| Santander Department | |
.jpg/250px-Cañón_del_Chicamocha_2014-09-21_(2).jpg) | |
Location  | |
Coat of arms and flag   | |
| State | Colombia |
|---|---|
| Region | Andean region |
| Capital | Bucaramanga |
| Surface | 30,537 km² |
| Inhabitants | 2.280.908 (estimate 2020 |
| Institutional website | |
Santander Department is an administrative division of the region Colombian of the Andes.
To know
The tourism industry has been boosted in recent years thanks largely to the Chicamocha National Park with the longest cable car in South America. Within the limits of the park is the canyon of the same name, one of the natural wonders of Colombia. Along the Fonce, Suárez and Chicamocha rivers it is possible to practice rowing while caving enthusiasts will find it interesting to visit caves such as El Indio, El Yeso, El Nitro.
To visit, then, the old colonial centers listed below. Among these it excels San Gil, considered the tourist capital of Santander and all of Colombia eastern, thanks above all to its surroundings characterized by woods and abundance of water and the possibility of practicing various sports, among which the favorite of most is rowing on the Fonce river. Unfortunately, the development of tourism has strongly altered the graceful appearance of the old colonial center; large roads have been opened, new buildings have been built, often with a trivial appearance, and large shopping centers inaugurated.
Geographical notes
The Santander department is located in the central-eastern part of country. It borders to the north with the departments of Norte de Santander, Cesar is Bolívar, to the east with the departments of Norte de Santander e Boyacá, to the south with Boyacá, to the west with Antioquia and Bolívar.
A few kilometers from the capital rises the volcano known as "El León de América", now dormant. The La Teta volcanoes in Matanza follow. Separated from the main chain, in the center of the department is a set of medium-height mountains, the Serranía de los Yariguies.
Most of the rivers and streams are tributaries of the Magdalena River which flows from south to north on the western side of the department for a length of 289 km. The middle course of the river creates numerous lakes and swamps with abundant fish fauna.
According to the 2005 census, the department has 2,158,000 inhabitants of which 75% live in the metropolitan area of the department. 63% of the municipalities of Santander have fewer than 10 thousand inhabitants and their economy is mainly based on agriculture.
Only five municipalities exceed 100,000 inhabitants: Bucaramanga, Floridablanca, Barrancabermeja, Girón and Piedecuesta. 278,054 inhabitants live in poverty and 91,071 in misery, the rest are in good or very good conditions.
The lowest quality of life is found in the municipality of García Rovira, where no rural property reaches or exceeds 10 hectares. The highest quality of life is instead in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga, the second nationwide after Bogotá.
Mestizos and whites make up 97.72% of the department's total population. the Afro-Colombians 2.15%, the Amerindians 0.13% and the Gypsies 0.01%.
Background
One of the regions of the Colombia with greater historical wealth is the department of Santander. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, the region was inhabited by several indigenous peoples, the Guani, the Agatáes, the Chipatáes, the Yariguíes, decimated a few years later by smallpox and other diseases brought by the conquistadors.
The pueblo Santander's oldest is Chipatá, founded in 1537 by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. In Socorro, the first spark of the Revolution of the Comuneros broke out, at the origin of national independence from Spanish rule.
Industry and commerce flourished during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, thanks to the gold mines and later to the oil fields of Barrancabermeja which led to a significant migratory flow. A first arrival of British, French and Italian immigrants was recorded in 1830 in the territories of today's Venezuela, in particular in Maracaibo. Several of the new migrants moved 10 years later to Cúcuta and, around 1850, to Bucaramanga where they mainly devoted themselves to trade. Later it was the turn of the Germans, some of whom amassed great wealth. The most influential person was Geo Von Lengerke who founded banks in Girón, Socorro and Cúcuta.
On May 13, 1857 the law establishing the federal state of Santander was approved by the Congress of New Granada, transformed in 1886 into a department with capital Bucaramanga, a statute that it still maintains today.
In 1910, the provinces of Pamplona, Cúcuta and Ocaña were detached and formed the new department of Norte de Santander, with Cúcuta as its capital.
Santander gave to the Colombia 4 presidents of state, General Custodio García Rovira in 1814, Colonel Manuel Fernando Serrano Uribe in 1816, Aquileo Parra Gómez from 1868 to 1870 and Ramón González Valencia from 3 August 1909 until 7 August 1910.
Territories and tourist destinations
Department of Santander: full screen map.Urban centers
- 1 Barichara - Included in the list of the most beautiful villages in Colombia, Barichara is a town of 7,000 inhabitants, notable for its colonial architecture.
- 2 Bucaramanga - City of 500,000 inhabitants, the capital of the department of Santander is a university center with interesting monuments and possibilities for excursions to the Chicamocha canyon, the ancient gold mines of Giron and the eco-park of San Gil.
- 3 The Playa de Belén
- 4 San Gil - Major tourist center of the department, San Gil it is appreciated for the possibility of practicing numerous sports, even extreme ones. In the high season the hotels of the locality, although numerous, they are unable to cope with tourist demand.
- 5 San Juan de Girón - Located within the metropolitan area of capital, San Juan de Girón it preserves interesting architectures from the time when the settlers sifted the waters of the Rio dell'Oro in search of the precious metal.
- 6 Socorro - Socorro is defined as the "Cradle of freedom of America" because it was the scene of the riots of 1781 which resulted in Revolución de los Comuneros, first yearning for freedom of South American countries from the Spanish yoke. In the center are still standing the buildings that saw the events of the eighteenth century. The Cathedral is the third tallest in the Colombia. Today Socorro is famous for its gastronomic traditions and new restaurants are popping up like mushrooms.
Other destinations
- 1 Chicamocha National Park (Parque nacional del Chicamocha) - Famous for the beauty and variety of landscapes, the park was inaugurated in 2006 and is very popular, having its entrance along the road Bucaramanga-Bogotá. Its main attraction is the 167 km long canyon carved by the Chicamocha River. The cable car that takes you to the top of the Los Santos plateau is also very popular (Mesa de los Santos) passing over the gorges.
How to get
How to get around
What see
What to do
At the table
The migratory flows of the previous centuries have strongly altered the original culinary habits. Some typical dishes that have withstood the impact are:
- Arepa de arroz pelao —
- Mute - corn soup, and meat with vegetables)
- Bocadillo veleño - Sweet of the indigenous guava tradition.
- Hormigas culonas - Another legacy of indigenous culture that found a source of protein in giant ants.
Safety
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Santander Department
Commons contains images or other files on Santander Department
