Antioquia is one of the 32
DepartmentsColombia is an unitary republic conformed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected consecutively...
of
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. Most of its territory is mountainous with some
valleyIn geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s, much of which is part of the
AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
mountain range. Antioquia has been part of many territorial divisions of former countries created over the present day territory of Colombia, and prior to the
Colombian Constitution of 1886The Colombian Constitution of 1886 was the constitution of 1886 that created the Republic of Colombia. Before that, the country was called United States of Colombia. The coalition of moderate Liberals and Conservatives that ended the liberal hegemony and placed Rafael Nuñez in power, repealed the...
, Antioquia and the other states were sovereign governments in their own right.
The department covers an area of 63,612 km² (24,427 sq mi), and has a population of 5,819,358 (2006 estimate).
Antioquia is one of the 32
DepartmentsColombia is an unitary republic conformed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected consecutively...
of
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. Most of its territory is mountainous with some
valleyIn geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s, much of which is part of the
AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
mountain range. Antioquia has been part of many territorial divisions of former countries created over the present day territory of Colombia, and prior to the
Colombian Constitution of 1886The Colombian Constitution of 1886 was the constitution of 1886 that created the Republic of Colombia. Before that, the country was called United States of Colombia. The coalition of moderate Liberals and Conservatives that ended the liberal hegemony and placed Rafael Nuñez in power, repealed the...
, Antioquia and the other states were sovereign governments in their own right.
The department covers an area of 63,612 km² (24,427 sq mi), and has a population of 5,819,358 (2006 estimate). Antioquia borders with the
Córdoba DepartmentCórdoba is a Department of the Republic of Colombia located to the north of this country in the Colombian Caribbean Region. Córdoba faces to the north with the Caribbean sea, to the northeast with the Sucre Department, east with the Bolivar Department and south with the Antioquia Department...
and the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
to the north, Chocó to the west, to the east it borders the
departmentsColombia is an unitary republic conformed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected consecutively...
of Bolivar, Santander and
BoyacaBoyacá is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia".Boyacá is centrally located within Colombia, almost entirely within the mountains of the Eastern Cordillera to the border with Venezuela, although the western end...
, and to the south the
departmentsColombia is an unitary republic conformed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected consecutively...
of Caldas and Risaralda.
Antioquia has tourist visitors from all over the world.
MedellínMedellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.4 million...
is Antioquia's capital city, and the second largest city in the country. Other important towns are Santa Fe de Antioquia, the old capital located on the Cauca, and
Puerto BerríoPuerto Berrío is a municipality and town in the Colombian department of Antioquia.-Geography:Puerto Berrío is located in a region of Antioquia known as the Middle Magdalena...
on the Magdalena.
Geography
Antioquia is the
6th largest Department of Colombia. It is predominantly mountainous, crossed by the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Occidental of the
AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
. The Cordillera Central, further divides to form the Aburrá valley, in which the capital
MedellínMedellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.4 million...
is located. The Cordillera Central forms the plateaus of
Santa Rosa de OsosSanta Rosa de Osos is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Part of the subregion of Northern Antioquia. Colombian poet Porfirio Barba-Jacob was born in this town.-External links:* http://dsro.org...
and
RionegroRionegro is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the City is "Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro" but is named after the Negro River which is the most prominent geographical feature of the municipality...
.
Despite 80% of the department's territory being mountainous, Antioquia also has a coast on the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
, in the lowland area of the
UrabáUrabá or Uraba may refer to:* Gulf of Urabá a gulf in the Caribbean sea in Colombia* Urabá Region a subregion of Colombia* Urabá Antioquia a subregion of the Antioquia Department, Colombia* Urabá Chocoano a subregion of the Chocó Department, Colombia...
. This area has a tropical climate and is of high strategical importance due to its location.
The aboriginal peoples of Antioquia
Before Spanish colonization (a time referred to as the
prehispanic era), two large tribes, the
CaribCarib, Island Carib or Kalinago people, after whom the Caribbean Sea was named, live in the Lesser Antilles islands. They are an Amerindian people whose origins lie in the southern West Indies and the northern coast of South America....
s and the
MuiscaMuisca refers to a nation of the Chibchan Culture that formed the Muisca Confederation encountered by the Spanish in 1537, at the time of the conquest of what is now part of central Colombia. The Muisca comprised two confederations: the Hunza, whose sovereign was the Zaque, and the Bacatá, whose...
s, inhabited this part of modern day Colombia. There is still much uncertainty regarding the origin of these tribes–historical evidence suggests that both groups migrated from
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Antioquia was primarily populated by Caribs, although some scattered groups of Muiscas were present in the
DariénDarién is a province in eastern Panama. It is also the largest province in Panama. It is hot, humid, heavily forested, and sparsely populated....
region (in modern day
PanamaPanama, officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of both Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the...
