Cartagena Map

Description: This map shows neighborhoods, streets, roads, beaches, rivers, buildings, airport, piers, viewpoints, hospitals, and parks in Cartagena.

Description: This map shows streets, houses, buildings, cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels, restrooms, viewpoints, museums, monuments, parking lots, shops, churches, points of interest, and parks in City Centre.

Cartagena de Indias is a city on the northern coast of Colombia, situated on the Caribbean Sea. It serves as the capital of the Bolívar Department and has a population of approximately 1,065,881 people as of 2025. The city covers an area of around 83.2 km².

Cartagena de Indias was founded on June 1, 1533, by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Heredia. It quickly became one of the most strategically significant ports in the Spanish colonial empire, serving as the primary hub for the shipment of gold and silver from South America to Spain.

The city played a central role in the transatlantic slave trade. The port of Cartagena was one of the largest slave-entry points in the Americas, with an estimated 1 million enslaved Africans passing through it between the 16th and 19th centuries. Jesuit priest Pedro Claver, later canonized, devoted his life to ministering to enslaved people arriving at the port.

In 1984, the historic center of Cartagena — known as the Ciudad Amurallada (Walled City) — was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding colonial architecture and extensive system of fortifications.

The Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, completed in 1657 and later expanded, is the largest Spanish-built colonial fortification in the Americas. Its construction was initiated in response to repeated pirate attacks on the city, including raids by Francis Drake in 1586.

The city walls, Las Murallas, were constructed between 1586 and 1796 and stretch approximately 11 kilometers around the historic district.

Cartagena has a tropical savanna climate with an average annual temperature of 28 °C. The dry season runs from December to April, while the rainy season spans from May to November. The city experiences high humidity throughout the year due to its coastal location.

Today, Cartagena is one of Colombia's principal tourist destinations and a major container port, handling a significant share of the country's international maritime trade.

Main sights in Cartagena