Tumaco
Encyclopedia
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-Colombian
s 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", 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.
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. On the 29th of August 2011 five more soldiers were killed by guerrillas in the outskirts of the city, A few weeks earlier guerrillas from the Western Bloc of the FARC-EP stormed the local prison, freeing roughly fifteen imprisoned FARC members.
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 Guevara
ist, left-wing Ejército de Liberación Nacional
Nariño Department
Nariño is a department of Colombia named after Antonio Nariño. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean.Its capital is Pasto, other important cities include Tumaco, Ipiales.-Municipalities:# Albán# Aldana# Ancuya...
, 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...
, by the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. 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-Colombian
Afro-Colombian
Afro Colombians refers to Colombians of African ancestry, and the great impact they have had on Colombian culture. Notable Afro-Colombians include Colombian scientists like Raul Cuero, writers like Manuel Zapata Olivella and politicians:...
s and some indigenous people
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
Tumaco is accessible by plane, from the western city of Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, 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
Pasto
Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto, is the capital of the department of Nariño, located in southwest 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 above sea level...
, capital of Nariño Department. Tumaco is known for being the hometown of many great Colombian soccer players, including Willington Ortiz
Willington Ortiz
Willington Ortiz is a retired Colombian football player. He and Carlos Valderrama are two of Colombia's most recognized football players...
.
Colombian film director Samuel Córdoba released a documentary about the city in 2009. The film, entitled "Tumaco Pacífico", 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.
Impact of the armed conflict
Tumaco is highly affected by the Colombian armed conflictColombian Armed Conflict
The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, between the Colombian government and peasant guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed...
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. On the 29th of August 2011 five more soldiers were killed by guerrillas in the outskirts of the city, A few weeks earlier guerrillas from the Western Bloc of the FARC-EP stormed the local prison, freeing roughly fifteen imprisoned FARC members.
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
Los Rastrojos
Los Rastrojos is a Colombian neo-paramilitary, armed group engaged in the Colombian armed conflict...
and the Guevara
Guevara
Guevara can refer to:*Amado Guevara, Honduran football player*Alvaro Guevara Mexican composer*Ángel Aníbal Guevara, Guatemalan politician*Antonio de Guevara, Spanish chronicler and moralist*Armando Guevara, Venezuelan boxer...
ist, left-wing Ejército de Liberación Nacional