Ibagué

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Ibagué
Municipio
Flag of Ibagué
Flag		 Official seal of Ibagué
Seal
Nickname(s): Musical city of Colombia[1]
Location of the city of Ibagué in Tolima.
Location of the city of Ibagué in Tolima.
Ibagué is located in Colombia
Ibagué
Ibagué
Location in Colombia
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  Colombia
Region Andean Region
Department Department of Tolima
Foundation October 14, 1550
Government
 • Mayor Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo
Area
 • Municipio 1,498 km2 (578 sq mi)
Elevation 1,285 m (4,216 ft)
Population (2005)[2]
 • Municipio 498,401
 • Estimate (2015) 553,526
 • Urban 523,068
 • Rural 30,458
Demonym(s) Ibaguereño
Time zone Eastern Time Zone (UTC-5)
Postal code 730001-730019
Area code(s) 57 + 8
Website Official website (Spanish)

Ibagué (Spanish pronunciation: [iβaˈɣe]) is the capital of Tolima, one of the 32 departments that make up the Republic of Colombia.[3] 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 about 498,401 (according to the 2005 census) inhabitants,[2] making it the seventh (7th) most populous in Colombia. It was founded on October 14, 1550 by the Spanish captain Andrés López de Galarza. The city of Ibagué is divided into 13 communes and the rural area has over 17 corregimientos.[4] As the capital of the department of Tolima, the city hosts the Government of Tolima, the Departmental Assembly, the Attorney General's Office, and is the main epicenter of political, economic, administrative, business, art, culture, and tourism activities.

Ibagué is one of the major economies of Colombia and is projected to be one of the largest in South America[5] with development potential and competitive national and international business centers, industry and infrastructure. It is one of only three cities in the country chosen by the World Trade Center Association (WTCA) to build headquarters along with Cali,[6] adding to the one existing in Bogotá. Its economy is based primarily on the industrial, tourism and agricultural sectors, with its textile industry[7] being the third largest of Colombia.[8] According to Doing Business from the World Bank in Washington DC, Ibagué tops the ranking of the cities with greater ease of doing business and investment in the country after Manizales.[9]

The city is known as "The Musical Capital of Colombia and America", thanks to the Conservatory of Tolima[10] (one of the most prestigious and important of Colombia),[11] folklore festivities,[12] and its many monuments referring to music. The city's main educational institutions are the University of Tolima, the University of Ibagué, the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD) and the Conservatory of Tolima.

History

Ibagué was founded by Spaniard Andrés López de Galarza on October 14, 1550 as "Villa de San Bonifacio de Ibagué del Valle de las Lanzas" ("Town of Saint Boniface of Ibagué of the Valley of the Spears") in the place where today is located the urban area of the neighbouring municipality of Cajamarca, which lies 42 km (26 miles) to the west of the modern city of Ibagué. Due to the frequent attacks by the indigenous Pijaos commanded by cacique Ibagué, the city was founded once more in its current location on February 7, 1551. From April to December 1854 Ibagué was briefly the capital of the New Granada following a coup d'etat promoted by José María Melo, a general and politician born in Chaparral, Tolima. In 1908, when the department of Tolima was created, Ibagué became its capital. The University of Tolima was founded in 1945, and was raised to state university status in 1954. The city is also the home of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ibagué.

Geography

Ibagué is located in the Colombian Andean region, in the center of the department of Tolima, surrounded by mountains in all sides, except for a plateau which extends to the east.

Volcanism

Ibagué lies within the Andean Volcanic Belt. It has two active volcanoes in its immediate vicinity, the Nevado del Tolima, 28 km (17 mi) NW of the city, and the Cerro Machín, 17 km (11 mi) W of the city centre but still within the Municipality of Ibagué. The city is one access point to the Los Nevados National Park, the other being Manizales.

Cerro Machín has been dormant for the last 800 years, but seismological activity has been registered recently, causing several earthquakes. The volcano is classified as "III - Changes in behaviour of volcanic activity" by Ingeominas, the Colombian Institute for Geology and Mining.[13] A map of menaced areas has been published indicating that in case of an eruption the city of Ibagué would, despite its vicinity, not be affected.[14]

Demographics

The total population of the municipality of Ibagué (including urban and rural areas), according to the 2005 census, was 498,401 inhabitants, of which 468,647 resided in the urban area. The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) estimates that the total population in 2015 is 553,526, with 523,068 in the urban area (cabecera) and 30,458 in the rural area (resto).[2]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Municipal transport is managed by several local bus companies that operate minibuses throughout the city and to neighbouring villages.

Ibagué lies at the intersection of national roads 40 and 43, connecting the city to Magdalena River Valley and Bogotá to the east, Armenia and the Valle del Cauca to the west, and Honda to the north. There is a long distance bus terminal with connections to most big cities in Colombia. There are frequent connections to Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, and several overnight buses to Cartagena, Barranquilla, and seasonal services to Santa Marta.

