Cartagena is a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. By the sea is the walled Old Town, founded in the 16th century, with squares, cobblestone streets and colourful colonial buildings. With a tropical climate, the city is also a popular beach destination. Reachable by boat are Isla de Barú, with white-sand beaches and palm trees, and the Islas del Rosario, known for their coral reefs. Cartagena faces the Caribbean Sea to the west. To the south is the Cartagena Bay, which has two entrances: Bocachica (Small Mouth) in the south, and Boca Grande (Big Mouth) in the north. The old colonial walled city and fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are located on a peninsula and the island of Gets Emani.
Historical, Cultural facts & Religion
Cartagena is a colonial city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The city was founded on the 1st June 1533, by Spanish Commander Pedro de Heredia, who took over an abandoned Amerindian Caribbean village known as Calamari and started building a settlement of his own. Visiting it means feeling the history of America’s first free town, which was founded by slaves who escaped Spanish yoke. The town is 60 kilometres away from ‘La Heroica’, and has unique characteristics like palenque tongue (a mix between Spanish and African languages).Religion – Cartagena. As with the rest of the country, Cartagena is predominantly Catholic. It’s a popular pilgrimage destination during the festival of Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of the Candelaria) between January 24 and February 2.
Brief City History
Cartagena has played a major part in Colombia’s history, protecting the country from a number of invasions, as well as battling pirates who desired the city’s treasure and riches. The city was founded on the 1st June 1533, by Spanish Commander Pedro de Heredia, who took over an abandoned Amerindian Caribbean village known as Calamari and started building a settlement of his own. The first Spanish settlers were sailors who had arrived from Cartagena, Spain to start a new life; they established the town as Cartagena de Indias in reference to its Spanish counterpart. At this time there were about 200 inhabitants and a church. In 1552 a fatal fire flattened all the wooden buildings, after which the governor ordered all the replacements to be made from stone. Treasures were discovered in the tombs of the Sinus Amerindian tribe, who buried their dead with all their riches, this led the city to prosper. The city was invaded many times due to its prosperity and reputation for great treasure. In 1563, the city was invaded by French Huguenot nobleman Jean-Francis Roberval, Sir Francis Drake (1586), Sir John Hawkins (1576), Robert Baal (1586), Jean-Bernard Desjeans and Jean Ducasse (1697). All wished to lay claim to the city’s riches for themselves and their homelands. At this time all the Spanish riches were transported through Cartagena, earning the city large sums to build mansions and the city attracted people from all over the country who were looking to make their fortune. At the end of the 16th century, the city identified its need for protection and started to build a wall and fortress surround. The Spanish poured huge amounts of money into the creation of the defences to protect their wealth. At this time the port was the largest in the Americas and held a lot of raw materials. In the 17th Century the King of Spain ordered the city of Cartagena to become a hub for the slave trade, adding further to the city’s riches. In 1741 the Queen of England ordered Edward Vernon to invade every Spanish port in the Caribbean and take the country for their own in order to gain control of the Americas. The Battle of Cartagena was a deadly one for both sides, ending in a Spanish victory. After this intense battle, the city fortified further, improved and rebuilt its defences to became the most protected port in South America. Cartagena played a significant role in Colombia gaining its independence, in 1811 it was the first city to declare independence from Spain. This failed attempt resulted in the city being taken back by the Spanish and captured by General Pablo Morillo. During the War of Independence, the city was once again the first to declare independence from Spain in 1821. The city recovered well and remained an important trade and shipping port.1948 brought on one of the country’s civil wars, this time between the Liberals and Conservatives in a war named ‘La Violence’, the city wasn’t directly involved due to its importance for the country’s imports and exports. It continued to prosper through the export of oil, platinum, coffee, sugar, tobacco and textiles. Today Cartagena has rapidly expanded and is now home to over 1 million inhabitants and is still the country’s largest port, specialising in petrochemicals. Despite all these changes, the ‘walled’ Old City remains unchanged, with colonial architecture and its historic buildings preserved.
Language (s) Written & Spoken
Colombia’s national language is Spanish. The country has a rich variety of local expressions and slangs words, but the Spanish spoken here remains mutually intelligible with that spoken in Europe and other parts of Latin America.
Important Types of Commerce in Cartagena
Textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds, shipbuilding, electronics industry, home appliances.
Language Services US and others will provide working with Cartagena
Spanish is the official language of Cartagena. For any industry to penetrate into Cartagena, it’s exceptionally important to use a professional translator when you want to translate Spanish. Many business sectors, including Automobile, Legal, Medical, Agriculture, Tech, Science, Government and so on utilize professional Spanish translation services to flawlessly translate their important documents. A professional Spanish translator with an expert understanding of the use of vocabulary and grammar is best equipped to handle the specific nuances of this unique language.
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