Atlántico (Spanish pronunciation: [aðˈlantiko], English: Atlantic) is a department of Colombia in the north of the country, with the Caribbean Sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its west and south across the Canal del Dique, and the Magdalena Department to its east across the Magdalena River. Despite having the third-smallest area among Colombia's thirty-two departments, it is the fifth-largest by population with 2,535,517.
The department's capital and most-populous city is Barranquilla with a population of 1,327,209. Soledad and Malambo are also significant population centers; each of them is in the Barranquilla metropolitan area but counted separately.
Contents
Politics
Education
Higher education
The University of Atlántico, with 22,790 students in 2021, stands as the largest higher education institution by student population in the department.
In September 2023, the University of the Coast was ranked second among the top universities in the country, while the University of the North ranked fifteenth.
Notable people
Alci Acosta, musician
Andrés Felipe Roa, association football player
Antonio Rada, former association football player
Arturo Segovia, former association football player
Carlos Bacca, association football player, one of Colombia's top all-time strikers, having scored over 300 goals for both club and country throughout his professional career
Carlos Rodado, politician
Checo Acosta, musician and prominent figure in the Barranquilla Carnival
Evaristo Sourdis, politician who held several significant positions
Fredy Montero, association football player
Homer Martínez, association football player
Juan José Nieto, politician, first Afro-Colombian president
Luis Muriel, association football player
Luis Sandoval, association football player
Mauro Manotas, association football player
Nina García, fashion journalist and the editor-in-chief of Elle
Pacho Galán, musician
Paulina Vega, Miss Colombia 2013 and Miss Universe 2014