Salamanca Island Road Park 2.47

The Salamanca Island Road Park is a national park located in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, on the eastern outskirts of the city of Barranquilla in the Magdalena Department. The flora and fauna is in abundance because of the confluence of sweet water flowing from the Magdalena River and saline water of the Caribbean Sea. It was created in 1964 to protect the abundant bird life and coastal mangroves.Vía Parque is included in the Spanish name because of the road that runs through it, connecting Santa Marta with Barranquilla. In 2000 the park was designated a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO.ClimateThe climate is arid and dry and the temperature averages between 28-30°C. The average yearly rainfall is 400 mm in the eastern part of the area, and 760 mm in the western part. The volume of water lost through evaporation and plant transpiration is greater than rainfall, leading to a water deficit.Flora and faunaMangrove forests, tropical dry forests and riparian forest cover most of the area. The mangroves cover a third of the area (12,000 hectares) and the three predominant species are: red mangrove, black mangrove, white mangrove and buttonwood.