Leticia, Amazonas
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Leticia | |
---|---|
Municipality and town | |
UTC-5 | |
Area code | 57 + 8 |
Climate | Af |
Website | Official website |
Leticia (Spanish pronunciation:
A long-standing border dispute involving Leticia, between Colombia and Peru, was decided in 1934 by the
History
Early history and etymology
Early Leticia history mentions a Portuguese explorer who, after becoming lost in the Amazon, died of starvation at the present site of Leticia with the rest of his crew. The Peruvian captain Benigno Bustamante, then governor of the Peruvian department of Loreto, founded the city itself on April 25, 1867. Legend has it that when the Peruvian government decided to colonise the area (in order to prevent the Colombian government from claiming it first), they found a cross inscribed with the words "San Antonio", naming the new town after this cross.
A legend states that a Colombian soldier fell in love with an
Territorial dispute
Small border incidents between Peru and Colombia occurred in 1911, and in 1922 the two governments of those countries reached a controversial agreement awarding the Leticia area to Colombia in exchange for recognizing Peru's rights to the zone south of the Putumayo River, which was also claimed by Ecuador. This agreement proved to be unpopular among the Peruvian population, despite the treaty's ratification in 1928, because the treaty was signed in secret and it awarded Colombia a region that had been founded by Peruvians and that had a large Peruvian population living within its borders.
The
Recent history
Though the League of Nations' intervention had officially ended the war, the Colombian government remained wary of the Peruvians, and decided to populate Leticia with people from Bogotá in order to ensure the town's loyalty to Colombia. Most of the people who came from Bogotá from the 1940s to 1965 still live in Leticia as of 2012[update]. During that time Leticia has expanded greatly, with a new main street being built. However, the city's industries have changed little since then, with agriculture and tourism still the prime sources of income.
Tourism in Leticia has boomed and the town is today a recognized tourist site. International students travel to Leticia to learn Spanish. Meanwhile, students and visitors can enjoy the attractions nearby the city.
Climate
Leticia features a tropical rainforest climate with minimal difference in average high and low temperatures throughout the course of the year. Leticia does have noticeably wetter and drier months, with its wettest month (March) seeing a little more than twice as much rain as its driest month (July). The average monthly rainfall in the city is consistently above 150 millimetres or 6 inches.
Climate data for Leticia | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 35.8 (96.4) |
36.4 (97.5) |
35.9 (96.6) |
36.2 (97.2) |
33.8 (92.8) |
34.2 (93.6) |
35.2 (95.4) |
35.7 (96.3) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.5 (99.5) |
39.0 (102.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.5 (86.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.3 (86.5) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.6 (85.3) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.4 (86.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.9 (78.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
25.8 (78.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.5 (72.5) |
21.5 (70.7) |
20.7 (69.3) |
21.3 (70.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.1 (71.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.3 (57.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
14.8 (58.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
18.3 (64.9) |
17.6 (63.7) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.3 (57.7) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 353.2 (13.91) |
340.4 (13.40) |
357.4 (14.07) |
349.8 (13.77) |
277.2 (10.91) |
209.4 (8.24) |
157.5 (6.20) |
172.9 (6.81) |
243.1 (9.57) |
263.4 (10.37) |
301.7 (11.88) |
289.4 (11.39) |
3,315.4 (130.52) |
Average rainy days | 24 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 241 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
88 | 88 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 88 | 86 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 131.4 | 119.0 | 131.3 | 138.1 | 152.3 | 144.6 | 188.7 | 194.0 | 171.0 | 168.9 | 149.6 | 136.7 | 1,825.6 |
Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales[4] |
Biodiversity
The frog fauna of Leticia is highly species rich. An intensive survey effort in primary rainforest and flooded forest some 10 km (6 miles) north of Leticia revealed 96 frog species (with two more found shortly afterwards). However, the true number might be as high as 123 species, based on species expected to occur in the area but not yet documented there.[5]
Culture
People
The majority of Leticia's population have migrated from elsewhere. There is no obviously dominant segment, but migrants from
The region is home to several indigenous people, including the
Food
Although the inhabitants commonly eat the same things each week, a wide variety of food is available in Leticia. Dishes specific to each of Colombia's regions are made here. For example, people make
Education
Leticia is considered an important area for the study of the Amazon and its biodiversity.
- National University of Colombia at Leticia
- Universidad Antonio Nariño (UAN)
- Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD)
- University of the Amazon
Attractions
- Amacayacu National Park
- Parque nacional natural Cahuinarí
- Isla de los Micos (Monkey Island)
- Puerto Nariño, the only other Amazonas municipality
- Lago Tarapoto, where botos can be seen
- Lago Yahuarcacas
- Parque Ecologico Mundo Amazonico (Amazon World Ecological Park)
- Museum Banco de la República
- Orellana Park
- Santander Park
- Our Lady of Peace Cathedral
Transportation
The
The city is not connected to the bulk of Colombia by road.
See also
- Amazon riverhave a population of more than 100,000 people.
- Santa Rosa de Yavari
- Inírida, Guainía, another isolated Colombian city
References
- ^ "Información capital" (PDF). www.dane.gov.co (in Spanish). Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE). p. 74.
- ^ Citypopulation.de Population of Leticia municipality with localities
- ISBN 978-0-521-87800-5.
- ^ "Climate of Leticia -Table of Values" (in Spanish). Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ Lynch, J. D. (2005). "Discovery of the richest frog fauna in the World—an exploration of the forests to the north of Leticia" (PDF). Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias. 29 (113): 581–588.
External links
- Leticia travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Official website (in Spanish)