Calarcá, Quindío
Encyclopedia
Calarcá is a municipality in the eastern part of the department of Quindío
, Colombia
. It is located 4 km east of the departmental capital Armenia
. Its nickname is La Villa del Cacique
.
In 2005 it had an estimated population of 82,400, of which 62,100 live in the main urban zone.
The municipality has an area of 219.23 km². Urban area is 2.44 km². Rural area is 216.79 km². It varies in altitude between 1000 m above sea level at the confluence of the Quindío y Barragán rivers to 3667 m above sea level in the El Campanario highland area. The city itself sits at an average of 1536 m above sea level.
crops, plantain
and manioc. The ecotourism
is promoted with destinations such as
Other important source of income is money remittance from people working in other countries
to their families.
Quindío Department
Quindío is a department of Colombia. It is in the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains. Its capital is Armenia. It is famous for the quality of the coffee plantations, colorful architecture, benign weather, variety of hotel accommodations and touristic landmarks...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. It is located 4 km east of the departmental capital Armenia
Armenia, Colombia
Armenia is the capital of Quindío, a department in Colombia. The city is located at coordinates 4.5170° north, 75.6830° west, 290 kilometers west of Bogotá. Armenia is a mid-size city located between Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, the 3 largest Colombian cities. The city's area code for phone calls is...
. Its nickname is La Villa del Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
.
In 2005 it had an estimated population of 82,400, of which 62,100 live in the main urban zone.
Geography
The municipality of Calarcá is located between 4° 20’ 40” and 4° 33’ 50” north and between 75° 33’ 40” and 75° 48’ 40” west. The inner city is located 4° 33’ 0.6” north and 75° 39’ 00” west. It lies in the Andean zone flanking the Central Cordillera, east of the department of Quindío in the centre-western part of the country, within the area known as the Eje Cafetero ("Coffee Axis"). Calarcá is bordered by the municipalities of Salento to the north, Cajamarca (Tolima) to the east, Córdoba, Buenavista, Pijao in Quindío and Caicedonia in the Cauca Valley to the south, and La Tebaida y Armenia to the west.The municipality has an area of 219.23 km². Urban area is 2.44 km². Rural area is 216.79 km². It varies in altitude between 1000 m above sea level at the confluence of the Quindío y Barragán rivers to 3667 m above sea level in the El Campanario highland area. The city itself sits at an average of 1536 m above sea level.
Economy
Just like in others towns in the Quindio, the economy is based in colombian coffeeColombian coffee
Colombian Coffee is a protected designation of origin granted by the European Union that applies to the coffee produced in Colombia. The Colombian coffee has been recognized worldwide as having high quality and distinctive taste...
crops, plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
and manioc. The ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
is promoted with destinations such as
- peñasblancasPeñasblancasPeñas Blancas consists of a crag and three vertical rock faces located on the western slopes of the Central Cordillera of the Andes in the municipality of Calarcá, in the department of Quindío in Colombia....
park, with rock climbingRock climbingRock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and hiking activities - MariposarioMariposarioEl Mariposario is a large outdoors vivarium which forms part of the Jardin Botánico del Quindío , located in the town of Calarcá in the department of Quindío, Colombia...
enthomologic display specialized in LepidopteraLepidopteraLepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies... - Quindio botanical gardenBotanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
Other important source of income is money remittance from people working in other countries
Emigration from Colombia
Emigration from Colombia is determined by economic, social, and security issues linked mainly to the Colombian armed conflict. Emigration from Colombia is one of the largest in volume in Latin America. According to the 2005 Colombian census or DANE, about 3,331,107 Colombian citizens currently...
to their families.
External links
- Alcaldía Municipal de Calarcá. Official web page of the city council (in Spanish).
- Calarcá, La Villa del Cacique. Extensive site with local and tourist information (in Spanish).