About 10 km (6 mi) east of the city lies Perales Airport which has several flights a day to Bogotá and Medellín.

Climate

Ibagué features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification, albeit a noticeably cooler version of the climate due to the high altitude. Although the city does experience noticeably drier conditions during the months of January and July, the city has no true dry season month, as all 12 months see on average more than 60 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation. As is commonplace with areas with this climate, temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the course of the year in Ibagué, with average high temperatures of about 28 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius. Ibagué on average sees 1,700 mm (66.9 in) of precipitation annually.

Climate data for Ibagué, Colombia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.7
(90.9)		 34.0
(93.2)		 33.6
(92.5)		 34.2
(93.6)		 32.5
(90.5)		 33.1
(91.6)		 34.8
(94.6)		 35.0
(95)		 35.4
(95.7)		 33.0
(91.4)		 31.4
(88.5)		 31.4
(88.5)		 35.4
(95.7)
Average high °C (°F) 28.5
(83.3)		 28.6
(83.5)		 28.4
(83.1)		 27.9
(82.2)		 27.8
(82)		 28.5
(83.3)		 29.5
(85.1)		 30.0
(86)		 29.4
(84.9)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.2
(81)		 27.7
(81.9)		 28.42
(83.15)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23.9
(75)		 24.0
(75.2)		 23.9
(75)		 23.7
(74.7)		 23.6
(74.5)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.5
(76.1)		 25.0
(77)		 24.6
(76.3)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.1
(73.6)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.91
(75.04)
Average low °C (°F) 18.7
(65.7)		 19.1
(66.4)		 19.2
(66.6)		 19.2
(66.6)		 19.2
(66.6)		 19.1
(66.4)		 18.8
(65.8)		 19.0
(66.2)		 19.0
(66.2)		 18.9
(66)		 18.8
(65.8)		 18.7
(65.7)		 18.98
(66.17)
Record low °C (°F) 15.3
(59.5)		 15.2
(59.4)		 14.8
(58.6)		 15.6
(60.1)		 16.2
(61.2)		 15.2
(59.4)		 15.2
(59.4)		 16.0
(60.8)		 14.4
(57.9)		 16.0
(60.8)		 15.8
(60.4)		 15.4
(59.7)		 14.4
(57.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 76.7
(3.02)		 95.6
(3.764)		 138.5
(5.453)		 203.4
(8.008)		 240.4
(9.465)		 116.9
(4.602)		 76.8
(3.024)		 88.3
(3.476)		 155.0
(6.102)		 212.6
(8.37)		 164.6
(6.48)		 110.4
(4.346)		 1,679.2
(66.11)
Average precipitation days 12 13 16 20 20 12 10 11 15 20 18 14 181
Average relative humidity (%) 76 76 78 80 81 76 68 65 71 80 82 80 76.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 175.7 138.6 136.5 136.1 157.5 173.6 194.9 193.7 177.9 150.8 141.3 162.1 1,938.7
Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales[15]

Notable people

Ibagué is the birthplace of painter Darío Ortiz Robledo,[16] boxer Óscar Escandón, football player James Rodríguez, singer Jairo Alberto Bocanegra Pena, soprano Patricia Caicedo, novelist James Cañón.

Notable institutions

Ibagué has a series of important institutions of all kinds: universities, schools, clubs, malls, parks, football field, stadium, etc.

Notable schools

  • Colegio La Presentación is a private school founded by Marie Poussepin, with values education and located next to the municipal government in the Bolivar Square.
  • Colegio Tolimense is a 79-year-old private educative institution that was founded by Monseigneur Pedro María Rodríguez.
  • Maria Montessori School is a traditional primary school that was founded by Adelaida Cuellar in 1980 educating the children through games.
  • Colegio Gimnasio Campestre is a private elementary, middle and high school founded in 1958 by Lilia Galindo de Posada as "Baby Garden" and after named Gimnasio Campestre.
  • Colegio Cisneros.
  • Colegio San Simón is a public school founded in 1822 by Francisco de Paula Santander within the building of a former Dominican convent.
  • Colegio San Bonifacio de las Lanzas is a private school founded in 1985.
  • "Colegio Augusto E. Medina de Comfenalco" founded by Augusto E. Medina in 1972.

Notable clubs

  • Club Campestre

Sports

The Colombian Football Association announced that Ibagué will be one of the venue cities to host the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup.[17]

International relations

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See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Colombia

Twin towns – Sister cities

Ibagué is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ City of Ibagué (Tolima). Mycities.co. Retrieved 02 June 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ "Darío Ortiz abrió su 'Ventana al Mundo'", El Espectador, September 29, 2008 (Spanish).
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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