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Barrancabermeja
Barrancabermeja
	; Flag
	; Flag
	Nickname(s): Oil Capital of Colombia
	Location of the town and municipality of Barrancabermeja in the Santander Department
	Government
- Mayor	Carlos Contreras, Alianza Social Indígena
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
	Population
- Total	208,501
- Density	186/km2 (481.7/sq mi)

Barrancabermeja is a city and municipality in Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. It is located on the banks of the Magdalena River in the Middle Magdalena region, 110 km west of Bucaramanga. Founded in 1536, Barrancabermeja is home for the biggest petroleum refinery in Colombia, which is owned by the state company Ecopetrol. Petroleum and farming comprise most of city's economic activity.

[edit] History

Although there is evidence of a small settlement in the area dating back to the 16th century, the city was not incorporated until 1922, not long after the discovery of oil and the foundation of the first extraction wells by the Tropical Oil Company (Standard Oil Company) [1]. The name Barrancabermeja comes from the explorer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quezada, who wrote that the area of the river near the present-day city was characterized by some "reddish ravines", "unas Barrancas Bermejas"[2]. The state-owned oil company Ecopetrol took over the refinery in 1951 [3], and since then, Barrancabermeja has grown into a city of 214,192 inhabitants (as of 2005 [4]). The city has become a major industrial base for the country, providing most of Colombia's gasoline and petroleum products.

[edit] Geography

To the north of Barrancabermeja lies Puerto Wilches; to the south, Puerto Parra, Simacota and San Vicente de Chucurí; to the east, San Vicente de Chucurí and Girón; and to the west, Magdalena River. It is approximately 2 hours by car from the capital of Santander, Bucaramanga.

[edit] Culture

Barrancabermeja's culture has been largely affected by the migratory movements caused by the oil boom. The city exhibits an amalgam of many South American customs.

The predominant music in the city is vallenato and Caribbean rhythms such as salsa and merengue. Porro, fandango, and puya rhythms from the Atlantic Coast and "papayeras" bands are also prominent.

The commercial area of the city is adjacent to the river ports, where motor canoes constantly arrive with fish and agricultural products from farmers along the river, including maize, cassava (or yuca in Spanish), plantain, and cacao.

[edit] References/Works Cited

1. Gibb, George and Evelyn Knowlton, The History of Standard Oil Company (New Jersey): The Resurgent Years, 1911-1927 (New York: Harper, 1956): 39-370.

2. City of Barrancabermeja official website.

3. Ecopetrol website

4. Population statistics from Mongabay.com