The Port of Cartagena lies on the northern shores of Cartagena Bay on the northern Caribbean shores of Colombia in South America. The Port of Cartagena is some 640 kilometers northwest of the country's capital, Bogota, and about 106 nautical miles southwest of the Port of Santa Maria. It is also about 950 kilometers west of the Port of La Guaria in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2007, over 871 thousand people lived in the Port of Cartagena municipality, and over one million people called the urban area home.

In 1984, the Port of Cartagena, its fortresses, and some monuments were recognized by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. The Port of Cartagena has the biggest remaining fortifications in South America, making it a popular tourist destination. Despite armed conflicts in the country, the Port of Cartagena has enjoyed economic growth in the past decades.

The Port of Cartagena is home to sugar and tobacco processors and to manufactures of cosmetics, fertilizer, textiles, and leather goods. The Port of Cartagena exports petroleum, manufactured goods, coffee, and coal. The Port of Cartagena is home to many new high-rise buildings, but the strong winds prevent the construction of skyscrapers. The Port of Cartagena has also become a center for medical services as an alternative to the high medical costs in other developed nations. People come to the Port of Cartagena for plastic surgery, bariatric weight loss operations, and dental treatments.

The area surrounding the Port of Cartagena has a long and interesting history. The mild climate and abundant hunting created a comfortable environment for centuries of human occupation.

The Puerto Hormiga Culture lived in the Port of Cartagena area during the Pre-Columbian Era as early as 7000 BC. The oldest ceramics discovered in the Americas, dating from 4000 BC, were discovered here. Archeological evidence from about 3000 BC points to the affluence of the Puerto Hormiga culture and the rise of a more developed people, the Monsu, who had a more mixed economy that relied more on the river and ocean. Artificial mounds from 3200 to 1000 BC show that today's Port of Cartagena was a center for organized societies.

Cartagena de Indias was founded in 1533 by Don Pedro de Heredia. It was soon famous for the large fleets that stopped there every year to load gold for transport to Spain. The Port of Cartagena was a major port for Europeans moving to the New World with their worldly goods. From the beginning of the Conquest until the Colombian War of Independence, the Port of Cartagena was the main port for Spain's New Kingdom of Granada. By the end of the 16th Century, about 90 Spanish galleons were using the Port of Cartagena.

Its fame as a gold port led to plunder, pirates, and thieves and the construction of castles, forts, and walls to protect the city. But the Port of Cartagena was still attacked by pirates - French Roberto Baal and Jean du Casse and English Francis Drake and John Hawkins among them.

To defend against these attacks, Spain began to construct fortifications in the 17th Century that took over 200 years to complete. They left almost 7 miles of walls around the city, the San Felipe de Barajas Castle, the San Sebastian de Pastelillo Fort, the San Angel battery, buildings to store food and weapons, and underground tunnels.

The Port of Cartagena was not only a port for trade of precious metals but also for slaves. Slaves were worked to cut cane and build roads, plunder tombs of the original populations, build fortresses, and work mines.

For over 250 years, the Port of Cartagena belonged to the Spanish Crown. In 1811, the province declared its independence, and fighting with Spain continued for many years. The city was finally taken from Spain in 1821.

As shipping changed through the 19th Century, with new steam engines and steel ships appearing on the seas, it became necessary to change the Port of Cartagena. In 1894, the Port of Cartagena dredged the Canal del Dique and added a river wharf, a shipping dock, and a rail line that connected Cartagena Bay with the Magdalena River.

The 20th Century brought renewed growth to the Port of Cartagena. In 1917, petroleum fields were opened in the Magdalena River valley, and a pipeline to Barrancabermeja and new oil refinery was completed in 1926.

In 1934, a new modern marine terminal opened on the island of Manga in the Port of Cartagena. The terminal was operated by the American Frederick Snare Corporation until 1947, when Colombia's Ministry of Public Works took it over. In 1961, the Ports of Colombia (COLPUERTOS), a state agency, took over management of Colombia's ports.

In 1991, Colombia created the Superintendent of Ports and began to privatize the countries seaports. The terminal in the Port of Cartagena came under the management of the Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena (SPRC) in 1993 under a 40-year concession.

In 2005, SPRC purchased the Container Terminal of Cartagena (Contec). Since the SPRC began operating, they have increased the Port of Cartagena's capacity to handle containers, streamlined procedures, established tight security measures, and promoted the Port of Cartagena as an attractive destination for Caribbean cruise lines.

Today, the Port of Cartagena is Colombia's main oil port and a major export point for coffee and platinum. It is also a center for the manufacture of tobacco products, sugar, textiles, cosmetics, fertilizer, and leather products. Tourism is a growing sector of the local economy.

The Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena SA (SPRC) (Spanish) is the port authority for the Port of Cartagena. The SPRC is tasked with providing port logistics services and creating competitive advantages for the port's customers and for international trade.

Cartagena Bay covers about 82 square kilometers of water surface and has an average depth of 13.1 meters. The Port of Cartagena's calm waters allow safe year-round navigation. The Port of Cartagena is accessed through a natural channel (Bocachica) and through the Canal del Dique, which is connected to Colombia's most important river, the Magdalena, giving it ready access to the country's interior. To increase its international competitive position, the government of Colombia has widened the access channel to the Port of Cartagena.

The SPRC has provided the infrastructure and facilities in the Port of Cartagena to serve container vessels carrying up to 5500 TEUs of cargo. With trade relationships with over 432 ports in 114 countries around the world, the Port of Cartagena handled almost 7 million tons of cargo and 711.5 thousand TEUs of containerized cargo in 2006. The Port of Cartagena is equipped with modern information systems, ample cargo-handling equipment, and advanced security measures that meet today's demands and that will meet the demands of the future. Most of the country's foreign trade moves by sea, and the Port of Cartagena handles most of that trade.

