TheCoffee Axis (Spanish:Eje Cafetero) is a geographic, cultural, economic and ecological region of Colombia, located in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the regions of northwestern Tolima, northern and eastern Valle del Cauca and southwestern Antioquia,[1] including the capital cities of the first four departments mentioned (Manizales,Pereira,Armenia andIbagué, respectively).
Coffee was first grown commercially in Colombia inSalazar de las Palmas, north of Santander, and over the twentieth century grew to be Colombia's primaryexport.[2] When coffee was first brought into the country, the leaders tried to push the farming of coffee beans, but was met with resistance from the people because it takes about 5 years until the first harvest of the bean. In 1999 coffee revenues represented 3.7% ofgross domestic product (gdp) and 37% of agricultural employment. The main coffee-producing departments are:Nariño,Norte de Santander,Antioquia,Valle del Cauca,Huila,Tolima,Caldas,Risaralda,Quindio andCundinamarca.
The area between the departments of Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Tolima is known as the Coffee Zone because of the large development experienced by the cultivation of this product. This region was strongly affected by an earthquake that was 6.4 on theRichter scale on January 25, 1999, but subsequently the region's economy recovered rapidly.
Weather conditions (8 °C to 24 °C), geographical (Andean Rainforest) and the geological region, determine the production of high quality coffee, with relatively short harvest periods. Farmers in the area have developed techniques for growing, harvesting and processing of grain, and all done "grain by grain", and have retained this form of processing industry despite new techniques of mass agricultural industrialization.
The famous advertising icon "Juan Valdez", represented by aPaisa farmer wearing acarriel,aguadeño hat andponcho, and accompanied by a mule, has become a triumph of advertising communication.Juan Valdez has been considered inUnited States as the advertising image of greater recall among the inhabitants of that country in the year 2005.
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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 Interactive map of Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia | |
| Location | Colombia |
| Includes | Six zones (A to F)[3] |
| Criteria | Cultural: (v), (vi) |
| Reference | 1121 |
| Inscription | 2011 (35thSession) |
| Area | 141,120 ha (348,700 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 207,000 ha (510,000 acres) |
| Coordinates | 5°28′18″N75°40′54″W / 5.47167°N 75.68167°W /5.47167; -75.68167 |
  Colombian coffee growing axis Location of Colombian coffee growing axis in Colombia | |
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Eighteen urban settlements across six sites within the coffee axis and extending southwards into theValle del Cauca department were inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List in 2011 as the Coffee Cultural Landscape.[4] These sites are representative of the entire coffee axis, preserving multiple different forms of traditional coffee growing, in addition to the culture of the region and the locations of several unique festivals.[5] The World Heritage site is composed of many of the urban centers within the region, includingArmenia,Calarcá,Salamina,Pereira, andRiosucio, as well as smaller towns and the surrounding rural coffee farmlands.[4]
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The region has developed major theme parks such as theColombian National Coffee Park located in the town ofMontenegro in Quindio. In the area is also the Museum of Culture Coffee, showing the process from grain production to savoring a traditional Colombian coffee. This museum, like all the other theme parks, are replicas of the colonial city, where tourists enjoy dance performances and traditional music, panoramic views from cable car with its lush landscape, and various rides.
Another unique theme park inColombia is theNational Park of Culture Agriculture - Panaca, located in the Municipality ofQuimbaya in Quindio. Its key feature is that, unlike zoos, visitors are immersed in a personal and direct contact with farm animals and also enjoy scheduled activities and events with those animals.
Other attractions in the area include:
Tourist excursions offer trekking to some of Colombia's top coffee cultivating land as well as the country's native palm tree - theWax Palm, which grows up to 60 metres tall.
Known as Colombian National Coffee Park
Colombia portal
Coffee portal
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