Córdoba Department

Department of Córdoba Departamento de Córdoba
—  Department  —
Flag Coat of arms
Córdoba shown in red
Coordinates: 8°45′N 75°53′W / 8.75°N 75.883°W / 8.75; -75.883Coordinates: 8°45′N 75°53′W / 8.75°N 75.883°W / 8.75; -75.883
Country	Colombia
Region	Caribbean Region
Established	June 18, 1952
Capital	Montería
Government
- Governor	Marta del Socorro Sáenz Correa
Area
- Total	25,020 km2 (9,660.3 sq mi)
Area rank	15
Population (2005)[1]
- Total	1,472,699
- Rank	9
- Density	58.9/km2 (152.4/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-COR
Provinces
Municipalities	30
Website	www.cordoba.gov.co

Córdoba is a Department of the Republic of Colombia located to the north of this country in the Colombian Caribbean Region. Córdoba faces to the north with the Caribbean sea, to the northeast with the Sucre Department, east with the Bolívar Department and south with the Antioquia Department. Its capital is the city of Montería.

Armed conflict

Main article: Colombian armed conflict (1960s–present)

Cordoba is considered a conflict zone due to the high amount of paramilitaries and drug traffickers active in the region. As of 2011 a number of armed neo-paramilitary groups control large parts of Cordoba, among them Aguilas Negras, Los Urabeños and Los Rastrojos.^[2] Paramilitary drug gangs are thought to be responsible for over 500 murders in Cordoba in 2010, effectively making this region one of the most violent in Colombia.^[3] The victims of violence are often those who fight to reclaim land that has been stolen by the paramilitaries. according to reports many victims are often of afro-Colombian or idengenous descent. Although the paramilitaries retain a firm hold over large land estates, often in agreement with corrupt local government officials, the guerrilla movements FARC and ELN also have a presence here.^[4] The largest concentration of FARC guerillas are located in the border regions with Antioqia and Bolívar, while their paramilitary enemies are estimated to be in control of Cordoba's more central regions. The violence in Cordoba became heavily publiscided when two university students from Bogotá were assassinated by drug runners while taking photos on a Caribbean beach in January 2011,^[5] although critics point out that the killings of afro-Colombians and indigenous people often go by unnoted by the media.^[6]

Municipalities

Córdoba is made up of 30 municipalities and main towns:

1. Ayapel
2. Buenavista
3. Canalete
4. Cereté
5. Chimá
6. Chinú
7. Ciénaga de Oro
8. Cotorra
9. La Apartada
10. Lorica
11. Los Córdobas
12. Momil
13. Monitos
14. Montelíbano
15. Montería
16. Planeta Rica
17. Pueblo Nuevo
18. Puerto Escondido
19. Puerto Libertador
20. Purísima
21. Sahagún
22. San Andrés de Sotavento
23. San Antero
24. San Bernardo del Viento
25. San Carlos
26. San José de Uré
27. San Pelayo
28. Tierralta
29. Tuchín
30. Valencia

Governors of Córdoba

View of Montería from the Sinu river.

Valley of the Sinu river

The Congress of Colombia approved by Law 9 December 17, 1951 which created the Department of Córdoba and later sanctioned by the then President of Colombia Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez, but only came into effect six months later.

According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 the executive power for this region will be vested in a single individual elected by popular vote (starting from 1991, governors were previously appointed by the President of Colombia) and will be called Governor of the Córdoba Department.

