Necoclí facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Necoclí
Municipality and town
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Location of the municipality and town of Necoclí in the Antioquia Department of Colombia
Necoclí Location in Colombia
Country	Colombia
Department	Antioquia Department
Subregion	Urabá
Population  (2020 est.)
• Total	70,824
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)

Necoclí is a town and a municipality (a type of local government area) in Colombia. It is found in the Antioquia Department. The town sits on the eastern side of the Gulf of Urabá. This area is part of the Urabá Antioquia region. Most of the people living here are Afro-Colombian.

A Look Back at Necoclí's History

Necoclí is one of Colombia's oldest towns. It was first started by the Spanish in 1509. Its original name was San Sebastián de Buena Vista. A person named Pedro de Heredia founded the town. He was an important figure in its early days.

You can read about the town in an old book. It's called Crónica del Perú by Pedro Cieza de León. This book was written in 1553.

Getting Around Necoclí

Necoclí has a small airport called Necoclí Airport. It is used for general aviation. This means it does not have regular scheduled flights.

You can travel to Necoclí by bus. Buses connect the town to cities like Cartagena and Medellín. Medellín is the capital city of the Antioquia Department.

From Necoclí, you can also take boats called launches. These boats travel across the Gulf of Urabá. They go to towns like Capurganá and Acandí. These towns do not have roads connecting them. They are also close to the border with Panama.

Necoclí and Travelers in 2021

In 2021, Necoclí became a very busy place for travelers. Many people were trying to reach Panama from Colombia. Necoclí is the closest town you can get to Panama by road from the south.

These travelers would often stay in Necoclí for a short time. They would then try to cross the Gulf of Urabá by boat to Capurganá. From there, they would hike through a difficult area called the Darién Gap. Their goal was often to reach the United States.

Necoclí usually has about 20,000 residents. But between January and August 2021, about 25,000 travelers passed through. About 75% of these travelers were from Haiti.

The number of people arriving was much higher than usual. The boats that crossed the gulf could not carry everyone quickly. This caused long waits for travelers. In August 2021, about 10,000 travelers were staying in the town. They slept in hostels, churches, or even on the beach.

The town's water system also struggled. It could not handle so many extra people. Because of these challenges, the mayor declared a "state of emergency." This helped the town get extra help to manage the situation.

People Living in Necoclí

The total population of Necoclí was 42,281 people in 2018.

• Urban Population: 21,995 people live in the town area.
• Rural Population: 20,326 people live in the countryside around the town.

Most people in Necoclí can read and write. In 2005, about 76.8% of the population was literate.

• Urban area: 88.6% of people in the town could read and write.
• Rural area: 73.1% of people in the countryside could read and write.

Who Lives in Necoclí?

The people of Necoclí come from different backgrounds. Here's how the population was made up in 2005:

• Afro-descendants (people with African heritage): 59.0%
• Mestizos and whites (people of mixed European and Indigenous heritage, or European heritage): 37.5%
• Indigenous (native peoples): 3.5%

Necoclí's Climate

Necoclí has a tropical monsoon climate. This means it has warm temperatures all year round. It also has a lot of rain. From January to March, the rainfall is moderate. But for the rest of the year, there is heavy rainfall.

See also

In Spanish: Necoclí para niños