Cúcuta

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San José de Cúcuta
Downtown view from International Highway to Venezuela
Image:Bandera de Cucuta.png
Image:Escudo de Cúcuta II.JPG
Flag Seal
Nickname: "City without borders"
Motto: "More progress!"
Location of Cúcuta in North Santander Department
Country Colombia
Department North Santander*
Foundation June 17, 1733
Mayor Ramiro Suarez Corzo
Area  
 - City 2150 km²
Elevation 360 m
Population  
 - City (2005census) 742,689 [1]
 - Metro 721,794 [2]
Website:
www.alcaldiadecucuta.gov.co

Cúcuta (pron. IPA koo`koo-tä), or San Jose de Cúcuta, is the capital of the Norte de Santander Department, in Colombia. Cúcuta is an important city in northeastern Colombia because of where it is; on the border with Venezuela. People from Cúcuta are called cucuteños.

The area has grown fast since the 1960s, especially the suburbs of Villa del Rosario and Los Patios.

Adding also to the city's progress and development that had not been seen in 20 years with the building of six overpasses, a convention center, a new bus terminal, a new Integrated Massive Transportation System called Metrobus, the modernization of state owned schools, the recovery of Cucuta's downtown, and the duplication of the capacity for the General Santander Stadium. And the expectation over new industries that will come from Venezuela and will place their factories in Cucuta aimming at exporting through the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement between Colombia and the United States.[1].

Contents

[edit] History

Main article: History of Cúcuta

Simón Bolívar captured Cúcuta in 1813 and set out from there on his march to Caracas. At Cúcuta the constituent congress of 1821 met to draft the constitution of Greater Colombia (present day Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia).

The city was largely destroyed by an earthquake on 18 May, 1875, but was soon rebuilt.

In 1939 Cúcuta had a population of 59,323 people; in 1990 it had 532,564, and in 2005 the metropolitan area had a population of 950,000.

[edit] Battle of Cúcuta

Main article: Battle of Cúcuta

The battle of Cúcuta was not important as military day, but by the moral importance that took Bolivar advantage to release to Venezuela.

Batalla began at 9:00 AM of the 28 of February of 1813 and finished noon. The combatants: 400 men to the control of Simón Bolivar and 800 to orders of Spanish General Ramon Correa.

Two dead and 14 hurt of liberating troops and 20 dead and 40 hurts of the spanish troops.

[edit] Earthquake of Cúcuta

Main article: Earthquake of Cúcuta

Also known as the Earthquake of the Andes. It happened the May 18 of 1875 at 11:15 AM. It completely destroyed Cúcuta, Villa del Rosario, San Antonio del Tachira and Capacho also causing serious damages in the Venezuelan populations of San Cristóbal, La Mulata, Rubio, Michelena, La Grita, Colón, among others and was felt in Bogota and Caracas.

[edit] Geography

Cúcuta is located on a plateau in the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes[2]. The official metropolitan area includes the municipalities of: Villa del Rosario, Los Patios, El Zulia, and Puerto Santander. All four neighboring municipalities contain extensive rural areas despite recent urbanization.Template:Citationneeded

Satelite photo of Cúcuta, Colombia.
Satelite photo of Cúcuta, Colombia.

[edit] Orography

Main article: Orography of Cúcuta

The city of Cúcuta is plain toward the north and mountainous in its edges and in its central part, especially toward the south, where presents for the east the following mountains, removed of the eastern mountain range of the Colombian Andes.

[edit] Hydrography

Main article: Hydrography of Cúcuta and North Santander

Cúcuta and Norte de Santander have many rivers, none of them with pollution problems, being the Pamplonita River, the Guaramito River, the San Miguel River and the Zulia River de most important[3].

[edit] Demography

Cúcuta is a city with a big demographic growth, because it had 387.481 inhabitants at 1951 and now has a population of 1.196.775.

[edit] Economy

Cúcuta has an agroindustry that mainly produces milk products and liquors, construction has boomed in recent years, but it's a net commercial city due to its condition of border city with Venezuela. Thanks to it the major Colombian commercial centers, banks, and warehouses have offices in the city[4].

US - Colombia Free Trade Agreement implications for Cúcuta

Colombia signed a Free Trade Agreement with the United States to the opposition of Venezuela. Despite its opposition, industries from that country are constructing their infrastructure in Cúcuta to export their products to the United States, registering their products as if they were Colombian, an strategy that would allow them to export without paying certain tariffs. For that reason, Cúcuta is thought to become an industrial city[1].

This process in individual, appears by the legal norm of Colombia that allows exemptions in taxes to make but competitive to the region (throught the Zona Franca), in addition that the own geographic characteristics of the area at issue you appear greater possibilities of exporting products through position of Maracaibo (Venezuela)[5].

