Puerto Carreño
Encyclopedia
Puerto Carreño is the departmental capital, and a municipality
, of the department
of Vichada
in the llanos
of Colombia
.
and Meta
rivers where there was a small village known locally as El Picacho. In 1934 the town was renamed after Pedro Maria Carreño, the Colombian Minister of External Relations from 1912 to 1913. The "municipio"
(similar to county in the U.S.
) was created in 1974. On July 5, 1991, Vichada's status was updated to "departamento" under the Colombian Constitution and Puerto Carreño was ratified as its capital.
The DANE (Colombian government's bureau for statistics) projected Puerto Carreño's municipal population to be around 10,034 for 2005, based on the 1993 Census. There are some Indigenous tribes within Puerto Carreño's administrative zone as well.
and Orinoco rivers as borders. To the south Puerto Carreño limits with the municipality of Cumaribo
and to the west with the municipality of La Primavera
.
The area of the municipality is uniformly flat, although there is a very slight rise at the town which gave it its original name. The climate is hot and dry, with a heavy rain season from April through October averaging a temperature of 28 °C.
The area of the municipality is within the Llanos
plains which covers areas in Colombia and Venezuela. Geologically the municipality of Puerto Carreño lies on the Guiana Shield mostly made up by cenozoic
and precambric formations, with some low altitude mountains such as the Mounts of Casuarito and the Hormiga and Guaripa mountains.
n towns across the border, across the Orinoco River. Main products in the region are rice
, yuca
and plantain
. Artisan fishing
is practiced along ranching. There are gold
and silver
mines, exploited in a rudimentary way. The municipality often trade commercially with neighboring town of Puerto Páez in Venezuela
.
Municipalities of Colombia
The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,119 municipalities...
, of the department
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Vichada
Vichada Department
Vichada is a department of the Republic of Colombia in South America. Vichada is located in the eastern plains of Colombia, in the Orinoquia region within the Orinoco river basin bordering the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the north and east...
in the llanos
Llanos
The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
History
In 1913 the Colombian government created the province (comisaria) of Vichada and it was decided that its capital should be at the convergence of the OrinocoOrinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
and Meta
Meta River
The Meta River is formed in the Meta Department, Colombia by the confluence of the Humea, Guatiquía and Guayuriba rivers. It flows east-northeastward across the Llanos Orientales plains of Colombia through an ancient fault...
rivers where there was a small village known locally as El Picacho. In 1934 the town was renamed after Pedro Maria Carreño, the Colombian Minister of External Relations from 1912 to 1913. The "municipio"
Municipalities of Colombia
The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,119 municipalities...
(similar to county in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) was created in 1974. On July 5, 1991, Vichada's status was updated to "departamento" under the Colombian Constitution and Puerto Carreño was ratified as its capital.
The DANE (Colombian government's bureau for statistics) projected Puerto Carreño's municipal population to be around 10,034 for 2005, based on the 1993 Census. There are some Indigenous tribes within Puerto Carreño's administrative zone as well.
Geography
The municipality of Puerto Carreño is located on the extreme northeastern part of the Department of Vichada bordering to the north and east with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela using the MetaMeta River
The Meta River is formed in the Meta Department, Colombia by the confluence of the Humea, Guatiquía and Guayuriba rivers. It flows east-northeastward across the Llanos Orientales plains of Colombia through an ancient fault...
and Orinoco rivers as borders. To the south Puerto Carreño limits with the municipality of Cumaribo
Cumaribo
Cumaribo is a town and municipality located in the Department of Vichada, Republic of Colombia. Cumaribo was founded by Jose Nicolino Mattar in 1959....
and to the west with the municipality of La Primavera
La Primavera, Vichada
La Primavera is a town and municipality located in the Department of Vichada, Colombia.-Geography:...
.
The area of the municipality is uniformly flat, although there is a very slight rise at the town which gave it its original name. The climate is hot and dry, with a heavy rain season from April through October averaging a temperature of 28 °C.
The area of the municipality is within the Llanos
Llanos
The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....
plains which covers areas in Colombia and Venezuela. Geologically the municipality of Puerto Carreño lies on the Guiana Shield mostly made up by cenozoic
Cenozoic
The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...
and precambric formations, with some low altitude mountains such as the Mounts of Casuarito and the Hormiga and Guaripa mountains.
Economy
Economic activity is based on agricultural and ranching activities, fishing, and mining. There is some international trading activity with VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n towns across the border, across the Orinoco River. Main products in the region are rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, yuca
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
and plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
. Artisan fishing
Artisan fishing
Artisan fishing is a term used to describe small scale low-technology commercial or subsistence fishing practices. The term particularly applies to coastal or island ethnic groups using traditional techniques such as rod and tackle, arrows and harpoons, throw nets and drag nets, and traditional...
is practiced along ranching. There are gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mines, exploited in a rudimentary way. The municipality often trade commercially with neighboring town of Puerto Páez in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.