), a coastal region in the far north of Antioquia. However, there are no historical records for these groups of Muiscas in Antioquia.
The Caribs present in Antioquia were further classified into smaller groups, called
families. Some of the most prominent indigenous families in the region include the Catías, Nutabes and Tahamíes, which all inhabited the central region of Antioquia.
An important group that inhabited southern Antioquia was the
QuimbayaQuimbaya is a Pre-Columbian term. It may mean:*The Quimbaya civilization of western Colombia*Quimbaya, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío in Colombia*Quimbaya, an extinct Choco language...
.
There were other groups, but the Quimbaya, Carib and Muisca tribes were the most prominent groupings that were found by the
conquistadorConquistador is the term widely used to refer to the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th through the 17th centuries following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s upon their arrival in Antioquia. The Quimbayas had little to do with the evolution of the department, because
Jorge RobledoJorge Robledo was a Spanish conquistador. He traveled in Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru.He founded the cities of Santa Ana de los Caballeros , Carthage, Valle del Cauca and Santa Fe de Antioquia...
, the main conquistador of Antioquia, quickly subjected the few Quimbaya that he found, and the rest disappeared quickly.
The history was centered then in the turbulent relationships of the Spaniards with the Caribs. Despite the number of Caribs and their well-known warring culture, they would end up dominated or exterminated by the Spaniards in the process of
conquest-History:* The Spanish Conquest of the Americas; see Spanish colonization of the Americas* Norman conquest of England* The Conquest , term for the British acquisition of Canada in the French and Indian War-Film and television:...
and colonization.
During these processes bloody confrontations were presented that caused the surviving natives to disperse, and even commit suicide, before they were subjected. Many of the survivors fled to the department of Chocó. Thus, in Antioquia, the natives disappeared almost completely. At present, the indigenous population of the department of Antioquia scarcely reaches 0.5% of the total population.
The Spaniards in Antioquia
The first Spaniard that came to Antioquia was
Rodrigo de BastidasRodrigo de Bastidas , was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who mapped the northern coast of South America and founded the city of Santa Marta.-Early life:...
who was in Darién in the year 1500. Ten years later,
Alonso de OjedaAlonso de Ojeda was a Spanish explorer born of noble parents in Cuenca. His name is sometimes spelled Alonzo and Oxeda....
founded San Sebastián de Urabá, 2 km from the present-day town of
NecoclíNecoclí is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. It was originally founded as a Spanish city called San Sebastián de Buena Vista. It was founded by Pedro de Heredia who died in 1555, but the city lives on....
, which would be destroyed later by the natives. However, the first Spanish incursion in Antioquia only took place in 1537, when an expedition commanded by Francisco César traveled the lands of Indian chief Dabeiba, arriving at the
Cauca RiverThe Cauca River is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. Born in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River just south of Santa Cruz de Mompox. It has a total length of 1350 km. from origin to mouth...
and taking an important treasure from the indigenous tombs. However, men of chief Nutibara harassed the Spaniards, forcing them to return to
UrabáUrabá or Uraba may refer to:* Gulf of Urabá a gulf in the Caribbean sea in Colombia* Urabá Region a subregion of Colombia* Urabá Antioquia a subregion of the Antioquia Department, Colombia* Urabá Chocoano a subregion of the Chocó Department, Colombia...
.
In 1541, Marshal Jorge Robledo left the now-gone Spanish establishment of Arma, a little below Aguadas in the south of Antioquia, for an expedition toward the north on the Cauca River.
Farther north, in 1541, Robledo would found Santa Fe de Antioquia. In 1813, Santa Fe de Antioquia was declared the capital of the County of Antioquia, and this lasted until 1826 when Medellin was made the capital.
