Inírida, Guainía

Inírida
—  Municipality and city  —

Flag
Location of the municipality and town of Inírida, Guainía in the Guainía Department of Colombia.
Inírida
Location in Colombia
Coordinates:
Country  Colombia
Region Amazon Region
Department Guainía Department
Time zone Colombia Standard Time (UTC-05)

Inírida, formerly Puerto Inírida, is the capital city, and a municipality, of the department of Guainía in Colombia. It was established in 1963 on the site of the small village of Obando, at the time in the municipality of San Felipe. The municipality was renamed in 1974.[1] The municipal population of 10,891 (census 2005)[2] is mostly indigenous and accounts for about a third of the department's population.

Contents

History

Prior to 1960 there was little development in the area which was sparsely populated[2] by almost entirely indigenous people.[3] However, in the 1990s and 2000s with increased exploitation of the area’s natural resources, efforts have been made to control the local population.[4] The increased military presence was in part because the area was deemed to be a FARC stronghold.[5]

Geography

Located in the llanos at the confluence of the Inírida River and Guaviare River, most of the territory of the municipality of Puerto Inírida is river terrace and bottomland, although there are some hills. It is just 30 km from the Venezuelan border.

Economy

The main economic activities in the municipality, aside from government, are agriculture, fishing[6] and cattle raising.[7] Agriculture includes subsistence farming[8], the production of fiber from the petioles of the young chiquichiqui palm (Bactris speciosa), used for rope, and the rattan known as "Yaré" used for furniture and baskets.

Demographics

The society of Inírida is composed by a 53% of indigenous people; Curripacos, Puinaves and Piapocos. A 30% by colonizers that are people coming from the other parts of Colombia, and occasionally from the surrounding countries such as Venezuela, and a 17% by other indigenous ethnic groups.[9]

Transportation

Airports

The local airport, known as Aeropuerto Cesar Gaviria Trujillo (honoring a former Colombian president)(IATA: PDA, ICAO: SKPD), runway is, as of 2007, serviced by one airline, Satena[10], which has three flights a week to and from Bogotá and one flight a week to and from Villavicencio. However, the San Fernando de Atabapo airport in Venezuela is just 30 km away. There is also a cargo airline that flies twice a week from Bogotà only. The airport was formerly known as Aeropuerto Obando. It is also possible to get to Inirida by the river, but the trip is too long and costs almost the same as the flight; besides, if you go by the river it will take you several hours, or even days, depending o the type of craft that you take. This makes the planes a better and faster option to travel to this town.

Notes

  1. ^ "Decreto Numero 1593 de 1974 (Agosto 5)" Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi (IGAC), Colombia (Colombian Presidential Decree #1593 of 5 August 1974)
  2. ^ a b City populations of Colombia;
  3. ^ Suárez, Carlos Alberto et al. (2003) Colombia: Guía Enciclopédica NORMA, Bogotá, D.E., pp. 114-115, ISBN 9580468060
  4. ^ "Captured fourteen Brazilian illegal ones in Puerto Inírida" 19 August 2005;
  5. ^ Coghlan, Nicholas (2004) Saddest Country: On Assignment in Colombia McGill-Queen's Press, Montreal, p. 171, 182-183, ISBN 0773527877
  6. ^ Castro, Dario M. (1988) Algunos aspectos de la pesca ornamental en Puerto Inírida, Museo del Mar, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogotá, D.E.
  7. ^ Mejía Gutiérrez, Mario and Mejía Fernández, Fernando (1980) Puerto Inírida, Comisaría del Guainía : economía básica Corporación Araracuara, Departamento Administrativo de Intendencias y Comisarías, Bogotá, D.E.
  8. ^ Triana, Gloria (1985) Los Puinaves del Inírida:: formas de subsistencia y mecanismos de adaptación Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, D.E.
  9. ^ DIMAR.MIL.CO
  10. ^ Servicio Aéreo Territorios Nacionales SATENA

External links

Municipalities in the Guainía Department