Barrancabermeja
Encyclopedia
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 of the biggest petroleum
refinery
in Colombia, which is owned by the state company Ecopetrol
. Petroleum farming and services comprise most of city's economic activity.
Legend says that the name Barrancabermeja comes from a description by the Spanish 16th century explorer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
, who wrote that the area was characterized by "reddish ravines" or "reddish embankments," which is Spanish amounts to "unas barrancas bermejas" [See Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.]
The state-owned oil company Ecopetrol
took over the refinery in 1951 [See Ecopetrol, Concesión de Mares] and since then, Barrancabermeja has grown into a city of 200,058 inhabitants, as of 2009.
The city has become a major industrial base for the country, providing most of Colombia's gasoline and petroleum products.
Placed in the riverbank, in earlier times a Ferry service would cross between Santander and Antioquia, on the opposite side, where further oil fields are found. A bridge now spans the river at this location.
The area is quite picturesque. However, the heat is oppressive and humid and mosquitoes thrive in the surrounding countryside. Due to the presence of oil the city sometimes has a characteristic smell.
Barrancabermeja's night life flourishes. Salsa
and merengue
dance clubs abound, and the port area is vibrant as bars compete for patrons. The drink of choice is Aguila, a Colombian beer
whose yellow logo is painted on walls and billboards
throughout the town.
Several local and national political organizations including unions, women's organizations, and human rights groups are active. Marches and demonstrations are quite common and the oil workers union is among the most important in the nation.
The city's culture presents a strong Caribbean influence that nevertheless is not exclusive of other cultural expressions from among the variety found in Colombia. The predominant music in the city is vallenato
and other Caribbean rhythms including papayera.
The commercial area of the city is adjacent to the river port ("the port") where motor boats and canoe
s constantly arrive with fish
and agricultural products from farmers along the river that include maize
, cassava
(or yuca in Spanish), plantain
, and cacao.
In 1996 and 2000, Barrancabermeja hosted the Mundial de Patinaje, an international rollerblading competition.
(AUC), an umbrella paramilitary group which demobilized in 2006. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC), the country's largest guerrilla
group, has long since left the area. Because of the presence of the oil refinery, the city is also home to various gasoline cartels. Illegal tapping of the oil pipeline and sale of stolen gasoline is a common occurrence.
Municipalities of Colombia
The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,119 municipalities...
in Santander Department
Santander Department
Santander is a department of Colombia. Santander inherited the name of one of the nine original states of the United States of Colombia. It is located in the central northern part of the country, east of the Magdalena River, bordered to the south and southeast by Boyacá, to the northeast by Norte...
, in northeastern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. It is located on the banks of the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
in the Middle Magdalena region, 110 km west of Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga is a Colombian city, and capital city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth largest city economy and sixth largest population in Colombia, with 1,212,656 people in its metropolitan area...
. Founded in 1536, Barrancabermeja is home of the biggest petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
refinery
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
in Colombia, which is owned by the state company Ecopetrol
Ecopetrol
Ecopetrol , formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos S.A. is the largest and primary petroleum company in Colombia. Because of its size, Ecopetrol is a Fortune Global 500 company ranked 445, it belongs to the group of the 25 largest petroleum companies in the world, and it is one of the...
. Petroleum farming and services comprise most of city's economic activity.
History
There is evidence of a small settlement in the area dating back to the 16th century, but the city was not incorporated until 1922, not long after the discovery of oil and the construction of the first extraction wells by the Tropical Oil Company (Standard Oil Company).Legend says that the name Barrancabermeja comes from a description by the Spanish 16th century explorer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in Colombia. He explored the northern part of South America. While successful in many of his exploits, acquiring massive amounts of gold and emeralds, he ended his career disastrously; and has been suggested as a possible model...
, who wrote that the area was characterized by "reddish ravines" or "reddish embankments," which is Spanish amounts to "unas barrancas bermejas" [See Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.]
