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Arauca | |
|---|---|
Municipality and city | |
 Monument in front of the Arauca City Hall | |
 Flag .svg) Seal | |
 Location of the municipality and town ofArauca in the Arauca Department | |
  Arauca Location in Colombia | |
| Coordinates:7°5′26″N70°45′42″W / 7.09056°N 70.76167°W /7.09056; -70.76167 | |
| Country |  Colombia |
| Department | Arauca Department |
| Founded | December 4, 1780 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Benjamin Socadagüi Cermeño |
| Area | |
• Municipality and city | 5,788 km2 (2,235 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 21.39 km2 (8.26 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Population | |
• Municipality and city | 85,585 |
| • Density | 15/km2 (38/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 74,195 |
| • Urban density | 3,500/km2 (9,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (COL) |
| Postcode | 810001-9 |
| Area code | 57 + 7 |
| Climate | Aw |
| Website | Official website(in Spanish) |
Arauca is a municipality andcapital city of theArauca Department ofColombia. Its full name is Villa de Santa Bárbara de Arauca, it is located at N 07° 05′ 25″ - W 70° 45′ 42″. The Municipality of Arauca has a total population of 85,585 (2018 census).[1]
The Arauca region was explored by the German conquistador Jorge de la Espira, orGeorg von Speyer, in 1536. The early Spanish did not stay because they were on the quest forEl Dorado. However, they were later followed byJesuits and land-grantees who founded the first settlements.
Arauca was founded on December 4, 1780, byJuan Isidro Daboín on the site of an indigenous hamlet of about ten families called Guahibo. Arauca was named after theArauca River, which now separates it fromVenezuela, which river in turn was named for the indigenous people the Arauca. The area is flat and subject to frequent flooding from the river.
At one point, it was the capital of theNew Granada Province of Casanare which was much larger than the currentDepartment of Casanare.In addition, the Villa de Santa Bárbara de Arauca, has been:
| Climate data for Arauca (Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport), elevation 128 m (420 ft), (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.1 (91.6) | 34.3 (93.7) | 34.6 (94.3) | 33.2 (91.8) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.0 (86.0) | 29.9 (85.8) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32 (90) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.4 (81.3) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.8 (83.8) | 27.7 (81.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25.7 (78.3) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.9 (80.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.6 (69.1) | 21.2 (70.2) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.0 (73.4) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 21.9 (71.4) | 22.4 (72.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 11.9 (0.47) | 23.8 (0.94) | 50.6 (1.99) | 147.2 (5.80) | 267.5 (10.53) | 304.7 (12.00) | 309.6 (12.19) | 224.7 (8.85) | 187.1 (7.37) | 200.1 (7.88) | 109.7 (4.32) | 30.8 (1.21) | 1,867.7 (73.53) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 148 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 71 | 66 | 66 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 80 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 272.8 | 228.7 | 201.5 | 162.0 | 151.9 | 138.0 | 145.7 | 164.3 | 177.0 | 201.5 | 210.0 | 248.0 | 2,301.4 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 8.8 | 8.1 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 6.3 |
| Source:Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales[3] | |||||||||||||
TheWhite andMestizo people dominate the city making up 92.4% of its population together.Blacks make up 5.9% of the city andIndigenous people make up 1.7% of the city.
Since its founding, Arauca's primary business has been the raising of cattle, and this is still true. But increasingly, since 1984 it is the exploitation of nearby petroleum (oil sands) that has provided the bulk of municipal income in recent years. The building of the bridge, Puente José Antonio Páez, connecting it withVenezuela stimulated the economy, as did completion of the highway to Bogotá, known asThe Route of the Liberators (La Ruta de los Libertadores). Arauca is now on the main surface route betweenCaracas andBogotá.
Municipalities in theArauca Department | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
7°05′25″N70°45′42″W / 7.09028°N 70.76167°W /7.09028; -70.76167
