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Atlantico (Spanish: Atlántico) is the third smallest of the country's departments, after San Andrés y Providencia and Quindío, with an extension of 3,388 km² (1,308 sq mi). It is the most densely populated department, with 670.65 inhabitants per km² (1737.1 inh./sq mi). The capital is Barranquilla.
Barranquilla, an industrial, portuary, and special district, is a city and municipality which is the capital of the Atlántico. It is the largest industrial city and port on the Colombian Caribbean region and the fourth largest city of Colombia. It lies strategically at the delta of the Magdalena River, serving as port for fluvial and maritime transportation. It is also known as the cradle of Colombian aviation.
The city is known as Colombia's Golden Gate (Spanish: La Puerta de Oro de Colombia) as well as La Arenosa (the Sandy City). While the city bears no established record of its foundation, its settlement or foundation can be traced back to at least 1629. However, its residents traditionally have come to 
commemorate the city's "birthday" as the date when Barranquilla was legally established as a village, April 7, 1813. By 1834 Barranquilla had a population of 11,212 (official census), which made it slightly smaller than Santa Marta and almost half the size of Cartagena. Barranquilla eventually became an important port, and served as a haven for immigrants from Europe during World War I and World War II, followed by immigrants from the Middle East and Asia.
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