BOLIVAR

bolivar, till 1908 a department of colombia, bounded n. and w. by the caribbean sea, e. by the departments of magdalena and santander, s. by antioquia and s.w. by cauca. it has an area of 27,028 sq. m., composed in great part of low, alluvial plains, densely wooded, but slightly cultivated and unsuited for north european labour. the population, estimated at 323,097 in 1899, is composed largely of mixed races; in some localities the inhabitants of mixed race are estimated to constitute four-fifths of the population. the capital, cartagena on the caribbean coast, was once the principal commercial entrepot of colombia. other important towns are barranquilla and mompox (8000), on the magdalena river, and corozal (9000) and lorica (10,596 in 1902), near the western coast.