city, northern Colombia. It is situated on a small bay of the Caribbean Sea, 40 miles (64 km) east-northeast of the mouth of the Magdalena River, to which it is connected by swampy channels and lakes. Founded in 1525, it is the oldest city in Colombia. It became a port for colonial New Granada, though it was of lesser importance than neighbouring Cartagena. Simón Bolívar (Bolívar, Simón), hero of the struggle for independence, died at an estate on the edge of the town in 1830.

Santa Marta's commerce overtook that of the port of Cartagena in the mid-19th century but then declined because the channels to the Magdalena were inadequate for steamboats. In the 1880s Santa Marta began shipping bananas grown in the hinterland to the south. The Atlantic Railway, completed in 1961, provided the city's first rail connection with Bogotá. Santa Marta is also accessible by highway and air. The Technological University of Magdalena opened in 1966. Pop. (2003 est.) 406,231.