La Jagua de Ibirico
Encyclopedia
La Jagua de Ibirico is a town and municipality in the Department of Cesar, Colombia
. This region of La Jagua is rich in coal
which is exploited extensively and is second only to El Cerrejon
in La Guajira. The area is also known for being a hot spot in the Colombian conflict.
; to the east with Venezuela
; to the south with the municipality of Chiriguana
and to the west with the municipality of El Paso
.
and Yucos established in the area. The village of La Jagua was founded in 1771 by the Spanish Juan Ramon de Ibirico.
La Jagua de Ibirico became a municipality by ordinance 005 of 1979. In 1985 the rudimentary exploitation of coal
began but with little results due to inexperience. In 1990 the government sponsored Carbocol gave concessions to mining companies.
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...
. This region of La Jagua is rich in coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
which is exploited extensively and is second only to El Cerrejon
Cerrejón
Cerrejón is a coal mine located in the Guajira department in the north of Colombia. It is the largest mining operation in Colombia and among the largest open-pit coal mines in the world. The legal entity managing the Cerrejón operation is known as Carbones del Cerrejón Ltd...
in La Guajira. The area is also known for being a hot spot in the Colombian conflict.
Geography
The municipality of La Jagua de Ibirico borders to the north with the municipality of BecerrilBecerril
Becerril or Becerril de Campos is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of Cesar.-Geography:The municipality of Becerril borders to the east with the country of Venezuela where the Serrania del Perija mountain ranges is shared, the municipality of Codazzi to the north, to the west...
; to the east with Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
; to the south with the municipality of Chiriguana
Chiriguaná
-History:During the wars independence from Spain Chiriguana was part of the Province of Santa Marta. The people of the village of Chiriguana revolted against the local Spanish monarchical authorities...
and to the west with the municipality of El Paso
El Paso, Cesar
El Paso is a municipality in the Cesar Department of Colombia. El Paso is mostly known for having the second largest coal mine in Colombia, located in the corregimiento of La Loma.-Eyimology:...
.
History
The first inhabitants in the region were the Chiriguanás. During the Spanish conquest of the Americas period, some remnants of indigenous tribes pertaining to the ArhuacosArhuacos
The Arhuaco people, also called the Aruacos, Ica, Ijca or Bintuk, names of a Native American ethnic group part of the Chibcha family, descendents of the Tairona Culture concentrated in northern Colombia in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.-Territory:The Arhuacos live in the upper valleys of the...
and Yucos established in the area. The village of La Jagua was founded in 1771 by the Spanish Juan Ramon de Ibirico.
La Jagua de Ibirico became a municipality by ordinance 005 of 1979. In 1985 the rudimentary exploitation of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
began but with little results due to inexperience. In 1990 the government sponsored Carbocol gave concessions to mining companies.