City South America
Cartagena
Cartagena is a port city in Colombia, by the Caribbean Sea. Its old town is surrounded by old walls.
Cartagena, or Cartagena de Indias, is a port on Colombia's Caribbean coast and the capital of the department of Bolívar. Its walled old town and forts have been a World Heritage Site since 1984. Colombia's 2018 census counted 876,885 people in the city.
Cartagena de Indias, capital of Bolívar, sits among low islands, rocky peninsulas, bays and lagoons on Colombia's Caribbean coast (Universalis); UNESCO calls its fortifications the most extensive in South America. Census 2018 (adjusted, municipal seat): 876,885.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Cartagena
Cartagena is a city in Colombia, right by the Caribbean Sea. Ships come to its port.
Its old town is surrounded by walls, and there are old forts nearby.
Cartagena, also called Cartagena de Indias, is a port on Colombia's Caribbean coast and the capital of the department of Bolívar, Universalis says. Its old walled town, port and forts were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1984.
Colombia's 2018 census counted 876,885 people in the city (the figure is adjusted for people the count missed). The official projection for 2023 is 931,500, the fifth-largest city in Colombia.
Universalis: a port on Colombia's Atlantic coast, on the Caribbean Sea, capital of the department of Bolívar. UNESCO: 'Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena', inscribed 1984, criteria (iv) and (vi), property 192.32 ha.
DANE via City Population (municipal seat of Cartagena de Indias; figures since 2005 adjusted for underenumeration): census 2005 835,127; census 2018 876,885; projection 30 June 2023 931,500 (rank 5 in Colombia, after Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla).
- Country
- Colombia (capital of the department of Bolívar)
- People in the city (census, 2018, adjusted)
- 876,885
- Newer projection (30 June 2023)
- 931,500
- World Heritage
- Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena, inscribed in 1984 (UNESCO)
Towers by the bay
This photo was taken from a hill. You can see many tall white buildings beside blue water, and lots of smaller buildings and trees in front.
This photo looks over Cartagena from the Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa, on a hill, on 26 January 2020. In front lie streets, rooftops and trees. Beyond them, a long line of tall white towers stands beside blue water, with the open sea behind. Tall cranes rise on the left.
Universalis describes Boca Grande as a district of hotels, fine gardens and beaches shaded by coconut palms.
Commons: 'View of Cartagena from Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa, Colombia', own work by Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 (also GFDL and older CC BY-SA versions), 26 January 2020; a Commons Quality Image; categories Skylines of Cartagena and Views from the Convento de Santa Cruz de la Popa.
Universalis: the hotels and fine gardens of the residential districts of Boca Grande, the beaches shaded by coconut palms. Wikidata: Cerro La Popa (Q23687424), a hill, 0.45 km SSW of the city point; Bocagrande (Q28459598), a subdivision of Cartagena, 3.68 km WSW.
- Photo
- Cartagena seen from La Popa, 26 January 2020, by Bernard Gagnon
- Cerro La Popa
- a hill in Cartagena, about 0.45 km from the city's Wikidata point (Wikidata)
- Boca Grande
- a district of hotels, fine gardens and beaches shaded by coconut palms (Universalis)
Walls and forts by the sea
Long ago, ships sailed from Cartagena across the sea to faraway lands. People built walls and forts to keep the old town and its port safe.
UNESCO says Cartagena was one of the most important ports of the Caribbean. Together with Havana and San Juan, it was an essential stop on the sea route of the West Indies.
The Spanish began its defenses in 1586 and made them stronger and bigger in the 18th century. UNESCO calls them the most extensive fortifications in South America. Inside the walls, Universalis says, palaces and churches from the 17th and 18th centuries still stand, and the hill fort of San Felipe looks over the city.
UNESCO: defensive fortifications were built by the Spanish in 1586 and strengthened and extended to their current dimensions in the 18th century, using the bay's many channels and passes; the first system included the town wall, the harbor of San Matías and the tower of San Felipe del Boquerón; later every natural pass was guarded by forts, and the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas stands on the rocky crag east of the city; engineers included Juan Bautista Antonelli, Juan de Herrera y Sotomayor and Antonio de Arévalo. With Havana and San Juan, Puerto Rico, an essential link in the route of the West Indies.
