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Pasto, Colombia

San Juan de Pasto
City
San Juan de Pasto
Skyline of San Juan de Pasto
Flag of San Juan de Pasto
Flag
Coat of arms of San Juan de Pasto
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Ciudad Sorpresa (Surprise City)
Ciudad Teológica (Theological City)
Tierra del Galeras (Galeras's Land)
Motto: "Muy Noble Y Muy Leal Ciudad de San Juan de Pasto" ("Very Noble and Very Loyal City of San Juan de Pasto)
Location of the municipality and city of Pasto in the Department of Nariño
Location of the municipality and city of Pasto in the Department of Nariño
San Juan de Pasto is located in Colombia
San Juan de Pasto
San Juan de Pasto
Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 01°12′28″N 77°16′38″W / 1.20778°N 77.27722°W / 1.20778; -77.27722Coordinates: 01°12′28″N 77°16′38″W / 1.20778°N 77.27722°W / 1.20778; -77.27722
Country  Colombia
Region Pacific Region/Andes Region
Department Nariño
Founding 1537
Established June 24, 1539 (Atriz Valley)
Founded by Sebastián de Belalcázar
Named for Saint John the Baptist
Government
 • Type Municipality
 • Mayor Pedro Vicente Obando
Area
 • City 1,181 km2 (456 sq mi)
 • Urban 26.4 km2 (10.2 sq mi)
Elevation 2,527 m (8,291 ft)
Population (2007)
 • City 480,000
 • Density 410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Pastuso
Time zone Eastern Time Zone (UTC-05)
Postal code 520001-520099
Area code(s) 57 + 2
Website Official website (Spanish)

Pasto (Colombia), officially San Juan de Pasto, is the capital of the department of Nariño, located in southern Colombia. The city is located in the "Atriz Valley", on the Andes cordillera, at the foot of the Galeras volcano, at an altitude of 8,290 feet (2,527 m) above sea level. The city has a population of approximately 500,000 inhabitants.

The territory southwest of the city of Pasto with Ecuador and straddling the border with Ecuador was the northernmost frontier of the Inca Empire, partially conquered in the late 15th or early 16th century. Inca rule was never fully consolidated.Pasto refers to the indigenous people who inhabited the region during the Inca Empire and at the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, the Pastos. However, the Atriz Valley was inhabited by the Quillacingas.

Pasto was founded in 1537 by the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar. In 1539 another Spanish conquistador Lorenzo de Aldana moved the city to its current location, and established it under the name "San Juan de Pasto". A major contributor to the economy and expansion of Pasto was a man of Italian origin named Guido Bucheli.

It has been an administrative, cultural and religious center of the region since colonial times. Because of this, the city is known as the theological city of Colombia. During the Independence Wars against Spain Pasto was a royalist city, unlike the rest of the country. Partly due to this political stance, and because of its geographical location, after independence Pasto remained isolated for a long time from the rest of the Colombia.

Under the Köppen climate classification, Pasto features a subtropical highland climate with relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year. Despite the fact that the city is located close to the equator, due to its high altitude, Pasto average high temperatures typically ranges only between 15°C and 18°C while average low temperatures are usually between 9°C and 11°C. Pasto averages roughly 800 mm of precipitation annually.


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