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Altamira, Huila | |
---|---|
Municipality and town | |
Country | Colombia |
Department | Huila Department |
Founded | October 18, 1855 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Efraín Calderón Londoño |
Area | |
• Municipality and town | 188.18 km2 (72.66 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,080 m (3,540 ft) |
Population (2015) | |
• Municipality and town | 4,293 |
• Density | 188.18/km2 (72.66/sq mi) |
• Urban | 2,901 |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time) |
Altamira is a town and municipality in the Huila Department, Colombia.
Altamira is a small pueblo in the department Huila, with a population around 2,416. [1] Its geographical coordinates are 2° 3' 46" North, 75° 47' 14" West. [2] It is about an 8-hour bus trip south of Bogota. [3] The largest city in Huila and its capital is Neiva, which is 89 miles north, with a population of about 370,000. The highway is two lane and paved. It is located in the Eastern Range of the Andes Mountains at about 3,540 feet elevation. The Central Range of the Andes converges in this part of the country so the mountains of that range can be seen just north of the town. On a very clear day when there are no high altitude clouds obscuring the view, the volcano Nevado de Huila can be seen to the north. [4] At 5365 m (17601 ft) tall, it is the highest volcano in the country and is permanently snow covered with a glacier and it stands out well on a clear day even though it is about 50 miles north of Altamira.
About a half hour ride north is Garzon, the closest city to Altamira. An hours drive south of town is the larger city of Pitalito(69,000). The highways are paved two lane and very winding and steep in parts. It is also the nearest city to San Agustin [5] where an archeological park is located that is known for its pre-Columbian statues and artifacts. A lesser known archeological site with similar artifacts is in the vicinity of the little town of Isnos.
The Rio Magdalina runs through the valley north of town and can be accessed at the little pueblo of Tarqui a short ride west and then north of the highway on a gravel road, or at the pueblo of La Jagua to the north. [6] There is a school including primary and secondary located on the centro parque, where the church of San Roque is also located. There is a playground with soccer and basketball court at the west end of town with a swimming pool which is open every afternoon throughout the year.
Many tropical fruits are grown locally including mangoes, papayas, oranges, bananas, and pineapples. [7] There are numerous vineyards between Altamira and Garzon and rice is grown north of Garzon. Coffee is extensively grown in the surrounding mountains.
In the mountains and valleys surrounding Altamira there are numerous pueblos and tiny settlements known as veredas that can be reached by gravel roads. There is a statue of Our Lady of Aranzazu in a small church in the tiny pueblo of Gallardo in the mountains above Suaza which is south of Altamira.
Climate data for Altamira (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.0 (78.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.3 (81.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.0 (73.4) | 22.5 (72.5) | 21.9 (71.4) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.9 (73.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) | 18.2 (64.8) | 18.1 (64.6) | 18.2 (64.8) | 18.3 (64.9) | 17.9 (64.2) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.6 (63.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 18.2 (64.8) | 18.2 (64.8) | 18.0 (64.4) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 81.7 (3.22) | 104.8 (4.13) | 116.4 (4.58) | 112.6 (4.43) | 116.7 (4.59) | 79.0 (3.11) | 66.1 (2.60) | 40.2 (1.58) | 54.9 (2.16) | 106.6 (4.20) | 127.5 (5.02) | 86.5 (3.41) | 1,093.1 (43.04) |
Average precipitation days | 12 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 195 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 75 | 76 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 78 | 75 | 73 | 76 | 78 | 78 | 77 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 170.5 | 132.7 | 120.9 | 120.0 | 145.7 | 135.0 | 124.0 | 124.0 | 135.0 | 148.8 | 147.0 | 173.6 | 1,677.2 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 5.5 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 4.6 |
Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales [8] |
Climate data for Altamira (Altamira El Grifo), elevation 1,368 m (4,488 ft), (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25.6 (78.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.0 (69.8) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.8 (67.6) | 20.1 (68.2) | 20.8 (69.4) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.0 (69.8) | 21.0 (69.8) | 20.8 (69.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.6 (63.7) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 16.5 (61.7) | 16.6 (61.9) | 17.1 (62.8) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.2 (63.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 73.2 (2.88) | 113.1 (4.45) | 127.0 (5.00) | 136.4 (5.37) | 153.9 (6.06) | 107.4 (4.23) | 80.7 (3.18) | 51.6 (2.03) | 70.9 (2.79) | 138.2 (5.44) | 134.8 (5.31) | 86.9 (3.42) | 1,274 (50.16) |
Average relative humidity (%) | 75 | 74 | 77 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 71 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 76 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 164.3 | 135.5 | 114.7 | 120.0 | 127.1 | 132.0 | 136.4 | 148.8 | 135.0 | 142.6 | 138.0 | 161.2 | 1,655.6 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 5.3 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.5 |
Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales [8] |
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is 8,900 km (5,530 mi) long and 200 to 700 km wide and has an average height of about 4,000 m (13,123 ft). The Andes extend from South to North through seven South American countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.