Universalis: its position in the southwest Caribbean gives easy control of the Isthmus of Panama, which is why the Spanish made Cartagena de Indias a fortified naval base and the center of the slave trade; the walled old town keeps 17th- and 18th-century palaces and churches and forts such as San Felipe.
- 1586
- the Spanish built the first defenses; they were made stronger and bigger in the 18th century (UNESCO)
- A key port
- with Havana and San Juan, an essential link on the route of the West Indies (UNESCO)
- Old town
- walls around 17th- and 18th-century palaces and churches, and forts such as San Felipe (Universalis)
A sheltered bay
Cartagena's port is on a big, calm bay. A row of islands keeps the big waves out, so ships can stay safe.
Universalis says Cartagena's port opens to the south onto a vast bay, sheltered from the open sea by a chain of islands. In the days of sailing ships, this gave them room to turn and a safe harbor.
Inside the city, UNESCO mentions a newer urban transportation system called Transcaribe.
Universalis: the port, set on low islands and rocky-backed peninsulas enclosing bays and lagoons, has access to the south to a vast bay well protected from the open sea by a chain of islands, which once gave sailing ships room to maneuver and a safe shelter. UNESCO: renovation and infrastructure projects include a new urban transportation system known as 'Transcaribe'; dredging in the Bocachica channel is a risk factor for the fortifications.
Wikidata: Cartagena Bay (Q1654083), point 6.54 km S of the city point.
- The bay
- a vast bay to the south, sheltered from the open sea by a chain of islands (Universalis)
- Cartagena Bay
- about 6.5 km south of the city's Wikidata point (Wikidata)
- Transcaribe
- a new urban transportation system (UNESCO)
Hot all year, with a rainy autumn
Cartagena is hot all year long. From January to March it hardly rains, and October is the rainiest month.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Cartagena for 1971 to 2000 show that it is hot all year. The average daily high stays between 30.5 °C and 31.6 °C in every month, and nights stay warm too.
From January to March almost no rain falls: 1 to 4 millimeters a month. The rain picks up in May, and October is the wettest month, with 235 millimeters. The twelve months add up to about 1,017 millimeters.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Cartagena (Colombian institute IDEAM; period 1971–2000 as given in the data): mean daily maximum 30.5 °C (Jan) to 31.6 °C (Jun, Jul); mean daily minimum 23.6 °C (Jan) to 25.7 °C (Jun). Precipitation: Jan 4, Feb 1, Mar 2, Apr 24, May 115, Jun 100, Jul 108, Aug 127, Sep 135, Oct 235, Nov 131, Dec 35 mm; sum of the months 1,017 mm. The monthly rain-day counts (whole numbers in the table) add up to 94.
- Average daily highs (WMO, Cartagena, 1971–2000)
- 30.5 °C (January) to 31.6 °C (June and July)
- Average daily lows (same table)
- 23.6 °C (January) to 25.7 °C (June)
- Wettest month
- October, 235 mm
Visitors, beaches and industry
Many visitors come to Cartagena to walk in the old town and to visit the beaches. Other people work in factories near the bay.
Inside the walls, UNESCO says, the old town has three neighborhoods: Centro, San Diego, where merchants and craftspeople lived, and Getsemaní. Its narrow streets are lined with old houses and other buildings.
Universalis says chemical industries, oil refineries and petrochemical plants stand at the far end of the bay. UNESCO notes that tourism is growing in this living city and that its uses are changing.
UNESCO: within the walls the historic center has three neighborhoods: Centro (the cathedral, many fine residences), San Diego or Santo Toribio (where middle-class merchants and craftsmen lived) and Getsemaní, the suburban quarter once home to artisans; changes related to development and increasing tourism have the potential to threaten the property's authenticity. Universalis: chemical industries, refineries and petrochemicals occupy the far end of the bay and make Cartagena an industrial center; the old colonial town is kept up for tourists, alongside the hotels and gardens of Boca Grande.
- Old town neighborhoods
- Centro, San Diego and Getsemaní (UNESCO)
- Industry
- chemical industries, refineries and petrochemicals at the far end of the bay (Universalis)
- Tourism
- a living city where tourism is growing (UNESCO)
Cartagena on the map
Find Colombia on the globe. Cartagena is on its north coast, by the Caribbean Sea.
