Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
| Buenaventura Isla Cascajal Buenaventura and Cascajal |
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| — Municipality and town — | |||
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| Nickname(s): El Puerto (the Port) | |||
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 Buenaventura
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| Coordinates: 03°53′N 77°04′W / 3.883°N 77.067°W | |||
| Country |  Colombia |
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| Department | Valle del Cauca Department | ||
| Region | Pacific Region of Colombia | ||
| Regional District | Special economic zone district | ||
| Foundation | 14 Julio de 1540 | ||
| Founder | Juan Ladrillero by orden from Pascual de Andagoya | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Bartolo Valencia Ramos (Partido Liberal Colombiano) | ||
| • City Council |
List of Councillors
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 6.078 km2 (2.347 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 0-7 m (0-22.96 ft) | ||
| Population (2011 estimate) | |||
| • Total | 362,625 | ||
| • Rank | Ranked 19th | ||
| • Demonym | Porteño | ||
| Time zone | Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5) | ||
| Area code(s) | 224 | ||
| Website | buenaventura.gov.co/ | ||
Buenaventura is a coastal seaport city on the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia (South America). Buenaventura (Spanish for "good fortune") is the main port of Colombia in the Pacific Ocean.[1]
Buenaventura is a city with a population of 333,194[2] as of the 2005 census (most of city development lies on Cascajal Island) and it is the size of Los Angeles' metropolitan area; most of the city's land is rural with scattered small villages throughout. It is served by the Gerardo Tobar López Airport.
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History [edit]
The city was founded on July 14, 1540, by Juan de Ladrilleros through orders from Pascual de Andagoya. At that time it was inhabited by the natives called "The Buscaja Amerindians". The city was destroyed by Native Americans before 1600; it was later rebuilt. Buenaventura thrived after the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914; and in the 50's became a regular stop over for the "International Jet Set". Today the city is crucial for sending raw materials to nearby areas; this has brought prosperity and allowed recent new development to occur.
Demographics [edit]
The city is, as of 2011, affected by very high levels of poverty and violence, and is considered a center for the cocaine trade in Colombia.[3]
Buenaventura's population is mostly of African descent (85%) with 10% mixed European/Native Indian and 5% Spanish.
Geography [edit]
It is located a few miles from the western cordillera of the Andes mountain range and the major city of Cali, the department's capital. Buenaventura is one of the rainiest cities in the world with 6000–7000 mm of precipitation annually.
Climate [edit]
| Climate data for Buenaventura | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
35.4 (95.7) |
35.6 (96.1) |
35.8 (96.4) |
34.0 (93.2) |
35.6 (96.1) |
37 (98.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 32.8 (91) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.9 (93) |
34.1 (93.4) |
33.4 (92.1) |
33.2 (91.8) |
33.2 (91.8) |
32.8 (91) |
33.2 (91.8) |
32.8 (91) |
32.3 (90.1) |
32.7 (90.9) |
33.14 (91.65) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.9 (78.6) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.1 (79) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.84 (78.52) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 19.7 (67.5) |
20.0 (68) |
19.9 (67.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
19.9 (67.8) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.0 (68) |
20.0 (68) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.0 (68) |
19.6 (67.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
19.8 (67.65) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 14.4 (57.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
16.2 (61.2) |
15.1 (59.2) |
13.6 (56.5) |
13.4 (56.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
15.0 (59) |
15.1 (59.2) |
15.0 (59) |
13.4 (56.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 330.8 (13.024) |
264.2 (10.402) |
347.2 (13.669) |
468.3 (18.437) |
606.9 (23.894) |
501.2 (19.732) |
530.8 (20.898) |
578.2 (22.764) |
724.2 (28.512) |
803.3 (31.626) |
639.1 (25.161) |
481.4 (18.953) |
6,275.6 (247.072) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 19 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 264 |
| % humidity | 87 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 86.6 |
| Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales [4] | |||||||||||||
Crime [edit]
Buenaventura has had a notorious history plagued by the Colombian armed conflict, drug trafficking, violence, and the presence of guerrilla and paramilitary groups.[5] Due to the violence of Buenaventura The New York Times wrote an article titled "Cocaine Wars Make Port Colombia’s Deadliest City".[6]
Colombian authorities have seized almost US$ 28 million in cash from drug kingpins. The money found was in several shipping containers sent from Manzanillo, Colima (Mexico) and Houston (USA), that belonged to brothers Luis Enrique and Javier Antonio Calle Serna, also known as the ‘Combas’.[7][8]
Between 2008 and 2010, the amount of reported homicides in the city doubled. In 2010, the murder rate of Buenaventura was 175.2 homicides per 100,000, a rate 24 times that of New York City. To counter the violence, the Colombian government has set up a marine special forces unit in the worst area of the city.[9] In 2011, it seemed that counter-violence efforts had improved crime metrics, even while aspects of the Colombian drug war in that city worsened. According to community activist Victor Hugo Vidal,"If you ask the authorities, they will tell you [the city] is better -- that the homicide rates are way down. But for us [living here], during the last 10 years, there has been no change."[10]
Notable Natives and Residents [edit]
- Edison Miranda, A 2000 Colombia Olympian, former WBO Latino, NABA, and IBF Latino Middleweight champion.
- Juan Carlos Candelo, A Former NABF Light Middleweight champion.
- Freddy Rincón, Retired Colombian football midfielder
- Gerardo Valencia Cano, Apostolic vicariate de Buenaventura
- Adolfo Valencia, Retired Colombian football striker
- Raul Cuero, Professor of microbiology at Prairie View A&M University and Inventor
- Petronio Álvarez Quintero, Singer-songwriter Currulao
References [edit]
- ^ http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/21/world/fg-colombia-port21
- ^ http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&geo=-55&srt=pnan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&geo=338014296
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13141498
- ^ "Climate of Buenaventura -Table of Values" (in Spanish). Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6951683.stm
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/world/americas/22colombia.html
- ^ http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/5946-colombian-authorities-hauled-drug-money-almost-us-28-milllion.html
- ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/17/eveningnews/main6592858.shtml
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/world/americas/25colombia.html
- ^ http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/08/colombias-invisible-war/242775/
