Cartagena (pronounced kär'tä-hĕ'nä), formally known as Cartagena de Indias (Cartagena of Indies) or Cartagena la Heroica (The Heroic), is a large seaport on the north coast of Colombia. It has a population of roughly 1,075,000 (2006). Founded in 1533 by don Pedro de Heredia, and named after the port of Cartegena in Spain's Murcia region, it was a major center of early Spanish settlement in the Americas, and continues to be an economic hub as well as a popular tourist destination. Edit this section or read more