de la Guajira. This is a photo of a Colombian monument with location ID 44847
context_page_description: The Guajira Peninsula is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the northernmost peninsula in South America and has an area of 25,000 km² extending from the Manaure Bay to the Calabozo Ensenada in the Gulf of Venezuela, and from the Caribbean to the Serranía del Perijá mountains range.
  It was the subject of a historic dispute between Venezuela and Colombia in 1891, and on arbitration was awarded to the latter and joined to its Magdalena Department. Nowadays, most of the territory is part of Colombia, making it part of La Guajira Department. The remaining strip is part of the Venezuelan Zulia State. The northernmost part of the peninsula is called Punta Gallinas and is also considered the northernmost part of mainland South America.
context_section_description: The peninsula is inhabited mainly by members of the native tribe of the Wayuu, who use the plains to raise cattle, sheep, goats and horses. The descendants of Spanish colonists settled in the southeastern part of the peninsula (sometimes referred to as the Padilla Province). This has more fertile land, due to the proximity to other river basins, such as the Cesar river basin. It has been developed for large plantations of cotton and sorghum, and for cattle ranching.
  Since the 1980s the central area of the peninsula was subject to the exploration and exploitation of coal and natural gas in the area of Cerrejón and of oil in the littoral.  A popular ecotourism destination in the area is Cabo de la Vela, a headland and village on the peninsula on the Colombia side.
caption: Jepírachi wind farm in the Guajira Peninsula.
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