Tumaco

San Andrés de Tumaco

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Location of the city (red) and municipality (dark gray) of Tumaco in the Nariño Department.
San Andrés de Tumaco

Location of the city (red) and municipality (dark gray) of Tumaco in the Nariño Department.

Coordinates: 1°48′24″N 78°45′53″W / 1.80667°N 78.76472°W / 1.80667; -78.76472Coordinates: 1°48′24″N 78°45′53″W / 1.80667°N 78.76472°W / 1.80667; -78.76472
Country Colombia
Department Nariño Department
Founded 1640
Government
 • Mayor Maria Emilsen Angulo Guevara
Area
 • Total 3,760 km2 (1,450 sq mi)
Elevation 2 m (7 ft)
Population (2016)
 • Total 203,971
 • Density 54/km2 (140/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Tumaqueño
Area code(s) 57 + 2
Website Official website (Spanish)

Tumaco is a port city and municipality in the Nariño Department, Colombia, by the Pacific Ocean. It is located on the southwestern of Colombia, near to border with Ecuador, and enjoys of hot tropical climate. Tumaco is inhabited mainly by Afro-Colombians and some indigenous people.

Tumaco is accessible by plane, from the western city of Cali, one of the main urban centers of the country, well connected to Bogotá, the capital city. It can also be reached by land via highway from the city of Pasto, capital of Nariño Department. Tumaco is known for being the hometown of many great Colombian soccer players, including Willington Ortiz.

Colombian film director Samuel Córdoba released a documentary about the city in 2009. The film, entitled "Tumaco Pacífico",[1] chronicles the stilt-house area of the city, predominantly populated by Afro-Colombians. Córdoba was inspired by a panoramic photo of the stilt houses he saw in a photography book on Tumaco. The film won first place at the Festival de Cine Latinoamericano de Bordeaux, in France, and was presented at the Festival Internacional de Cine, in Santiago, Chile.

Other places of interest include untapped ecotourism and beaches located near the mouth of the Mira River, where the river meets the sea. Or the Playas de Milagros (beaches of Miracles), and Bocananueva y Teran beaches, where visitors can experience great diversity of flora and fauna first hand.[2]

Impact of the armed conflict

Tumaco is highly affected by the Colombian armed conflict as of 2011. On the 17th of August 2011 four soldiers from the Colombian army were killed in Tumaco by FARC-EP guerrillas from the 29th front.[3] On the 29th of August 2011 five more soldiers were killed by guerrillas in the outskirts of the city,[4] A few weeks earlier guerrillas from the Western Bloc of the FARC-EP stormed the local prison, freeing roughly fifteen imprisoned FARC members.[5]

On the 26th of September seven people, including a local politician, were killed by unidentified gunmen in the inner city. The perpetrators also kidnapped one politician. In the area operates, apart from the FARC-EP, groups like right-wing Los Rastrojos and the Guevarist, left-wing Ejército de Liberación Nacional[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.tumacopacifico.com/
  2. ↑ http://www.tumaco.com.co/
  3. ↑ http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/occidente/ARTICULO-WEB-NEW_NOTA_INTERIOR-10170446.html
  4. ↑ http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/judicial/articulo-295250-cinco-policias-muertos-ataque-de-farc-tumaco
  5. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14101416
  6. ↑ http://feeds.univision.com/feeds/article/2011-09-26/asesinan-a-siete-personas-entre?refPath=/noticias/ultimas-noticias/
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