The Republic of Colombia is situated largely in the north-west of South America, with some territories falling within the boundaries of Central America. It is bordered to the north-west by Panama; to the east by Brazil and Venezuela; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; and it shares maritime limits with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
Nevado del Ruiz, also known as La Mesa de Herveo is a volcano on the border of the departments of Caldas and Tolima in Colombia, about 129 km (80 mi) west of the capital city Bogotá. It is a stratovolcano composed of many layers of lava alternating with hardened volcanic ash and other pyroclastic rocks. Volcanic activity at Nevado del Ruiz began about two million years ago, during the Early Pleistocene or Late Pliocene, with three major eruptive periods. The current volcanic cone formed during the present eruptive period, which began 150,000 years ago.
Cauca Department is a department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east, and Nariño Department to the south. Putumayo and Caqueta Departments border the southeast portion of Cauca Department as well. It covers a total area of 29,308 km2 (11,316 sq mi), the 13th largest in Colombia. Its capital is the city of Popayán. The offshore island of Malpelo belongs to the department. It is located in the southwest of the country, mainly in the Andean and Pacific regions plus a tiny part (Piamonte) in the Amazonian region. The area makes up 2.56% of the country.
Huila is one of the departments of Colombia. It is located in the southwest of the country, and its capital is Neiva.
Nevado Ojos del Salado is a dormant complex volcano in the Andes on the Argentina–Chile border. It is the highest volcano on Earth and the highest peak in Chile. The upper reaches of Ojos del Salado consist of several overlapping lava domes, lava flows and volcanic craters, with sparse ice cover. The complex extends over an area of 70–160 square kilometres (27–62 sq mi) and its highest summit reaches an altitude of 6,893 metres (22,615 ft) above sea level. Numerous other volcanoes rise around Ojos del Salado.
Ibagué is the capital of Tolima, one of the 32 departments that make up the Republic of Colombia. The city is located in the center of the country, on the central mountain range of the Colombian Andes, near Nevado del Tolima. It is one of the most populous cities in the country, with a population of 492,554, making it the eleventh most populous in Colombia, and with a population of 529,625 in the municipality. It was founded on 14 October 1550, by the Spanish captain Andrés López de Galarza. The city of Ibagué is divided into 13 communes and the rural area has 17 corregimientos. As the capital of the department of Tolima the city hosts the Government of Tolima, the Departmental Assembly, and the Attorney General's Office. It is the main epicenter of political, economic, administrative, business, art, culture, and tourism activities in the area.
The Armero tragedy occurred following the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz stratovolcano in Tolima, Colombia, on November 13, 1985. The volcano's eruption after 69 years of dormancy caught nearby towns unprepared, even though volcanological organizations had warned the government to evacuate the area after they detected volcanic activity two months earlier.
Filandia is a town and municipality in the northern part of the department of Quindío, Colombia. It's located on the west side of Cordillera Central of the Andes mountain range running through central Colombia, 26 km north of the departmental capital Armenia. In 2023 the estimated population of Filandia was 12,596 inhabitants.
Tolima is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the Andean region, in the center-west of the country. It is bordered on the north and the west by the department of Caldas; on the east by the department of Cundinamarca; on the south by the department of Huila, and on the west by the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Quindío and Risaralda. Tolima has a surface area of 23,562 km2, and its capital is Ibagué. The department of Tolima was created in 1861 from a part of what was previously Cundinamarca.
The Nevado del Quindío is an inactive volcano located in the Central Cordillera of the Andes in central Colombia. The summit marks the tripoint of the departments of Risaralda, Quindío and Tolima, and is also the highest point of the departments of Risaralda and Quindío. The mountain is one of the highest peaks in the Los Nevados National Natural Park, which is a wildlife sanctuary. There are no historical records of any eruption. The andesitic volcano is located on top of the Palestina Fault.
Nevado del Huila at 5,364 metres (17,598 ft), is the highest volcano in Colombia, located at the tripoint of the departments of Huila, Tolima and Cauca. It is visible from the city of Cali. The andesitic volcano is located on top of the Ibagué Batholith.
Paéz is a municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia. The town of Belalcazar, is the main urban center of the Municipality. It was founded in 1905 by Valencia, Mosquera and Lemus. The town is located by the steps of the Nevado del Huila Volcano, the municipality borders to the northeast with the Tolima Department, to the west with the Huila Department, southwest with the municipality of Inza, to the west with the municipalities of Silvia and Jambalo and to the north with the municipality of Toribio covering a total area of 1,258 km2 (486 sq mi).
Garzon is a town and municipality in the Huila Department, Colombia.
La Mesa is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Tequendama Province of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located 65 kilometres (40 mi) from Bogotá.
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