Cúcuta
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (February 2007) |
72°30′00″N 7°30′00″W / 72.50000°N 7.50000°W
Cúcuta | |
|---|---|
| Skyline of Cúcuta Skyline of Cúcuta | |
| Nickname: City without borders | |
| Motto: More progress! | |
| Map of Cúcuta Map of Cúcuta | |
| Country | Colombia |
| Department | Norte de Santander* |
| Foundation | June 17, 1733 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ramiro Suarez Corzo |
| Population | |
| • City | 742,689 |
| • Metro | 1,196,775 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 |
| Website | www.alcaldiadecucuta.gov.co |
Cúcuta (pron. IPA ˈkukutɑ) is the capital and most populous city of the North Santander Department (Spanish: Departamento de Norte de Santander) in northeastern Colombia. Due to its proximity to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, Cúcuta is an important commercial center. It is situated in the Cordillera Oriental in the Andes.
The Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta has undergone rapid population growth since the 1960s, largely in the peripheral municipalities of Villa del Rosario and Los Patios. There is one public university, the Francisco de Paula Santander University.
Etymology
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The official name of the city is "San José de Cúcuta", where "San José" (Saint Joseph) denotes the Virgin Mary's husband, and "Cúcuta" means "The House of Goblins", from the language of the Barí indigenous group.[1]
In the city's seal, there is a legend that states, "Muy Noble, Valerosa y Leal Villa de San José de Cúcuta" ("Very Noble, Valiant and Loyal Village of San José of Cúcuta").[2]
El Rey de España, Carlos IV, el 18 de mayo de 1792, mediante Cédula le concedió a Cúcuta el Titulo de "Muy Noble, Valerosa y Leal Villa". José María Maldona, abogado de la Real Audiencia, hizo a nombre de los vecinos la presentación legal del título de villa ante el virrey Espeleta.[3]
The city has the nicknames City Without Borders, Gem of the North and City Forest.
History
Cúcuta was originally a pre-Colombian settlement. It was entrusted by Pedro de Ursua to Sebastian Lorenzo as an encomienda in 1550. Juana Rangel de Cuellarby founded Cúcuta on June 17, 1733, and donated a further 782 hectares. The village, centred on a church, grew considerably due to its strategic commercial location, eventually becoming a city.[4]
On February 28, 1813, Simón Bolívar captured the city in the Battle of Cúcuta, before his march to Caracas. The battle lasted from 9:00 a.m. till noon; 400 men led by Bolivar fought 800 led by Spanish General Ramon Correa. Two liberating soldiers were killed and 14 injured; while on the opposing side, 20 Spanish forces were killed and 40 injured.[5] Although the victory was not strategically important, it boosted the morale of Bolivar's forces to free to Venezuela.[clarification needed] It also marked the first part of Bolívar's Admirable Campaign.[6]
In 1821, the Congress of Cúcuta wrote and signed the Constitution of Cúcuta (also known as Constitution of the Greater Colombia), at the Historic church of Cúcuta. The constitution unified New Granada (Colombia and Panamá), Ecuador and Venezuela into the new country Greater Colombia.
On 18 May 1875, the city was largely destroyed by the Earthquake of Cúcuta, also known as the "Earthquake of the Andes", but was soon rebuilt. The earthquake occurred at 11:15 am; it destroyed Villa del Rosario, San Antonio del Tachira and Capacho, seriously damaged the Venezuelan settlements of San Cristóbal, La Mulata, Rubio, Michelena, La Grita and Colón (among others), and was felt in Bogotá and Caracas.
In the 19th century, a railroad set off the Industrial revolution in the city. It had four branches: North, East, South and West.[7] The North branch was constructed from 1878 to 1888, and connected Cúcuta with Puerto Santander and Venezuela. Construction of the East branch began in 1878. Construction of the South branch began in 1878; it linked with Pamplona, Colombia, and ended in El Diamante. The West branch was not built owing to economic problems. The railroad company fell into bankrupcy and was closed in 1960.[8]
In 1939 the city's population was 59,323 people; in 1990, 532,564, and in 2005, 950,000 (within the metropolitan area).[9]
Many of the city's historic buildings lie within the Park of Greater Colombia, including the House of Santander, the Historic church, the Historic tamarind, all of which are well preserved.[10]
Geography, climate and layout
Geography
The city is located in the eastern part of the Department of North Santander, in the Cordillera Oriental, close to the border with Venezuela. The city's area is 1.176 km², or 5.65% of the area of North Santander. The elevation is 320 m above sea-level.