Shopping Malls

  • Shopping Mall Unicentro
  • Shopping Mall VENTURA Plaza (En construcción)
  • Shopping Mall VIVERO
  • Shopping Mall OITI
  • Shopping Mall Plaza de Los Andes
  • Shopping Mall Gran Boulevard
  • Shopping Mall Bolívar

[edit] Climatology and Surface

Cúcuta has a municipal area of 1176 km² and is located at 302 above sea level. The average temperature of 28°C (82.4ºF) with an average humidity of 65%. Its medium annual precipitation is of 1,041mm. There are two rain seasons, between March-May and September-November. The dry months of the year are December and January with a medium precipitation of 58mm[6].

[edit] The City

Cúcuta is also known as the "Ciudad sin fronteras" (City without borders), "La ciudad de los arboles" (THe city of the threes), "La hermosa villa" (The beautiful ville), y "Ciudad verde" (Green city)

The city is served by one transportation terminal and the Camilo Daza Airport, which is located north of the city]. In general, the more prosperous areas are along and above west (Caobos, La Riviera and some places of the center) and to the east.Template:Citationneeded

The state owned university, the Francisco de Paula Santander University (UFPS), is in the northeastern part of the city; there are several private universities of varying quality.

[edit] People

Many important personalities from Colombia are from Cúcuta such as the first President of Colombia, Francisco de Paula Santander, known as the man of the laws and Fabiola Zuluaga, the best Colombian tennis player[7], Virgilio Barco, a former president of Colombia, some actors like Lincoln Palomeque, Endry Carreño, Manolo Suñiga, and the musician Elias M. Soto.

[edit] Monuments and Parks

Main monuments

  • 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.

Main parks

  • Santander Park (in spanish "Parque Santander"). It is the main park of the city and is located in front of the city hall.
  • Colón Park (in spanish "Parke Colón"). Constructed in honor to Cristobal Columbus (in spanish "Cristobal Colón").
  • Simón Bolivar Park (in spanish "Parque Simón Bolivar). constructed in honor to Simón Bolivar and donated by the Consulate of Venezuela in Cúcuta.

[edit] Green City

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From its origins a true culture of the tree has been implanted.

The generation of illustrious cucuteños (people from Cúcuta) and the legion of foreigners headed by the engineer Francisco de Paula Andrade Troconis, who reconstructed the city after the 1875 earthquake, gave us drawn up it very well with ample avenues facilitating the woods in the streets, being the first planted species called trees clemones that had acid and bitter fruits with which the boys played.

Soon they were replaced by acacias, peracos and almonds tree, that adorned the parks and routes cucuteñas. In the historical course of the arborization of the city, different stages as far as the spices have been marked that have been used in the ornamentación.

First his streets and avenues planted with acacias, matarratones and almonds tree, later with chinimangos, urapos and palms real, until in 1935 the oití coming from the Brazil that became popular so much until becoming the favorite tree of the cucuteños by its great ornamental value and of shady, by its logable utility also entered that is applied in carpentry, civil and iron constructions.

In Cúcuta the love for the trees is preached and applied, and cucuteño (person of Cúcuta) that is respected has one planted in front of his house and the other in the lot of the same one; practice that has located the city to the national vanguard when granting him to it the award “Gold Oak”, on the part of the old Inderena. For that reason Cúcuta is well-known like the city forest of Colombia.

A sample of the majesty of our green city, is the Avenue of the Lights, that based on oití, ficus and cují, form a true natural tunnel that is object of admiration in the country and the foreigner.

[edit] Education

The basic education and the high school education are in Colombian "Calendary A" for schools (from February to November).

Schools

  • Colegio Salesiano
  • Colegio Calasanz
  • Colegio La Salle
  • Colegio Santo Angel de la Guarda
  • Colegio Santa Teresa
  • Colegio Los Almendros
  • Colegio Carmen Teresiano.

Universities

  • Universidad de Santander
  • Universidad Libre de Colombia
  • Universidad de Pamplona
  • Universidad Simón Bolivar
  • Universidad Antonio Nariño
  • Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander

[edit] Gallery

[edit] References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Comite Empresarial: TLC Template:Es icon comiteempresarial.org Accessed 15 October 2006.
  2. Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango: Geografia Cucuta Template:Es icon lablaa.org Accessed 15 October 2006.
  3. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente: Colombia; Rio de Cucuta Template:Es icon minambiente.gov.co Accessed 15 October 2006.
  4. Greatest Cities: Cucuta Template:Es icon greatestcicites.com Accessed 15 October 2006.
  5. ANDI: Asociacion Nacional de Industriales - Colombia Template:Es icon andi.com.co Accessed 15 October 2006.
  6. Instituto de Estudios Ambientales IDEAM: Temperatura Cucuta Template:Es icon ideam.gov.co Accessed 15 October 2006.
  7. Azapedia: Fabiola Zuluaga Template:Es icon asapedia.com Accessed 15 October 2006.

[edit] External links

Government

Health

Mass media

Universities