Toponymy
The origin of the name "Antioquia" is not very clear. The most accepted explanation is that the name for the Turkish city of Antākiyyah (Antioquía) was used, as the region known as the Coffee Zone in Colombia, in which many towns and cities are named after cities in the middle east, has a very strong Judeo-Arabic influence, both demographically and culturally. Some maintain that it is an indigenous word that means "mountain of gold". Others say that it comes from the ancient city of
AntiochiaAntiochia or Antiocheia or Antiochea or Antiokheia may refer any of several Hellenistic cities in the Near East most of which were founded or rebuilt by Antiochus I:...
that in turn comes from the
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
"antioko" which means "pusher".
History of Antioquia from the 16th to the 21st centuries
Due to its geographical isolation (as it is located among mountains), Antioquia suffered supply problems. Its topography did not allow for much agriculture, so Antioquia became dependent upon trade, especially of gold and gin for the colonization of new land, although much of this trade was due to reformations passed after a visit from an inspector of the Spanish crown, Juan Antonio Mon y Velarde in 1785. The Antioquia became colonizers and traders, contributing to the Antioquian culture.
Regions and Municipalities
Antioquia is divided into 9 subregions
http://www.seduca.gov.co/portal/herramientas/antioquia/subregiones.htm to facilitate the Department's administration. These 9 regions contain a total of 126 municipalities. The 9 subregions with their municipalities are:
| Southwestern Antioquia Southwestern Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up of 24 municipalities.-Municipalities:* Amagá* Andes* Angelópolis* Betania* Betulia* Caicedo* Caramanta* Ciudad Bolívar* Concordia* Fredonia...
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Eastern Antioquia Eastern Antioquia is subregion of the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is conformed by 23 municipalities.-Geography:...
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Northeastern Antioquia Northeastern Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up by 10 municipalities.-Municipalities:* Amalfi* Anorí* Cisneros* Remedios* San Roque* Santo Domingo* Segovia* Vegachi* Yali* Yolombo...
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| Northern Antioquia Northern Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up by 17 municipalities.-Municipalities:* Angostura* Belmira* Briceño* Campamento* Carolina del Príncipe* Don Matías* Entrerríos* Gómez Plata* Guadalupe...
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Western Antioquia Western Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up by 18 municipalities.-Municipalities:* Abriaquí* Antioquia* Anza* Armenia* Buritica* Cañasgordas* Dabeiba* Ebejico* Frontino* Giraldo* Heliconia...
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Bajo Cauca Antioquia Bajo Cauca Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up by 6 municipalities. The region cover most of the lower valley of the Cauca River with the department of Antioquia.-Municipalities:* Cáceres* Caucasia...
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| Magdalena Medio Antioquia Magdalena Medio Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up by 6 municipalities. The region is determined by its location within the Middle Magdalena Region which covers the central area of the Magdalena River basin.-Municipalities:* Caracolí* Maceo*...
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Urabá Antioquia Urabá Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up by 24 municipalities. Most of this region northern portion is part of the Colombian Caribbean Region bordering the Caribbean sea.-Municipalities:* Apartadó...
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Medellín Metropolitan Area |
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Demography
The population of Antioquia is 5,819,358 (2005 estimate), of which more than half live in the metropolitan area of
MedellinMedellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.4 million...
. The racial composition is:
- Mestizos & White
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
(88.66%)
- Black
The term black people usually refers to a racial group of humans with skin colors that range from light brown to nearly black. It also has been used to categorize a number of diverse populations into a common group. Some definitions of the term include only people of relatively recent Sub Saharan...
or Afro-ColombianAfro Colombians refers to Colombians of Black African ancestry, and the great impact they have had on Colombian culture. Famous Afro-Colombians include Luis Gilberto Murillo.-History:...
(10.83%)
- Amerindian or Indigenous (0.51%)
- Gypsies (0.00%)
The local inhabitants of Antioquia are known as
antioqueños. Of the five main regional groups in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
, the predominant group in Antioquia are known as
paisa, referring to those living in the
Paisa regionThe Paisas are a people who inhabit a region over the northwest Colombia in the Andes.The region is formed by the departamentos of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. Some regions of Valle del Cauca and Tolima belong to the cultural identity of paisas...
, which covers most of Antioquia, as well as the departments of
CaldasCaldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It's part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km²...
,
RisaraldaRisaralda is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central region of the country and part of the Paisa Region. Its capital is Pereira.It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966...
and
QuindíoQuindío is a department of Colombia. It is in the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains. Its capital is Armenia. It is famous by the quality of the coffee plantations, colourful architecture, benign weather, plenty of options in hotel accommodations and touristic...
.
External links