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Settlements
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Cúcuta and Norte de Santander have many pristine rivers; the most important being the Pamplonita River, Guaramito River, San Miguel River and Zulia River[11].
The Pamplonita River crosses the Norte de Santander Department.
Climate
The mean temperature is 28.0 °C; the high is around 35 °C. The wet season is well defined, and contrasted by the dry season. The driest months are December, January, February and March; the wettest are April, May, September, October and November. June and July are generally precipitous, whereas August is sunny and windy. The annual precipitation is around 1,041 mm[12].
Layout
The street layout is square — adopted from Spain in colonial times. Calles traverse from east to west, perpendicular to the hills, and numbering increases to the north, and to the south from Calle 1. Avenidas (avenues) traverse from south to north, parallel to the hills, and numbering increases east to west from Carrera 1.
More than 300 neighborhoods form the urban network. Affluent neighborhoods are primarily situated in the north and north-east; poorer in the south and south-east, many of them squattor areas. The middle class lives mostly in the central, west and northwest areas.
Symbols
Flag of Cúcuta
Since the year 1928, and when in the city of Cali the first national olympics were celebrated, the representation of North of Santander exhibited for the first time the red and black colors.
On that occasion the representants of the North of Santander conquered the representants of Cali and Neiva and only lost against the champion Santa Marta.
Only for the year 1988 and to instances of whom this writes, the Mayor Carlos A. Rangel, legalized the Flag of Cúcuta through the decree # 106 of may 3 of 1988.
Seal of Cúcuta
Only for the year 1958 and by request that did the History Academy of North Santander, was adopted the Shield of the city, by means of - the decree Not. 32 of February 3 of 1958.
Was a governor of the department of North of Santander the colonel Jorge Ordóñez Valderrama; mayor from the city the doctor Aziz Apiaries Abrahim; secretary of Government, Carlos Pérez Escalating; of Estate, Gustavo Rodriguez Duarte and of Public Works, Arturo Silence Duplat
The shield is oblong (rectangular, round in the lower part) and carries for currency, the title conferred to the city by Real Decree of the Emperor Carlos IV of Very noble, valiant and loyal Village of San José of Cúcuta.
In the upper part the weapons of Rangel of Cuéllar, who donated the lands for the foundation from the city June 17, 1733. They were weapons of Juana, 5 fleur-de-lis fleur-de-lis placed in the shape of reel, of color silver and red in fund of gold.
In the lower part the shield shows off the weapons, that by Law of October 6, 1821 adopted the National Congress met in the Village of the Rosary, for Colombia.
Al central an acedillo of spears, with axe crossed, arches and arrows, tied with tricolor tape; the spears were attributes of the Roman consuls; the axe, symbol of the right of the life or death; the arch and the arrows were attribute of our race Hispanic indus.
Hymn of Cúcuta
The Hymn of Cúcuta was legalized by means of the Decree 039 of February 8 of 1984, being a mayor Luis Vicente Mountain Forest.
The letter was written by the Priest doctor Manuel I Skirt Martínez, and the music of the master one Pablo Tarazona Prada.
It was chosen by unanimity in contest celebrated in the Theater Zulima.
Demographics
Population
Cúcuta has undergone a large demographic growth, having 387,481 inhabitants in 1951 and now 1,196,775. It is the fifth most populous city of Colombia. The metropolitan area, which includes the municipalities of Villa del Rosario, Los Patios, El Zulia, San Cayetano and Puerto Santander, has a combined population of more than 1.1 million people. It is the largest metropolitan area in eastern Colombia and fifth in Colombia behind Barranquilla and Bucaramanga.
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,196,755 and 187,041 households in the city. The population density was 2,000/km², making Cúcuta one of the more densely populated cities in the east of the country.
People
Many important Colombians are from Cúcuta:
- Francisco de Paula Santander, the the first President of Colombia, known as "the man of the laws".
