Girardot, Cundinamarca
| Girardot, Cundinamarca | |||
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 Localization in Cundinamarca, in Colombia |
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| Coordinates: 4°18′18″N 74°48′06″W / 4.30500°N 74.80167°WCoordinates: 4°18′18″N 74°48′06″W / 4.30500°N 74.80167°W | |||
| Country |
 Colombia
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| Departamento |
 Cundinamarca
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| Province | Upper Magdalena Province | ||
| Named for | ("Girardot") | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Mayor–council | ||
| • Mayor | Jose Alejandro Arbeláez Cruz (L) | ||
| • Council | Girardot City Council | ||
| Area | |||
| • town | 130.32 km2 (50.32 sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 22.6019 km2 (8.7266 sq mi) | ||
| • Rural | 107.7181 km2 (41.5902 sq mi) | ||
| • Metro | 1,320.99 km2 (510.04 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 326 m (1,070 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 289 m (948 ft) | ||
| Population (2005 Census) | |||
| • town | 97,834 | ||
| • Estimate (2011) | 102,492 | ||
| • Rank | 59th Colombia | ||
| • Density | 750/km2 (1,900/sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 98,904 | ||
| • Urban density | 4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi) | ||
| • Rural | 3,588 | ||
| • Rural density | 33/km2 (86/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Girardoteño | ||
| Time zone | COT (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | COT (UTC-5) | ||
| Postal code | 252430-252439 | ||
| Area code(s) | 57 + 1 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
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Girardot is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. It is the second most important city of Cundinamarca according its production. It is home to a number of recreational and vacational spots, mainly visited by people from Bogotá, as it is located at less than three hours drive from the city but enjoys a tropical climate (compared to the cold and rainy climate of Bogotá).
In Pre Colombian times the municipality of Girardot was inhabited by a tribe of Indians called the “Panches” whose origins are unknown. The municipality began with the hamlet of “La Chivatera” (the goat farm) because it was very common in the area to raise goats. The hamlet was located in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Tocaima, of which documents exist dated 1840 calling it “paso de Flandes” (step of Flanders). Through the aforementioned hamlet runs the Magdalena river moving southwest towards the center of the country.
Due to its strategic position the area experienced steady growth, and thanks to the donation of land by Ramón Bueno and José Triana, the municipality was officially founded with the name of Girardot, in honor of General Atanasio Girardot. This was documented in the ordinance 20 on October 9, 1852 that says “… create a parish district with the name of Girardot…”. The first mayor of the district was named Claudio Clavijo. The parish was created in 1866 (reviewed by the Cudinamarca Gazette No 407 of July 7, 1891), and was the first parish of priest José Marcelino Pardo.
The city began to develop in a grid pattern centered on San Miguel square, where a cathedral of the same name is located; whose architecture resembles that of the region.
The first hotel in the city was built in 1884 to accommodate the constant flow of travelers and merchants and was named the Cisneros Hotel. Two years after the hotel was finished the population of the port was recorded as 2,163. As a result of the Thousand Days' War a large number of liberal refugees from the south and east of Tolima settled on land in the area.
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Wikipedia