Ibagué

Ibagué is the capital of the department of Tolima in Colombia. It is situated 1,285 m (4,216 ft) above sea level, on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central between the Chipalo and Combeima rivers, tributaries of the Coello River. It is on the road from Bogotá to Cali near the high mountain pass known as "La Línea" ("The Line") which connects the interandean valleys of Magdalena and Cauca rivers; as a result, the city has become an important commercial center and road transport hub. The fertile surrounding countryside produces coffee, cacao, tobacco, sugarcane, and rice. Ibagué is widely regarded as the "Musical City of Colombia" due to its long tradition in offering advanced musical education and its rich schedule of musical events during the year.

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 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. Tolima University 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 central Tolima department, 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 NW of the city, and the Cerro Machín, 17 km E 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 recently seismological activity has been registered, causing several earthquakes. The volcano is classified as "III - Changes in behaviour of volcanic activity" by Ingeominas, the Colombian Institute for Geology and Mining.^[1] 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.^[2]

Demographics

The total population of the municipality of Ibagué (including urban and rural zones) is 745000 inhabitants, of which 468,647 reside in the urban area.

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, Medellin, and several overnight buses to Cartagena, Barranquilla, and seasonal services to Santa Marta.

About 10 km east of the city lies Perales Airport which has several flights a day to Bogotá and Medellin.

Climate

Ibague features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen 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 of precipitation. As is commonplace with areas with this climate, temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the course of the year in Ibague, with average high temperatures of about 28 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius. Ibague on average sees 1700 mm of precipitation annually.

Notable people

Ibagué is the birthplace of painter Darío Ortiz Robledo,^[3] boxer Óscar Escandón, singer Jairo Alberto Bocanegra Pena, soprano Patricia Caicedo, and novelist James Cañón, .

Notable Institutions

Ibagué has a series of important institutions of all kinds. Universities, schools, clubs, malls, parks, etc.

Notable Schools

Colegio Tolimense

The Colegio Tolimense is a 77 year old private educative institution that was founded by Monseigneur Pedro María Rodriguez.

Notable Clubs

Club de Inglés Ibagué

The Club de Inglés Ibagué^[4] is an institution created in 2007 by Santiago Rojas Montoya, a 12 year old Colombian that had lived in the United States for most of his life. The purpose was to share English knowledge with children and teenagers through fun and play. In 2008 it relocates to the Parque Deportivo^[5]

Neighborhoods

• El Jardín
• Villa Café
• jordan
• la pola
• picaleña

References

1. ^ "Ingeominas" (in Spanish). Manizales, Colombia: Ingeominas. 1 August 2009. http://intranet.ingeominas.gov.co/manizales/Página_Principal. Retrieved 13 August 2009. 
2. ^ "Mapa de amenaza del Cerro Machín" (in Spanish). Manizales, Colombia: Ingeominas. 9 December 2008. http://intranet.ingeominas.gov.co/manizales/Mapa_de_Amenaza_del_Cerro_Machín. Retrieved 13 August 2009. 
3. ^ "Darío Ortiz abrió su 'Ventana al Mundo'", El Espectador, September 29, 2008 (Spanish).
4. ^ Club de Inglés Ibagué Website
5. ^ Parque Deportivo Map