Nelson Mandela is today a legally recognized neighborhood with nearly 50,000 inhabitants, which emerged in the 1990s as an informal settlement resulting from Colombia’s internal displacement caused by the armed conflict. The sector received mainly Afro-descendant population. Although in these three decades the neighborhood has been legalized, being provided with infrastructure and services, there are still many unpaved streets and houses, built of wood and cardboard with PVC roofs, without sewage, electricity or drinking water services, whose appearance and narrow streets and alleys may remind one of the communes of other Colombian cities or, because of its mostly black population, the favelas of Brazil. However, this neighborhood is located on flat land.
Zone of influence of the city's petrochemical industry, which is why some of the largest companies in Cartagena carry out social projects in the area. Recently the neighborhood has improved its connectivity with the rest of the city with a Transcaribe route. The neighborhood is located in the area of the entrance/exit to the city through the Mamonal-Gambote bypass on the border with the municipality of Turbaco.
- Approximately 50,000 inhabitants.
- 15 kms south of the Walled City.
- Some areas have security problems.
- Areas with unpaved roads.
