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Barranquilla is the capital of Atlántico on Colombia's Caribbean coast, the country's fourth-largest city with about 1.2 million people, famous for the Barranquilla Carnival, one of the biggest festivals in Latin America and recognised by UNESCO. It sits on the west bank of the Magdalena River, a few kilometres from where Colombia's great river meets the sea.
Called the Golden Gate of Colombia, the city grew as the country's main port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and new ideas, immigrants and even commercial aviation arrived here first. Today the Gran Malecón riverside park, the striking Ventana al Mundo and Ventana de Campeones monuments, the modernist cathedral and the Plaza de la Paz show off its confident, modern side.
Barranquilla is warm all year, with music everywhere, from cumbia to champeta. Football fans pack the Estadio Metropolitano, and short trips lead to Bocas de Ceniza at the river mouth and the Mallorquín wetlands by the sea.
The Gran Malecón in Barranquilla is a riverside park running for several kilometres along the west bank of the Magdalena River, beside the Avenida del Río. Its paths, viewpoints, green spaces and places to eat make it the city's favourite spot for an evening walk in the breeze.
Ventana al Mundo is a tall glass and steel monument in Barranquilla, designed by local architect Diana Escorcia and built in late 2018 for the Central American and Caribbean Games hosted by the city. It stands on a roundabout of the Avenida Circunvalar near its junction with the Vía 40.
Ventana de Campeones is a 33-metre glass monument in Barranquilla at the southern end of the Gran Malecón, near the lifting bridge on the Avenida del Río. Unveiled on 13 October 2021, it honours the champions of Junior, the city's football club, with more than 1,400 square metres of glass.
Plaza de la Paz in central Barranquilla was built in 1986 to welcome Pope John Paul II on his visit to the city and lies between the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Banco de la República. Enlarged in 2019, it is now the city's main public square and a gathering place for big events.
Barranquilla Metropolitan Cathedral, dedicated to Mary Queen and Help of Christians, stands on the west side of Plaza de la Paz. Its bold modernist building, first designed by Italian architect Angiolo Mazzoni, took 27 years to build and rises 38 metres at its highest point, over a bell-shaped plan.
The Iglesia de San Nicolás de Tolentino in central Barranquilla is dedicated to the city's patron saint and faces Plaza de San Nicolás beside the Paseo de Bolívar. Begun in the 17th century and finished around 1900 in an eclectic style, it served as the pro-cathedral from 1932 to 1982.
Barranquilla Zoo, opened in 1953 in the La Concepción district, is a compact city zoo run by a botanical and zoological foundation. It focuses on native Colombian wildlife, including the vulnerable spectacled bear, and many of its animals arrived after being rescued from illegal trade.
The Antigua Aduana de Barranquilla is the city's handsome old customs building, opened in 1921 when Barranquilla was Colombia's busiest port. Restored as a cultural complex with archives and a library, it stands beside a plaza that displays an old railway locomotive.
The Barranquilla Carnival fills the city each February or early March in the four days before Ash Wednesday, with parades such as the Battle of Flowers, music and costumed dancers. UNESCO proclaimed it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003.
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in southwest Barranquilla opened on 11 May 1986 and holds more than 46,000 spectators. Known as El Metro, it is home to Junior de Barranquilla and the usual home of Colombia's national team in World Cup qualifiers, with a famously loud crowd.
Bocas de Ceniza is the mouth of the Magdalena River just north of Barranquilla, where the river's grey waters flow into the Caribbean through a channel built in the 1930s. Named for that ash colour, it was first reached by Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1501.
The Ciénaga de Mallorquín Ecopark in Barranquilla opened in 2023 to restore the coastal lagoon near the mouth of the Magdalena River. Ecological trails, cycle paths, mangrove boardwalks and viewpoints raised on stilts let visitors watch birds and enjoy water sports by the sea.
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