Maria La Baja

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Location of the municipality and town of Maria La Baja in the Bolivar Department.

Maria La Baja is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia.

1 History
2 Geography and climate
3 Involvement in armed conflict
4 References

[edit] History

Maria La Baja was founded by Alonso de Heredia (brother of Pedro de Heredia) on December 8, 1535.

[edit] Geography and climate

The municipality of Maria La Baja has a total area of 547 Km2, bordering to the north with the municipality of Arjona, to the east with the municipalities of Mahates and San Juan Nepomuceno, south with the municipalities of El Carmen de Bolívar and San Jacinto and to the west with the municiaplity of San Onofre, Sucre. The town of Maria La Baja has an area of aproximately 150 Km2 and it's some 72 kms away from the Department's capital Cartagena.

Climate prevails through out the year at an average of 28º C.

[edit] Involvement in armed conflict

Main article: Colombian armed conflict (1960s–present)

Maria La Baja has grown substantially in recent years as some 7000 people have moved into the town from the surrounding countryside, since the 2000 when the FARC guerrilla group arrived in the hills nearby. According to reports[1], the FARC militants stole cattle. The situation deteriorated further when AUC paramilitaries began to battle FARC, catching civilians in the crossfire. However the security situation has improved more recently with the FARC giving up their weapons on July 14, 2005, under a national demobilization plan speared by the government of Alvaro Uribe. Marines have set up a base on the edge of the town. [2]