The state-owned oil company Ecopetrol
Ecopetrol
Ecopetrol , formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos S.A. is the largest and primary petroleum company in Colombia. Because of its size, Ecopetrol is a Fortune Global 500 company ranked 445, it belongs to the group of the 25 largest petroleum companies in the world, and it is one of the...
took over the refinery in 1951 [See Ecopetrol, Concesión de Mares] and since then, Barrancabermeja has grown into a city of 200,058 inhabitants, as of 2009.
The city has become a major industrial base for the country, providing most of Colombia's gasoline and petroleum products.
Geography
To the north of Barrancabermeja lies Puerto Wilches; to the south, Puerto Parra and Simacota ; to the southeast, San Vicente de Chucurí and Girón; and to the west, Magdalena River. It is approximately 2 hours by car from Bucaramanga, the capital of Santander.Placed in the riverbank, in earlier times a Ferry service would cross between Santander and Antioquia, on the opposite side, where further oil fields are found. A bridge now spans the river at this location.
The area is quite picturesque. However, the heat is oppressive and humid and mosquitoes thrive in the surrounding countryside. Due to the presence of oil the city sometimes has a characteristic smell.
Culture
Barrancabermeja's culture has been largely affected by the migratory movements caused by the oil boom. The city exhibits an amalgam of many regional customs from Colombia. Due to its history as an oil town, the city is often visited by moneyed foreigners, often engineers and supervisory employees and technicians of oil companies. Thus Barrancabermeja has a reputation as an open and vibrant city and may be somewhat cosmopolitan.Barrancabermeja's night life flourishes. Salsa
Salsa (dance)
Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures.Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle...
and merengue
Merengue (dance)
Merengue El camino1ro de Secundaria-In popular culture:* Merengue was mentioned as a song performed between Babs and Charlie in the song by Steely Dan....
dance clubs abound, and the port area is vibrant as bars compete for patrons. The drink of choice is Aguila, a Colombian beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
whose yellow logo is painted on walls and billboards
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
throughout the town.
Several local and national political organizations including unions, women's organizations, and human rights groups are active. Marches and demonstrations are quite common and the oil workers union is among the most important in the nation.
The city's culture presents a strong Caribbean influence that nevertheless is not exclusive of other cultural expressions from among the variety found in Colombia. The predominant music in the city is vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
and other Caribbean rhythms including papayera.
The commercial area of the city is adjacent to the river port ("the port") where motor boats and canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s constantly arrive with fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and agricultural products from farmers along the river that include maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
(or yuca in Spanish), plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
, and cacao.
In 1996 and 2000, Barrancabermeja hosted the Mundial de Patinaje, an international rollerblading competition.
Recent Conflict
Due to its strategic situation in the zone known as the "Magdalena Medio," as the production center of one of the main sources of wealth in the country, and as an important center for labor and employment, in the past Barrancabermeja was the scene of heated conflict between the various armed groups in Colombia's ongoing internal conflict. For a brief period the city was under the influence and control of the United Self-Defense Forces of ColombiaUnited Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was created as an umbrella organization of regional far-right...
(AUC), an umbrella paramilitary group which demobilized in 2006. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC), the country's largest guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
group, has long since left the area. Because of the presence of the oil refinery, the city is also home to various gasoline cartels. Illegal tapping of the oil pipeline and sale of stolen gasoline is a common occurrence.
Further reading
- "The Sixth Division" -Report on paramilitary-military ties in Colombia by Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
- "Barrancabermeja, La Otra Versión". Report on forced disappearance between 2000 and 2003. CREDHOS & Banco de Datos del CINEP.
External links
- Vanguardia Liberal - the city's main newspaper
- Corporación Regional para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos - human rights organisation operating in Barrancabermeja and the surrounding Magdalena Medio region
- Organización Femenina Popular - the main women's rights and development organisations in the city
- Christian Peacemaker Teams - International violence reduction work.