Nariño Department

Department of Nariño
Departamento del Nariño
Department

Flag
Coat of arms
Motto(s): Desde el mar hasta el Galeras
(Spanish: From the sea to the Galeras)
Anthem: Himno del Departamento de Nariño

Nariño shown in red

Topography of the department
Coordinates: 01°10′N 77°16′W / 1.167°N 77.267°W / 1.167; -77.267Coordinates: 01°10′N 77°16′W / 1.167°N 77.267°W / 1.167; -77.267
Country  Colombia
Region Pacific Region/Andes Region
Established August 6, 1904
Capital Pasto
Government
 • Governor Camilo Romero (2016-2019)
Area
 • Total 33,268 km2 (12,845 sq mi)
Area rank 11th
Population (2013)[1]
 • Total 1,701,840
 • Rank 8th
 • Density 51/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-05
ISO 3166 code CO-NAR
Provinces 3
Municipalities 62
Website www.gobernar.gov.co

Nariño (Spanish pronunciation: [naˈɾiɲo]) is a department of Colombia named after independence leader Antonio Nariño. Its capital is San Juan de Pasto. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean.

Nariño has a diverse geography and varied climate according to altitude: hot in the plains of the Pacific and cold in the mountains, where most of the population resides, a situation that is repeated in a north-south direction. Other important cities include Tumaco and Ipiales.

History

The territory was occupied during the Pre-Columbian era by numerous Indian tribes, including Quillacingas, Awá, Pasto, and Tumas. The first conqueror who entered the territory was Andagoya Pascual in 1522, who traveled from the Colombian Pacific coast and then used information obtained by Francisco Pizarro to organize the expedition that culminated in the conquest of Peru.

Juan de Ampudia and Pedro de Añazco first explored the mountainous part of the department, commissioned by Sebastián de Belalcázar in 1535, who then toured the territory in 1536 and reached Popayán and remained for some time before leaving for Spain.

Municipalities

References

  1. ↑ "DANE". Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.