Uribia, Guajira

Uribia
town
Church in downtown Uribia.
Flag
Motto(s): Capital Indigena de Colombia (Indigenous capital of Colombia)
Location of the town and municipality of Uribia in the Department of La Guajira.
Country	Colombia
Region	Caribbean
Department	La Guajira
Foundation	March 1, 1935
Government
• Mayor	Cielo Redondo Mindiola (L)
Population (2005)
• Total	116,674
Website	www.municipiodeuribia.gov.co/
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Uribia is town and municipality of the La Guajira department of Colombia. It is the youngest municipality of this Department since the year 2000. Northern Zone of the Cerrejón coal mines are located in this municipality. The municipality also contains the Serranía de Macuira mountain range which is an isolated low altitude mountain range in the middle of La Guajira Desert. One third of this mountain range is also a National Natural Park of Colombia.

The Municipality of Uribia covers most of the northern area of the Guajira Peninsula, the northernmost part of South America. Uribia borders to the north and west with the Caribbean Sea which surround more than half the municipality; to the east Uribia has a short border with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; to the south its borders the municipality of Maicao and southwest the municipality of Riohacha.

The Upper Guajira is arid, presenting clay formations with scarce vegetation of cactus and other xerophiles. The Serranía de Macuira lies in the middle of the upper region presenting three predominant hills 650 metres (2,130 ft) or more above sea level in the Macuira, Jarará and La Teta.

Uribia has an arid climate (Köppen BWh) owing to its extremely hot temperatures that average around 30 °C (86 °F) on most days of the year. Rainfall averages around 360 millimetres (14 in) per year but even in the “wet” months of May, September, October and November it does not reach the level of potential evaporation. Humidity is generally high enough to make the consistent heat very uncomfortable.

The process of evangelizations of the Wayuu people restarted in 1887 with the return of the Capuchin friars under reverend friar José María de Valdeviejas. In 1905, Pope Pius X created the Vicariate of La Guajira and as first Vicar, friar Atanasio Vicente Soler y Royo in an attempt to "civilize" the Wayuu people.