In 2008, 1525 vessels called at the Port of Cartagena, including 702 container vessels, 210 cargo vessels, and 118 passenger vessels. The Port of Cartagena handled over nine million tons of cargo in 2008, including 5.4 million tons of foreign cargoes and 3.7 million tons of domestic cargoes. Containers accounted for almost all of cargo handled in the Port of Cartagena in 2008.

The Port of Cartagena contains eight wharves that operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can accommodate post-Panamax vessels. Wharf 1 is 200 meters long with alongside depth of 6.1 meters. With alongside depth of 11 meters, Wharf 2 is 202 meters long, and Wharf 3 is 182 meters long. Wharf 4 is 130 meters long with alongside depth of 8.8 meters. With alongside depth of 11.9 meters, Wharf 5 is 202 meters long, and Wharf 6 is 200 meters long. Wharf 7 is 270 meters long with alongside depth of 13.4 meters, and Wharf 8 is 268 meters long with alongside depth of 13.7 meters.

The Port of Cartagena contains a total of 28.7 thousand square meters of cargo-handling and –storage space. Warehouse No. 1, dedicated to imports, covers over 8.2 thousand square meters with an additional area of three thousand square meters. The Container Freight Station has capacity for 2.6 thousand TUEs of containerized cargo. The yard is 1.2 thousand square meters, and the emptying yard has capacity for 30 TEUs.

The Port of Cartagena's Warehouse No. 2, for exports, covers 7.1 thousand square meters, including two thousand square meters for handling coffee and capacity for 3.4 thousand pallets. The filling zone has capacity for 77 TEUs. The warehouse devoted to the export of coffee covers 7.4 thousand square meters and has capacity to store 43 thousand sacks four high. The filling zone has capacity for 12 TEUs.

The Port of Cartagena's ColCeramicas warehouse serving Compania Colombiana de Ceramicas SA covers 1.7 thousand square meters and has capacity to store 3.8 thousand pallets. The warehouse also has a filling zone with capacity for 28 TEUs.

Warehouse No. 4 in the Port of Cartagena, operated by Cerro Matoso SA, handles ferronickel produced by the company. The warehouse covers 2.2 thousand square meters and has capacity to store 2.8 thousand pallets. The filling zone has capacity for 28 TEUs.

Devoted to handling chemicals and chemical agents, the Port of Cartagena's Warehouse No. 5 covers 2.1 thousand square meters. The warehouse handles inflammables, corrosives, and various chemicals. The storage yard for chemicals covers 1.3 thousand square meters.

The Port of Cartagena is a popular destination for cruises. The Cruise Terminal in the Port of Cartagena is located just three kilometers from the historic city center and eight kilometers from the Rafael Nunez International Airport. The Cruise Terminal contains an excellent duty-free shop and a 100% Colombian Juan Valdez Coffee Shop.

While the expansion of the Panama Canal will increase the volume of cargo for the Caribbean to 10 or 11.5 million containers annually, Contec is an opportunity for Port of Cartagena access to competitive markets, products, and services and increasing international trade in coming years.

The City of Cartagena was one of the first sanctuaries in the Americas for freed African slaves, and the modern population reflects a unique ethnic mix. An extremely popular tourist destination, the Port of Cartagena becomes quite crowded during December. Tourists tend to gather at the walled colonial city (called "ciudad amurallada") and at the Bocagrande Beach. Filled with modern condos, nice jogging trails, and a quiet beach, the exclusive Castillogrande neighborhood is also worth the visit. For details on tourist attractions, please visit the city's tourism website.

The climate of the Port of Cartagena is generally hot and humid, although sea breezes make it more comfortable than many tropical cities. The rainy seasons are in April and May and in October and November. The windiest months in the summer from November to February keep the climate comfortable. Temperatures range from an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) from May to July to an average low of 24 °C (76 °F) in January and February.

Visitors to the Port of Cartagena will not want to miss the 1657 Castillo de San Felipe that protected shipments of gold leaving the Spanish town from pirates. Standing on a hillside overlooking the harbor, the fortress was the biggest and strongest fortification built by the Spaniards in the New World. Repaired many times after attacks by pirates and foreign powers, the Castillo de San Felipe protected the Port of Cartagena successfully for centuries.

Another popular attraction in the Port of Cartagena is the 1610 Palacio de la Inquisicion (Palace of the Inquisition). In this structure, the Spanish tortured and convicted men of religious crimes. The building contained jails and torture chambers that operated until 1821 when the inquisitors were expelled by the independence movement.

The Museo del Oro Zenu (Gold Museum) in the Port of Cartagena was opened in 1982 to display a marvelous collection of gold and ceramics from pre-Columbian cultures. A regional museum for the Zenu culture, it contains 538 pieces of gold work, 61 ceramics, and other materials (12 stone, 48 shell, and 6 bone pieces) used by the indigenous peoples before the Spanish arrived to forever change their world.

Visitors to the Port of Cartagena will enjoy a trip to the Playa Blanca (White Beach), possibly the best beach in Cartagena. Reached by car or ferry, the beach is quiet and peaceful in the late afternoons after the tour boats leave. Several booths and cafes offer hammocks, food, and drinks. Vendors on the beach can be irritating, and some of them are even a bit unethical. Further down from Playa Blanca on Isla Baru is Sportbaru, a popular beachfront resort where visitors can find boat tours, eco hikes, boat tours, gaming, fine dining, and wonderful cabanas for overnight stays.

Travelers who want to visit the Port of Cartagena by sea can find a long list of scheduled cruises on the Cruise Compete website.