Tibú

Tibú
Municipality and town
Flag Seal
Location of the municipality and town of Tibú in the Norte de Santander Department of Colombia.
Coordinates: 8°38′0″N 72°43′0″W / 8.63333°N 72.71667°W / 8.63333; -72.71667
Country	Colombia
Department	Norte de Santander Department
Foundation	November 3, 1977
Government
• Mayor	Jose Del Carmen Garcia Palacios
Area
• Municipality and town	2,696 km2 (1,041 sq mi)
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
Population (2015)
• Municipality and town	36,502
• Density	14/km2 (35/sq mi)
• Urban	13,566
Time zone	Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)

Tibú is a Colombian municipality and town located in the department of North Santander.

History

The area of present-day Tibú was established as a camp basement by oil companies who first arrived in the area in 1945. On March 8, 1945 the Council of Cúcuta approved the creation of the corregimiento of Tibu. The Catholic Church also established the San Luis Beltran Mission and later on May 25, 1952 established the parish. The church greatly contributed to the development of the village by designing the first streets and distributing lots for the first houses and the cathedral.

It was erected municipality later on January 1, 1977 in the midst of the jungle of the Catatumbo Region an almost human inhospitable land between Colombian and Venezuela.

Colombian Armed Conflict 1960s-present

The town and municipalities were hardly hit by the Colombian civil war. The area has been a constant dispute between government forces, the guerrillas of the FARC and ELN and paramilitary groups. On June 16, 1996 AUC members perpetrated the Gabarra Massacre while struggling for control of the area with insurgents.

Geography

The municipality of Tibú borders to the east with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, to the south with the municipalities of Cúcuta and Sardinata, to the west with El Tarra and San Calixto and to the northwest with Teorama.

References

• (in Spanish)Tibú official website

Coordinates: 8°39′N 72°44′W / 8.650°N 72.733°W / 8.650; -72.733