Puerto Colombia is a coastal town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

Atlántico Department Atlántico (, en, Atlantic) is a department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean Sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its west and south separated by the Canal del Dique, and the Magdalena Department to its e ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

founded in the mid 1800s. Famous for its " Pier of Puerto Colombia", that at one time was the largest Pier in the world. Duties were later transferred to the larger and modern

Port of Barranquilla A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

Bocas de Cenizas Bocas de Ceniza (Spanish for: ''Ash Mouths'') is the mouth of the Magdalena River in the Caribbean Sea. It owes its name to the dusky color ocean waters take to receive the river. At present, the river flows into the sea through an artificial ca ...

, the mouth of the Magdalena River in the

Caribbean sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexic ...

. The town enjoyed a glorious post-colonial period as the main port on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where most European immigrants entered the country. In the second half of the 20th century, Puerto Colombia faced a rapid decline, eclipsed by

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Co ...

, the capital of Atlántico. Thanks to recent free trade agreements with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, the United States of America and many European countries, the municipality has been included in Barranquilla's metropolitan area and its port has undergone large-scale redevelopment. The focus of important public-private partnerships, Puerto Colombia is expected to regain its prominent role as the main sea port of Colombia within a decade. Carlos Altahona, Puerto Colombia's Past Mayor, was recognized in December 2012 as the best municipal leader in Colombia for his efforts to eradicate

extreme poverty Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...

References

External links

Alcaldia de Puerto Colombia - official website

Government of Colombia website
{{Coord, 11, 01, N, 74, 53, W, region:CO_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Municipalities of Atlántico Department