Norte de Santander Department

Department of North Santander Departamento de Norte de Santander
—  Department  —
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Himno Oficial del Departamento Norte de Santander
Norte de Santander shown in red
Coordinates: 7°54′N 72°30′W / 7.9°N 72.5°W / 7.9; -72.5Coordinates: 7°54′N 72°30′W / 7.9°N 72.5°W / 7.9; -72.5
Country	Colombia
Region	Andes Region
Established	July 25, 1910
Capital	Cúcuta
Government
– Governor	William Villamizar Laguado (Colombian Conservative Party)
Area
– Total	21,658 km2 (8,362.2 sq mi)
Area rank	24
Population (2005)[1]
– Total	1,228,028
– Rank	12
– Density	56.7/km2 (146.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-NSA
Provinces	6
Municipalities	40
Website	www.nortedesantander.gov.co/

North Santander (in Spanish, Norte de Santander) is a department of Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the major cities of Colombia.

North Santander Department is bordered by Venezuela to the east and north, by Santander Department and Boyacá Department to the south, and by South Santander Department and Cesar Department to the east.^[2]

The official Department name in Spanish is "Departamento de Norte de Santander" (North Santander Department) in honor to the Colombian military and political leader Francisco de Paula Santander. North Santander Department is located in the northwestern zone of the Colombian Andean Region.

The area of present day Norte de Santander played an important role in the history of Colombia, during the War of Independence from Spain when Congress gave origin to the Greater Colombia in Villa del Rosario.

History

Many territorial divisions had to occur before definitively constituting the Norh Santander Department, created in 1910, time at which General Ramon González Valencia governed the Nation.

It was Law 25 of July 14, 1910, that took effect July 20 of the same year. Law 25 of 1910, signed by the then President of the National Assembly of Colombia, Emilio Ferrero; the Secretary, Marcelino Uribe exequible Arango and declared by the Gentleman President Ramon González Valencia and by Minister of Government Miguel Abbey Méndez, was the one that took step to the Department which today we know like North Santander, been born after several attempts given from April 1850, time in which the Republic of New Granada was born with 5 departments and 19 provinces.

In that time, Santander was born not like Department but like province with San José de Cúcuta like its capital. In 1857 the sovereign Department of Santander was created and its capital was Pamplona. As of December of that same year, the capital was transferred to Bucaramanga.

In May 1858, the Republic of Colombia was denominated Granadina Confederation and were part of her 8 Departments, including the one of Santander. Years later, in 1863, it was decided in the National Convention of Rio Negro, to change the name of the country by the one of the United States of Colombia.

The expedition of the Political Constitution of 1886, at the well-known time like "Regeneration", changed the name of the country and is again from that time that our territory is known like Republic of Colombia. For that time also the provinces began to denominate departments and were divided in provinces.

Our Department still was well-known as Santander and were part of him the provinces of Cúcuta, Ocaña, Pamplona, Charalá, García Rovira, Guanentá, Soto, Socorro and Vélez. In 1905, the Department was divided in two and during a time, Santander had to Cúcuta, Ocaña, River of Gold, Pamplona, García Rovira, Santos and Fortúl, like provinces.

A new political division underwent the country in 1908 and as a result of it, the Department of Cúcuta existed by a short period. In April 1910, there were changes in the political division of Colombia again. The 34 departments created in 1908, were suppressed and the country recovered the effective political division in 1905, with which Cúcuta disappears as Department and returns to depend on Bucaramanga, by a short period, until the expedition of Law 25 July 1910, with which the North Santander Department is born.

Geography

Rivers and lakes in the Norte de Santander Department

North Santander has a varied geography and is composed by mountainous areas, deserts, plateaus, plains and hills, with municipalities of heights very varied, this make in landscapes and climates immensely rich. Throughout his territory they cross by rivers and lagoons.

The Department is conformed by three natural regions: the most broken part is represented by the Eastern Mountain range, it begins in the site known as Naked Santurbán and soon it becomes the Mountainous area of the Motilones. On the other hand, the plains of the Catatumbo River and the Zulia River are located to the Northwest and to the south it is the valley of the Magdalena River.

The sector of influence of the Catatumbo river has temperatures averaging 24 °C with warm climates and humid, whereas in the zone of Cúcuta, it varies of dry to very dry; and in the mountainous area, great variety of climates that go from the temperings to the very cold ones, including inferior appears to the 12 °C.

A rich hydrographic system crosses the Department with three river basins of great importance: to the north the one of the Catatumbo river, to the west the one of the Magdalena river and to the southwest, the one of the Orinoco river.

Demographics

Type of residence - Norte de Santander, Colombia

Population Statistics

North Santander has a special demography due its border localization. Cúcuta has the largest population rate where a lot of Venezuelans live. Other cities are Ocaña and Pamplona.

Statistics of Households

In this Department the citizens prefer to live in houses (89.8%).

Administrative divisions

Regions and municipalities

municipalities and towns of Norte de Santander Department

Western

1. Abrego
2. Cachira
3. Convención
4. El Carmen
5. La Esperanza
6. Hacari
7. La Playa
8. Ocaña
9. San Calixto
10. Teorama

Northern

1. Bucarasica
2. El Tarra
3. Sardinata
4. Tibú

Eastern

1. Cúcuta
2. El Zulia
3. Los Patios
4. Puerto Santander
5. San Cayetano
6. Villa del Rosario

South-West

1. Cácota
2. Chitagá
3. Mutiscua
4. Pamplona, Colombia
5. Pamplonita
6. Silos, Norte de Santander

Center

1. Arboledas
2. Cucutilla
3. Gramalote
4. Lourdes
5. Salazar de las Palmas
6. Santiago
7. Villa Caro

Southeast

1. Bochalema
2. Chinácota
3. Duranía
4. Herrán
5. Labateca
6. Ragonvalia
7. Toledo

Food

Among the typical dishes offered in the department there is Mute, Hayacas, of extended and rectangular form, the Cabrito, that is consumed roasted or cooked, the pies of chick-pea, that are an Indian called species of empanadas and the maize surrounded ones. Other dishes are rampuche and panche.

See also

• Congress of Cúcuta
• Constitution of Cúcuta

References

1. ^ http://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2005/regiones/norte/norte_santander.pdf
2. ^ http://www.colombia-sa.com/departamentos/nsantander/nsantander-in.html

External links

• Gobernacion de Norte de Santander
• Acnur on Norte de Santander