Maicao is a city and municipality in the Department of La Guajira, northern Republic of Colombia. It is located 76 km from Riohacha, the capital of the department and is the second largest urban center near the border with Venezuela, after the city of Cucuta.Climate in the municipality of Maicao is arid, presenting two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. The average temperature through out the year is of 29°C.
Maicao became subject to royalties coming from the exploitation of coal in the Cerrejon coal mine, however municipal administrations have been subject to widespread corruption and royalties have been temporarily suspended. The culture of avoiding paying taxes has created in numerous occasions tensions between the locals and the government, including burning down the local tax bureau office DIAN in protest for confiscating large amounts of contraband.Aside from the wheeling and dealingthere is one other worthy attraction in Maicao. The town has a sizeable Arab population and is home to Colombia’s biggest mosque (and the biggest in Latin America outside of Brazil and Argentina). Omar Ibn Al-Jattab Mosque looks slightly out of place in Colombia, as do the Palestinian flags which often hang outside some of the houses. The mosque was built in 1997 and provides a place of worship for the some 2000 muslims living in Maicao. Providing it is open there shouldn’t be a problem with having a peek inside.Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Jattab built in September 1997, is the second largest mosques in South America. Although, Colombia is predominantly a Roman Catholic country, the region around Maicao, has a large Lebanese migrant population who funded and built the mosque. The municipality of Maicao has one airstrip La Majayura Airport which is closed, but in process of reopening.