Cartagena lies at about 10.4° north and 75.5° west, on Colombia's Caribbean coast, in the southwest of the Caribbean Sea.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, La Popa hill is about 0.45 kilometer south-southwest, the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas about 1.4 kilometers west, Bocagrande about 3.7 kilometers west-southwest and Cartagena Bay about 6.5 kilometers south.
Cartagena lies at about 10.42° N and 75.53° W (Wikidata point Q657461; the Natural Earth/sheet point is 2.63 km from it). From the Wikidata point: Cerro La Popa (Q23687424) 0.45 km SSW; Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (Q91110) 1.41 km W; Bocagrande (Q28459598) 3.68 km WSW; Cartagena Bay (Q1654083) 6.54 km S.
- Latitude
- about 10.4° north
- Longitude
- about 75.5° west
- Sea
- the Caribbean Sea, in its southwest (Universalis)
Amazing facts
-
Cartagena's old walls and forts are some of the biggest in all of South America!
UNESCO says Cartagena has the most extensive fortifications in South America.
UNESCO: Cartagena de Indias has the most extensive and one of the most complete systems of military fortifications in South America.
-
In February, Cartagena gets almost no rain at all.
In the World Meteorological Organization's averages, February brings Cartagena just 1 millimeter of rain, while October brings 235 millimeters.
WMO normals 1971–2000: February 1 mm, October 235 mm of precipitation.
-
A row of islands keeps Cartagena's bay calm and safe for ships.
Universalis says a chain of islands shelters Cartagena's big bay from the open sea, which once gave sailing ships a safe harbor.
Universalis: the vast bay to the south is well protected from the open sea by a chain of islands, which once gave sailing ships room to maneuver and a safe shelter.
Words to know
- port
- a town or place by the water where ships load and unload
- fort
- a strong building made to protect a place
- bay
- a part of the sea that curves into the land
- lagoon
- a shallow body of water partly cut off from the sea
- department
- in Colombia, one of the large areas the country is divided into
- census
- an official count of all the people in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Cartagena is by which sea?
Cartagena is a port on which sea?
Universalis places Cartagena on the southwest of which sea?
- The Caribbean Sea
- The Red Sea
- The Black Sea
Show the answer
The Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea!
The Caribbean Sea.
The Caribbean Sea.
-
Cartagena is a city in which country?
Cartagena is the capital of the department of Bolívar in which country?
Cartagena de Indias is the capital of Bolívar department in which country?
- Colombia
- Spain
- Chile
Show the answer
Colombia
Colombia!
Colombia.
Colombia.
-
In which year did Cartagena's old town become a World Heritage Site?
In which year did UNESCO add Cartagena's port, forts and monuments to the World Heritage List?
UNESCO inscribed the 'Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena' in which year?
- 1984
- 1586
- 2018
Show the answer
1984
1984!
1984.
1984.
-
What keeps Cartagena's bay calm?
According to Universalis, what shelters Cartagena's big bay from the open sea?
Universalis: the bay south of the port is protected from the open sea by what?
- A chain of islands
- A tall mountain range
- A desert
Show the answer
A chain of islands
A row of islands!
A chain of islands.
A chain of islands.
-
Which month is the rainiest in Cartagena?
In the World Meteorological Organization's averages, which month gets the most rain in Cartagena?
WMO normals for Cartagena (1971–2000): which month has the most precipitation, 235 mm?
- October
- February
- July
Show the answer
October
October!
October.
October (235 mm).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Cartagena on Colombia's Caribbean coast.
- Explain how islands and a sheltered bay can make a good harbor.
- Describe why old walls and forts can be protected as World Heritage.
- Read a climate table with a dry season and a rainy season.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why would a port city build walls and forts?
- What makes a bay a safe place for ships?
- How might lots of visitors change an old town?
Try at home or in class
- Harbor model: in a tray of water, line up stones as islands and make waves to see how a sheltered bay stays calm.
- Rain bars: make a bar chart of Cartagena's monthly rain and color the dry months.
- Time math: the first defenses were built in 1586 and the old town became World Heritage in 1984. How many years apart is that?
Key vocabulary: port, fort, bay, lagoon, department, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Cartagena, Colombie , Encyclopædia Universalis
- Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Colombia: Departments and Major Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from DANE (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística)
- Cartagena: climatological information (1971–2000) , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:View of Cartagena from Convento de Santa Cruz de la Popa 01.jpg (Bernard Gagnon, January 2020) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.