- Virgilio Barco, a former president of Colombia.
- Fabiola Zuluaga, the most successful Colombian tennis player[13]
- Some actors such as Lincoln Palomeque, Endry Carreño, Manolo Suñiga, Rafael García Herreros (the founder of Minuto de Dios)
- Elias M. Soto, a classic musician.
Government
The mayor as of 2006 of Cúcuta is Ramiro Suárez Corzo, who has occupied the position since January 2004 (elected by a majority of 62.06%). He represents the movement Colombia Viva.
Cúcuta is the capital of Norte de Santander Department, and houses the Department Hall and the City Hall of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta along with the Francisco de Paula Santander Justice Palace. The Principal Mayor and Urban Council, both elected by popular vote, are responsible for city administration.
The city divided into 10 localities (comunas). The Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta is formed by Cúcuta (as the main city), Villa del Rosario, Los Patios, San Cayetano, El Zulia and Puerto Santander.
Politics in Cúcuta are not defined by a single political movement. Past rivals included the Partido Liberal Colombiano and the Colombian Conservative Party. Today the political landscape is shared by many political parties, none commanding majority support.
Economy
Cúcuta has an agricultural industry that mainly produces milk products and liquors. Construction in the city has boomed in recent years, but it remains primarily a commercial city, due to its proximity to Venezuela, which has led the major Colombian commercial centers, banks and warehouses to set up offices in the city.[14]
US - Colombia Free Trade Agreement implications for Cúcuta
Colombia signed a Free Trade Agreement with the United States amidst opposition by Venezuela. Despite this opposition, industries from Venezuela are constructing their infrastructure in Cúcuta to export their products to the United States, registering their products as if they were Colombian, a strategy that would allow them to export without paying certain tariffs. For that reason, Cúcuta is expected to become an industrial city.[15]
Colombian law provides some tax exemptions for Venezuelan imports through the Zona Franca, which, coupled with the motorway links between Cúcuta and Maracaibo, increases the possibility of exports from Maracaibo into Colombia.[16]
Telecomunications
The city has practically all the telecomunications services, including payphones to Wi-Fi and WiMAX wireless networks,[17] and networks of mobile telephony (GSM, CDMA and TDMA).
Telecom Colombia offers the service of local, national and international telephony and broadband ADSL Internet. There are three mobile telephony operators: Comcel, Movistar and Tigo.
Transport
Public transportation within the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta includes the Metrobus, a massive public transportation system. The city has good traffic conditions.
For travel outside the city, there is a bus station called "Terminal de Transportes" (to be replaced by a new one), the Camilo Daza Airport (Colombia) and the San Antonio Airport (Venezuela). 80 years ago the city had the "Railroad of Cúcuta" which connected with Venezuela.
The highway to Bucaramanga (renovated in January 2007)[18] connects Cúcuta with Bogotá, Medellín and Cali; the highway to Ocaña with Barranquilla, Cartagena and Santa Marta; and the highway to San Cristóbal with Caracas.
Distances to other cities
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Cities of Colombia
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Cities of Venezuela |
Bridges
The city has many bridges, including:
- San Rafael Bridge - official name is "Benito Hernández Bustos".
- Francisco de Paula Andrade Troconis Bridge - the prolongation of the Av. 0, connecting the city with the municipality of Los Patios.
- Elías M. Soto Bridge - rebuilt and extended to 6 rails.
- San Luís Bridge - imported from England by the railroad company.
- Rafael García Herreros Bridge - part of the East Anilo Vial.
Six overpasses are under construction.
Education
The basic education and the high school education are in Colombian "Calendary A" for schools (from February to November).
Schools
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Universities
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Recent development
The city has recently undergone development at an historically unprecedented rate. This has included construction of six overpasses, a convention center, a new bus terminal, a new Integrated Massive Transportation System called Metrobus, modernization of state owned schools, renewal of downtown, and doubling the capacity of the General Santander Stadium.
New industries are expected to come from Venezuela which will place their factories in Cúcuta to export through the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement between Colombia and the United States[9].
