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Guajira Department

La Guajira Department
Departamento de La Guajira
Department
Flag of La Guajira Department
Flag
Coat of arms of La Guajira Department
Coat of arms
Anthem: .
La Guajira shown in red
La Guajira shown in red
Topography of the department
Topography of the department
Coordinates: 11°33′N 72°54′W / 11.550°N 72.900°W / 11.550; -72.900Coordinates: 11°33′N 72°54′W / 11.550°N 72.900°W / 11.550; -72.900
Country  Colombia
Region Caribbean Region
Established July 1, 1965
Capital Riohacha
Government
 • Governor Oneida Rayeth Pinto Perez (2016-2019) (Radical Change)
Area
 • Total 20,848 km2 (8,049 sq mi)
Area rank 25th
Population (2013)
 • Total 902,386
 • Rank 20th
 • Density 43/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-05
ISO 3166 code CO-LAG
Municipalities 15
Website www.laguajira.gov.co/

La Guajira (Spanish pronunciation: [la ɣwaˈxiɾa]) is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the department is Riohacha.

Various indigenous tribes populated the arid plains of the region prior to the Spanish arrival to the Americas. In 1498, Alonso de Ojeda sailed around the peninsula of La Guajira, but the first to set foot in what is known today as La Guajira was the Spanish explorer Juan de la Cosa in 1499. During the colonial era, the territory of La Guajira was disputed by the governors of Santa Marta and Venezuela, owing to deposits of pearls. English pirates, Frenchmen, and Germans also disputed the territory. Martin Fernandez de Enciso founded Nuestra Señora Santa María de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela, the first village in the territory. In 1535, Nicolás de Federmán refound the settlement as the village of Riohacha, as a result of constant attacks. In 1544, it was moved to the site of the present-day city. In 1871, the region was separated from the Department of Magdalena, and La Guajira became a national territory in its own right. The Intendance of La Guajira was created in 1898.

In 1911, the Colombian government created the Commissary of la Guajira, followed by a wave of Middle Eastern immigrants (Christians and Maronites) from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan, and countries under the Ottoman Empire coming to La Guajira in the 1930s, mostly to the city of Maicao. In 1954, the Intendance of la Guajira was created again and Riohacha was declared a municipality. Finally, in 1964, the Department of La Guajira was created.


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