Mocoa

Mocoa
Coordinates: 1 ° 9 ′ N , 76 ° 39 ′ W Mocoa on the map of Colombia	Mocoa
	Mocoa
	Location of the municipality of Mocoa on the map of Putumayo
Basic data
Country	Colombia
Department	Putumayo
City foundation	1551
Residents	45,589 (2019)
	City insignia
Detailed data
surface	1263 km 2
Population density	36 people / km 2
height	500 m
Waters	Río Mocoa , Río Cascabel
Time zone	UTC -5
City Presidency	José Antonio Castro Meléndez (2016-2019)
Website	mocoa-putumayo.gov.co
	Main square of Mocoa
	Nature at Mocoa

Mocoa is a municipality ( municipio ) and at the same time the capital of the Departamento de Putumayo in southwestern Colombia near the border with Ecuador . It is located about 600 km southwest of Bogotá and 140 km east of the city of Pasto in the neighboring coastal department of Nariño.

Mocoa is located in the more densely populated western part of Putumayo on the eastern flank of the Eastern Cordillera not far from the Caquetá river . The municipality has an area of about 1263 km².

Together with Sibundoy, Mocoa is the seat of the Mocoa-Sibundoy diocese .

geography

Mocoa is located in the north of Putumayo in the sub-region Medio Putumayo at an altitude between 400 and 3200 meters. The Río Mocoa and the Río Cascabel flow through the municipality . The municipality borders in the north on Santa Rosa in the Departamento del Cauca and on El Tablón de Gómez in the Departamento de Nariño , in the east on Santa Rosa and Piamonte in Cauca and Puerto Guzmán , in the south on Puerto Caicedo and Villagarzón and in the west on San Francisco and Sibundoy .

population

The municipality of Mocoa has 45,589 inhabitants, of which 38,152 live in the urban part (cabecera municipal) of the municipality (as of 2019).

history

Mocoa was founded in 1563 by Gonzalo de Avendaño on indigenous territory. The place was burned down by indigenous people in 1683 and then moved to its current location. In the 19th century Mocoa became the center of the trade in cinchona bark , natural rubber and salt . Mocoa has had parish status since 1958. With the establishment of the Intendencia de Putumayo , Mocoa became the capital. This status also persisted when Putumayo was elevated to a department in 1991 .

Torrential rains triggered a mudslide on the night of March 31st to April 1st, 2017 . The river Mocoa and its tributaries burst their banks and caused great destruction. Almost half of the buildings and 17 districts were destroyed. At least 280 people died and several hundred were injured.

economy

The main industries of Mocoa are agriculture and cattle production . There are corn , bananas , cassava , sugar cane for panela , pineapple and citrus plants grown. There is also trade on a smaller scale .

Infrastructure

Mocoa does not have an airport. The nearest airports are in Villagarzón and Puerto Asís . An asphalt road was only completed in 2002, which connects Mocoa and Putumayo with the interior of the country and leads from San Miguel on the Ecuadorian border via Mocoa to Pitalito . From there the road continues to Neiva and Bogotá . A road in bad condition also leads to Pasto .

Web links

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

Wikinews: Mocoa - on the news

Alcaldia de Mocoa. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, municipality website).

Individual evidence

^ Información del municipio. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the geography of the municipality).
↑ 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 April 9, 2019 (Spanish, extrapolation of the population of Colombia).
↑ Pasado, presente y futuro. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the history of the municipality).
↑ n-tv news television: Disaster in Colombia: floods kill over 200 people . In: n-tv.de . ( n-tv.de [accessed on April 2, 2017]).
^ St. Galler Tagblatt AG, Switzerland: Over 250 mudslide deaths in Colombia . In: St.Galler Tagblatt Online . ( archive.org [accessed May 20, 2017]).
↑ Klaus Ehringfeld: It sounded as if the earth had opened up. Spiegel Online, April 2, 2017, accessed April 2, 2017 (Spanish).
↑ Economía. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the municipality's economy).
↑ Vías de comunicación. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the infrastructure of the municipality).

[1] Información del municipio. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the geography of 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 April 9, 2019 (Spanish, extrapolation of the population of Colombia).

[3] Pasado, presente y futuro. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the history of the municipality).

[4] -tv news television: Disaster in Colombia: floods kill over 200 people . In: n-tv.de . ( n-tv.de [accessed on April 2, 2017]).

[5] St. Galler Tagblatt AG, Switzerland: Over 250 mudslide deaths in Colombia . In: St.Galler Tagblatt Online . ( archive.org [accessed May 20, 2017]).

[6] Klaus Ehringfeld: It sounded as if the earth had opened up. Spiegel Online, April 2, 2017, accessed April 2, 2017 (Spanish).

[7] Economía. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the municipality's economy).

[8] Vías de comunicación. Alcaldía de Mocoa - Putumayo, accessed April 9, 2019 (Spanish, information on the infrastructure of the municipality).