Caribbean region of Colombia

TheCaribbean region of ColombiaorColombian Caribbeanis in the north ofColombiaand is mainly composed of 8departmentslocated contiguous to the Caribbean.It's the second most populated region in the country afterAndean Regionwith approximately 11 million residents according to the Colombian Census 2018.The area covers a total land area of 110,000 km(42,000 sq mi), including theArchipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalinain theCaribbean Sea.
The Caribbean region coast extends from theGulf of Urabáto theGulf of Venezuela. Straddling the coast are Colombia's two main Atlantic port cities ofBarranquillaandCartagena.The administration of the region is covered by eightdepartmentgovernments:Atlántico,Bolívar,Cesar,Sucre,Córdoba,Magdalena,La GuajiraandSan Andrés and Providencia. These eight departments also cover approximately 182municipalitiesaccording to the 2018 Census byDANE Colombia.Most of its inhabitants speak a dialect ofCaribbean Spanishwith variations within its subregions.
Eight departments form the Caribbean region:
Partial territory pertaining to:
It is considered the only tri-racial region, giving it the status of the most diverse and mixed region in the country, as the predominant ethnic group in the region is thePardo, a mixture ofEuropean, mainlySpanish, theindigenous peoplesandAfro-Colombianunlike the other regions, where predominantlyWhite,CastizoandMestizoofColombiasuch asAndean RegionandOrinoquia Regionand black as is the case of thePacific Region. During the 19th and 20th century, a wave of immigrants came fromEuropeand theMiddle East, mostly fromLebanon,Italy,Spain,Germany,France,Ireland,Syria,Palestine. A second wave followed during World War II from other parts of Europe such asLithuania,Russia,Ukraine,Poland,Austria,Hungary,the Netherlands,Romania,Belgium,Armenia,CroatiaandJewsfrom other countries affected by the war. There were also important settlements ofBritish,White Americans, andCanadianswho founded dozens schools such asMarymount International School Barranquilla,Colegio Karl C. Parrish,Colegio Jorge Washington,Colegio Albania, Colegio Británico deCartagena, Colegio Británico deMonteria, Altamira International School, British International School Barranquilla, Boston International School Barranquilla, American School Barranquilla, Bureche School ofSanta Marta, and Cartagena International School among many others across the region. Most of the immigrants settled in the main urban centers or trade port towns such as inBarranquilla,Santa Marta,Cartagena,Monteria,Sincelejo,Mompós,Santa Cruz de Lorica,El Banco, etc. The two most populous indigenous ethnic groups are thewayuuin theGuajira Peninsulaand theArhuacosandKoguis. Black population is mostly concentrated near Cartagena predominantly in the town ofSan Basilio de Palenque, which was proclaimedMasterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of HumanitybyUNESCOfor preserving its African heritage.
The economy of the Caribbean region is based mainly in the exploitation of natural resources such as coal and natural gas, salt, agricultural products mainly bananas,coffeeandoil palm,cotton, tropical fruits among many other products, livestock raising which is practiced extensively in almost all the territory, in Córdoba, Sucre, Atlántico, Magdalena, Bolívar, Cesar and southern La Guajira. There is also a service industry and a local import-export industry, mainly in the ports of Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Santa Marta. Another major part of the economy is tourism, which concentrates also in Cartagena and Santa Marta along with San Andres and Providencia Islands.
Like in the rest of Colombia,footballis by far the most popular sport in the zone, with teams likeJunior Barranquilla,Jaguares de Córdoba,Real CartagenaandUnión Magdalenacompeting in thefirstandseconddivisions of the country. The Caribbean region has been the home of successful football players, many of them world famous likeCarlos Valderrama,Radamel FalcaoandCarlos Bacca.
Unlike in rest of the country, but shared withVenezuela,baseballis an important sport in the region, although its popularity has been fading in the last few years. Nevertheless, the region has produced major league players likeÉdgar RenteríaandOrlando Cabrera.
The region also is known for its love of combat sports.Boxingis a popular sport in certain zones and the region had produced many world champions, such asAntonio Cervantes,Rodrigo Valdéz, andMiguel "Happy" Lora.
The most popular local rhythms are thecumbiaandvallenatohowever, there is a great musical influence from the rest of the Caribbean nations withSalsa,merengue, more recentlyreggaetonand manyAfro-Caribbeanrhythms. This influence also developed theChampetawhich has similarities with reggaeton. Other genres includeporro.
Traditional dances are mostly ofAfro-Colombianorigin with the influence incumbiaand themapalé.
The Caribbean region has a rich tradition of myths and legends that includeLa Llorona,El Hombre Caimán,La Ciguapa, theVallenato Legend,La Madre Monte,El Simborcito,la Mojana Legend,El Lucio, etc.[1]
The most popular and known celebration in the Caribbean region is theCarnival of Barranquillacelebrated every year in February or March. TheMiss Colombia Pageanti, Colombia|Cartagena]], theVallenato Legend FestivalinValledupar,Feast of the SeainSanta Martaand theCorralejas FestivitiesinSincelejo.
The typical food of the Caribbean region  varies according  to the geographical location in the sabanas the typical meal is thesancochomade with  rabo (cow's tail) and accompanied withcoconut rice. In the coast, the typical meal is fish, sometimes fried or sometimes cooked in coconut milk. A popular soup is also prepared with the head of the tarpon,yuca,plantain,coconut milk,lime, andsalt. Thearepais also a popular dish with numerous variations likearepa limpia(plain arepa),arepa e' queso(arepa with cheese) andarepa e'huevo(arepa with egg).Cazuela de mariscos, a seafood stew, is also a typical dish found in the region.