Puerto Carreño

Infobox City
official_name = Puerto Carreño
nickname =
motto =


imagesize =
image_caption =


image_



mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of the town and municipality of Puerto Carreño in the Department of Vichada.
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_type2 = Department
subdivision_name = Colombia
subdivision_name1 = Orinoquía
subdivision_name2 = Vichada
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Luis Eduardo Medina Amaya
established_title = Foundation
established_date = 1913
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi =
area_total_km2 =
area_land_sq_mi =
area_land_km2 =
area_water_sq_mi =
area_water_km2 =
area_water_percent =
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
area_metro_km2 =
population_as_of =
population_note =
population_total =
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 =
population_density_sq_mi =
timezone =
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST =
latd= |latm= |lats= |latN=
longd= |longm= |longs= |longW=
elevation_m = 51
elevation_ft =
website =
[http://puertocarreno-vichada.gov.co/sitio.shtml puertocarreno-vichada.gov.co]
footnotes = ^*

Puerto Carreño is the departmental capital, and a municipality, of the department of Vichada in the llanos of Colombia.

History

In 1913 the Colombian government created the province (comisaria) of Vichada and it was decided that its capital should be at at the convergence of the Orinoco and Meta rivers where there was a small village known locally as El Picacho. [http://www.alcaldiapuertocarreno.gov.co/ptc_historia.html "Historia" Alcaldia Puerto Carreño] ] In 1934 the town was renamed after Pedro Maria Carreño, the Colombian Minister of External Relations from 1912 to 1913 [ [http://www.minrelext.gov.co/wps/portal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/7_0_A/.s/7_0_RI/_th/J_0_VB/_s.7_0_A/7_0_UP/_s.7_0_A/7_0_RI "Relación cronológica de Ministros de Relaciones Exteriores Colombia" Ministerios de Relaciones Exteriores, Colombia] ("Chronological list of the Ministers of External Relations, Colombia" Ministry of External Relations, Colombia)] . The "municipio" (similar to county in the U.S.) was created in 1974. [Decree #1594 of 5 August 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 Meta 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. [ [http://www.alcaldiapuertocarreno.gov.co/ es icon Puerto Carreño: 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. [ [http://www.alcaldiapuertocarreno.gov.co/ es icon Puerto Carreño: Geography] ]

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. [ [http://www.alcaldiapuertocarreno.gov.co/ es icon Puerto Carreño: Geography] ]

Economy

Economic activity is based on agricultural and ranching activities, fishing, and mining. There is some international trading activity with Venezuelan towns across the border, across the Orinoco River. Main products in the region are rice, yuca and plantain. Artisan fishing is practiced along ranching. The are gold and silver mines, exploited in a rudimentary way. The municipality often trade commercially with neighboring town of Puerto Páez in Venezuela. [ [http://www.alcaldiapuertocarreno.gov.co/ es icon Puerto Carreño: Economy] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.alcaldiapuertocarreno.gov.co Puerto Carreño official town (alcaldia) website]
* [http://puertocarreno-vichada.gov.co/sitio.shtml Puerto Carreño official municipality website]