Barrancas, La Guajira

Barrancas
Town
Flag of Barrancas
Coat of arms of Barrancas
Location of the town and municipality of Barrancas in La Guajira Department.
Location of the town and municipality of Barrancas in La Guajira Department.
CountryColombia
RegionCaribbean
DepartmentLa Guajira
Government
 • MayorJuan Carlos Leon Solano (L)[1]
Area
 • Town1,060 km2 (410 sq mi)
 • Urban
742 km2 (286 sq mi)
Elevation
40 m (130 ft)
Population
 (2020 est.)
 • Town38,232
 • Density36/km2 (93/sq mi)
 [2]
Time zoneUTC-5
ClimateAw

Barrancas is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. The municipality of Barrancas is located to the left margin of the Ranchería River in a valley formed between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains and the Serranía del Perijá. Barrancas has a total area of 742 km2 and at 40 meters over sea level. The average temperature is 28 °C throughout the year and distances from the capital of the Department of La Guajira, Riohacha. It became a municipality in 1892.[3]

Its economy is based on agriculture and coal mining which is exploited by the Cerrejón coal mine.[3]

  1. ^ (in Spanish) Colombian Registry of the Civil State: 2007 election results[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Resultados y proyecciones (2005-2020) del censo 2005". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b (in Spanish) Gobernacion de La Guajira - Barrancas Archived August 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine