Girardot (Colombia)

Girardot
Coordinates: 4 ° 18 ′  N , 74 ° 49 ′  W Girardot​ Girardot on the map of Colombia
Location of the municipality of Girardot on the map of Cundinamarca
Basic data
Country	Colombia
Department	Cundinamarca
City foundation	October 9, 1852
Residents	107,324  (2019)
- in the metropolitan area	146.778
City insignia
Detailed data
surface	129 km 2
Population density	832 inhabitants / km 2
height	289  m
Waters	Río Magdalena , Río Bogotá
Time zone	UTC -5
City Presidency	José Francisco Lozano Sierra (2020-2023)
Website	girardot-cundinamarca.gov.co
Bridge over the Río Magdalena between Girardot and Flandes
Cathedral and main park in Girardot
View of Girardot

Girardot is a municipality ( municipio ) in Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca .

geography

Girardot metropolitan area

Girardot is located in the Cundinamarca , 134 km southwest of Bogotá on the east bank of the Río Magdalena at an altitude of 289 m in the province of Alto Magdalena , of which it is the capital. The climate is tropical , the average temperature is 33 ° C. The municipality is bordered to the north by Nariño and Tocaima , to the south by Flandes in Tolima and the Río Magdalena, to the west by Nariño, the Río Magdalena and Coello in Tolima and to the east by Ricaurte and the Río Bogotá . Girardot, together with Flandes and Ricaurte, forms the unofficial Girardot metropolitan region .

population

The municipality of Girardot has 107,324 inhabitants, of whom 103,846 live in the urban part (cabecera municipal) of the municipality. 146,778 people live in the metropolitan region (as of 2019).

tourism

Girardot is very popular as an excursion destination for the inhabitants of the capital Bogotá , especially since the road from Bogotá via Melgar to Girardot is largely safe from guerrilla raids . This very busy route, one of Colombia's main arteries, is famous for its scenic beauty, but also notorious for its numerous accidents.

shipping

Girardot is the farthest upstream port of the Río Magdalena, which can still be used by larger river boats. Girardot used to be of great importance as an inland port for the metropolis of Bogotá, but shipping has almost come to a standstill in recent years due to the armed conflict . Today the city lives almost exclusively from agriculture and a booming day tourism, which manifests itself in numerous markets, shops and an overall very colorful and lively atmosphere.

Camino Real

The so-called Camino Real begins in Girardot , the historical riding and footpath of the Spanish viceroys of the viceroyalty of New Granada to Bogotá. It leads via Viotá , Mesitas del Colegio and Santandercito to the Colombian capital and overcomes an altitude difference of 2400 m in the valley of the Río Bogotá .

Infrastructure

Girardot has one airport, Santiago Vila Airport ( IATA code : GIR ), which is located in the neighboring municipality of Flandes .

Web links

Commons : Girardot  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Alcaldia de Girardot. Alcaldía de Girardot - Cundinamarca, accessed February 20, 2019 (Spanish, municipality website). 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Información del municipio. Alcaldía de Girardot - Cundinamarca, accessed February 20, 2019 (Spanish, information on the municipality). 
2. ↑ ESTIMACIONES DE POBLACIÓN 1985 - 2005 Y PROYECCIONES DE POBLACIÓN 2005 - 2020 TOTAL DEPARTAMENTAL POR ÁREA. (Excel; 1.72 MB) DANE, May 11, 2011, accessed on February 20, 2019 (Spanish, extrapolation of the population of Colombia).