Salamá

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Salamá
Coordinates: 15 ° 6 ′  N , 90 ° 16 ′  W
Map: Guatemala
marker
Salamá​
Salamá on the map of Guatemala
Basic data
Country Guatemala
Department Baja Verapaz
City foundation 1562
Residents 50,000 
Detailed data
surface 776 km 2
Population density 64 inhabitants / km 2
height 940  m
Waters Río Salamá
Post Code 15001
Time zone UTC −6
City patron San Mateo (Festival: September 21)
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Salamá is a city in Guatemala and the administrative seat of the Baja Verapaz department and the large municipality of Salamá ( Municipio ), which covers 776 km² and has about 50,000 inhabitants.

Location and climate

The city is located about 100 km north-northeast of Guatemala City in the Urrán Valley at about 960 m. You can reach Salamá via the Atlantic route CA 9 and then from El Rancho via the national road 17 (a total of 147 km). In addition, in the dry season you can also drive on the very winding National Road 5 via San Juan Sacatepéquez , El Chol and Rabinal to Salamá. A direct connection via San Pedro Ayampuc and La Canoa is under construction.

The municipality of Salamá borders in the northeast on Purulhá , in the southeast and south on San Jerónimo and the departments El Progreso and Guatemala , in the southwest on the municipalities Santa Cruz El Chol and Rabinal and in the west and northwest on San Miguel Chicaj .

The mean annual rainfall is 750 mm with an average of 103 rainy days. The average temperature is 20.9 ° C.

Economy and tourism

Salamá lives mainly from agriculture and cattle breeding. Since the city is not far from the CA 14 road to Cobán , tourism is also increasing. The neighborhood also is Quetzal - habitat Mario Dary Rivera . Other attractions are the archaeological sites of Las Figuras, Pachalum, San Jacinto and Tzalcam, as well as the Salamá, Chilascó, San Isidro and Las Flautas rivers, which flow into the Chixoy reservoir in the northwest. The 220 m high Zacualpa waterfalls are worth seeing.

The celebrations in honor of the patron saint Matthew will take place from September 17th to 22nd.

history

Salamá was probably founded in 1562. The name is derived from the Mayan expression Tz'alam Há , which means something like "board on the water". On January 17, 1833 Salamá became the capital of the Verapaz department, after its division on May 4, 1877, the capital of the Baja Verapaz department .

See also

Web links