Monuments, parks and greenery
Monuments
The main monuments in the city are:
- The monument of the Battle of Cúcuta
- The monument of Juana Rangel de Cuellar, the founder of Cúcuta
- The monument of Camilo Daza, located in the Camilo Daza International Airport.
Parks
The main parks in the city are:
- Santander Park (in Spanish, Parque Santander), the main park of the city located in front of the city hall.
- Colón Park (in Spanish, Parkque Colón), constructed in honor of Cristobal Columbus (in Spanish, Cristobal Colón).
- Simón Bolivar Park (in Spanish, Parque Simón Bolivar), constructed in honor of Simón Bolivar and donated by the Consulate of Venezuela in Cúcuta.
Greenery
From its founding, residents have valued Cúcuta's trees.
Cúcuta has more green zones than many other cities in Colombia. Some consider it an urban lung, due to its many trees and lack of pollution. The greenery is thanks to gifts by prominent Cucuteños, and the legion of foreigners who reconstructed the city after the 1875 earthquake, led by engineer Francisco de Paula Andrade Troconis. The first planted trees were clemones, which had acid and bitter fruits with which boys played. Soon they were replaced by acacias, peracos and almond trees, that adorned the parks and routes. An example of this city design is the Avenue of the Lights (based on oití, ficus and cují), that forms a natural tunnel admired in the rest of the country and by tourists.
Palm trees are common in some places, like Santander Park, Great Colombian Park, the Bank of the Republic and the Department Hall of Norte de Santander. The official flower of Cúcuta is the Isora, a red flower.
References
- ^ Chamber of Commerce of Cúcuta. "Geographical Data". Retrieved 2007-02-11.
- ^ Rincón del Vago. "Seal of Cúcuta". Retrieved 2007-02-11.
- ^ Chamber of Commerce of Cúcuta. "Historical Review". Retrieved 2007-02-11.
- ^ "San José de Cúcuta". Norte de Santander.
- ^ "Campaña Admirable". Simón-Bolivar.org. Retrieved 2006-02-11.
- ^ "Campaña Admirable". Retrieved 2006-02-11. Template:Es icon
- ^ "Ferrocarril de Cúcuta". Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
- ^ "Especial 45 años". Diario La Opinión. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
- ^ a b "Colombia. Proyecciones de población, por área, según municipios" (Excel spreadsheet). Departmento Administrativo Nacional De Estadistica (DANE). Retrieved 2006-10-15. Template:Es icon Cite error: The named reference "COLFTA" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Centro Histórico Villa del Rosario". Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia.
- ^ Ministerio del Medio Ambiente. "Colombia; Rio de Cucuta". Retrieved 2006-10-15. Template:Es icon
- ^ Chamber of Commerce of Cúcuta. "Geographical Data". Retrieved 2007-02-13. Template:Es icon
- ^ Azapedia: Fabiola Zuluaga Template:Es icon asapedia.com Accessed 15 October 2006
- ^ GreatestCities.com. "Cúcuta". Retrieved 2006-10-15. Template:Es icon
- ^ COLFTA. "Cúcuta quiere sacarle jugo al TLC". Retrieved 2006-10-15. Template:Es icon
- ^ ANDI. ANDI "Zona Franca". Retrieved 2006-10-15.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) Template:Es icon - ^ Peña, Leonardo (2006-10-27). "Masificarán Internet Inalámbrico en Cúcuta" (in Spanish). Área Cúcuta.com. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
- ^ Peña, Leonardo (2006-10-31). "Avanza Plan 2500" (in Spanish). ÁreaCúcuta.com. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
External links
Government
- Template:Es icon City Hall of Cúcuta
- Template:Es icon Gobernación de Norte de Santander
- Template:Es icon Education Secretary of North Santander
Health
- Template:Es iconHospital Erasmo Meoz
- Template:Es icon E.S.E. Francisco de Paula Santander
Mass media
- Template:Es icon Newspaper La Opinion
- Template:Es icon Cúcuta Nuestra
- Template:Es icon Area Cúcuta
- Template:Es icon Cúcuta Linda
Universities
- Template:Es icon Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander
- Template:Es icon Universidad de Santander
- Template:Es icon Universidad Simón Bolívar
- Template:Es icon Universidad de Pamplona
- Template:Es icon Universidad Antonio Nariño