1. Remberto Burgos Puche (President Organizational Committee) June 18, 1952 to August 22, 1952
2. Manuel Antonio Buelvas Cabrales August 23, 1952 to October 7, 1953
3. Miguel García Sánchez October 8, 1953 to May 10, 1957
4. Eusebio Cabrales Pineda May 10, 1957 to January 17, 1958
5. Eugenio Giraldo Revueltas January 18, 1958 to September 5, 1958
6. José Jiménez Altamiranda September 6, 1958 July 14, 1960
7. Remberto Burgos Puche July 15, 1960 to October 6, 1962
8. José Miguel Amín Araque October 6, 1962 to March 14, 1963
9. Germán Bula Hoyos March 15, 1963 to October 4. 1964
10. Ramón Berrocal Failach October 4, 1964 to August 25, 1966
11. Amaury García Burgos August 26, 1966 to September 4, 1968
12. Alfonso Ordosgoitia Yarzagaray September 5, 1968 to March 13, 1969
13. Álvaro Sotomayor Macea March 14, 1969 to November 2, 1969
14. Eugenio Giraldo Revueltas November 3, 1969 to August 31, 1970
15. Amaury García Burgos August 31, 1970 to July 12, 1971
16. Germán Bula Hoyos July 12, 1971 to May 25, 1972
17. Donaldo Cabrales Anaya May 26, 1972 to August 15, 1974
18. Casio Obregón Nieto August 16, 1974 to March 13, 1975
19. Néstor Padrón Guzmán March 14, 1975 to November 7, 1975
20. José María Cabrales November 7, 1975 to January 25, 1977
21. Libardo López Gómez January 25, 1977 to October 27, 1977
22. Ramón Martínez Vallejo October 28, 1977 to August 25, 1978
23. Alfonso De la Espriella Espinosa August 25, 1978 to June 6, 1980
24. Camilo Jiménez Villalba June 6, 1980 to March 25, 1981
25. Gastón Berrocal Canabal March 25, 1981 to July 27, 1981
26. Simón Gómez Villadiego July 28, 1981 to September 3, 1981 (Interim)
27. Ramiro Sánchez Kerguelén September 4, 1981 to August 26, 1982
28. Julio César Zapateiro Rodríguez August 27, 1982 to August 9, 1984
29. Camilo Jiménez Villalba August 10, 1984 to January 28, 1985
30. Fernando Salas Calle January 29, 1985 to August 21, 1986
31. Héctor Lorduy Rodríguez August 22, 1986 to June 17, 1987
32. José Gabriel Amín Manzur June 18, 1987 to January 10, 1990
33. Raúl Quintero Lyons January 4, 1989 to January 15, 1989 (Interim)
34. Fredy Sánchez Arteaga January 11, 1990 to August 22, 1990
35. Jorge Ramón Elías Náder August 23, 1990 to June 11, 1991
36. Carlos Henao Gallo June 12, 1991 to July 30, 1991 (Interim)
37. Luciano Lepesquer Gossaín 30 de julio de 1991 a 31 de diciembre de 1991
38. Jorge Manzur Jattin January 1, 1992 to January 19, 1994 (First popularly elected governor)
39. Javier Jiménez Amín January 20, 1994 to October 10, 1994 (Interim); October 11, 1994 to December 31, 1994
40. Carlos Buelvas Aldana January 1, 1995 to December 31, 1997
41. Ángel Villadiego Hernández January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2000
42. Jesús María López Gómez January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2003
43. Libardo José López Cabrales January 1, 2004 to April 17, 2006
44. Jaime Torralvo Suárez April 17, 2006 to June 22, 2006
45. Libardo José López Cabrales June 22, 2006 to December 31, 2007
46. Marta del Socorro Sáenz Correa January 1, 2008

References

1. ^ http://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2005/regiones/cordoba/cordoba.pdf
2. ^ http://www.verdadabierta.com/component/content/article/202-conflicto-hoy/2330-cordoba-despues-de-los-paras
3. ^ http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16429-no-end-in-sight-for-north-colombia-violence-report.html
4. ^ http://elespectador.com/noticias/judicial/articulo-260185-cuatro-guerrilleros-abatidos-combates-el-nudo-de-paramillo
5. ^ http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/13689-gangs-suspected-in-students-deaths.html
6. ^ http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16429-no-end-in-sight-for-north-colombia-violence-report.html

External links

• (Spanish) Government of Cordoba official website