RISARALDA
Inhabitant: Risaraldense

This amazing department created in 1966, has an area of 4,140 square kilometers and lies on the Western and Central cordilleras (mountain ranges) and the Risaralda River valley in central-west Colombia.
It borders Caldas, Antioquia, Quindío, Valle del Cauca, Tolima and Chocó. Before its creation, it was part of Caldas Department.
Risaralda is strategically located for commerce, being the central point of the so called "Gold Triangle" formed by the three main cities of Colombia: Bogotá, Medellín and Cali.
Its uneven terrain is excellent for agriculture, mainly coffee crops. It is part of the great Coffee Axis of the country.
Besides coffee, there are large plantations of sugar cane, banana, cocoa, yucca and bamboo.
Livestock is also very important for the economy, mainly bovine for the production of dairy products. Textile, footwear, food and beverages industries are also significant.
Several rivers run through department, such as the Cauca, the San Juan, the Otún, the Risaralda, the Tamaná, the Río Negro, La Vieja, the Quinchía, the Mondo and the Guarato.
Risaralda has a population of more than one million people, with traditional families of antioqueño and vallecaucano origin.
The region is also home for about four thousand people of native quimbaya origin.
It has many tourist attractions such as the thermal water of Santa Rosa de Cabal, the Tatamá, Ucumarí and Los Nevados national parks and La Nona forest reserve.


Capital: Pereira

“The pearl of the Otún” and known nowadays as “The city without doors” or “La querendona trasnochadora y morena", is inhabited by half a million people.
It is a modern city, with important buildings, cozy colonial houses, parks, an excellent hotel network, and great monuments such as El Bolívar desnudo, el Prometeo encantado, el Hombre de fuego and El Cristo sin Cruz.
Among the tourist attractions, you will find, the Archaeological Museum Jaime Mejía or Museum of the gold and the ceramics, the Matecaña zoo, Comfamiliar funfair, the Coffee Metropolitan Park, the Botanical Garden of Pereira's Technological University, the sanctuary of fauna and flora Otún-Quimbaya and the majestic cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty.
It has an important conventions center.
Its industry and technology, place Pereira in a very important standing among Colombian cities.

The Flag of
Risaralda

The Emblem of Risaralda

www.colombia-sa.com

Música del departamento

The Anthem of Risaralda

Lyrics: Luis Carlos González
Music: Laureano Betancur

Chorus
Salve, recia fusión poderos
de civismo, de brazo y montaña
que forjó con arcilla de ancestro
inmortales perfiles de estatua.
Risaralda, con casta de hidalgos,
cumplirá –juro a Dios– su palabra
en jornada tenaz sin fatiga
y en función permanente de Patria.
I
Fiel retoño de cepa labriega
en vivero de pueblos de Caldas,
conquistando futuro y espacio
para el vuelo cautivo en sus alas,
una aurora inicial de febrero
arrogante surgió Risaralda,
con honesta esperanza de surco
y rumor de oraciones y fragua.
II
No fue el odio que todo destruye
agresiva razón de su causa;
fue el anhelo de ver la semilla
convertida en dorada abundancia
y triunfante la airosa bandera,
que en abrazo fraterno formaran
sus catorce lucientes estrellas
sobre verde de mapa y labranza
III
Más justicia, más paz, más trabajo,
más cultura, más luz y enseñanza
y más leña avivando la lumbre
hacendosa en la humilde cabaña,
es la ley natural que persigue
como meta final de su marcha,
esculpiendo su joven historia
con orgullo, tesón y confianza.

---

   
                 

---

Annual Events

February: Milk and Meat Regional Fair (Pereira)

April: Holy Week.

August: Bolivarianos games. This competition takes place in Pereira and Armenia (Quindío) – Harvest festival and Equine fair (Pereira).

September: International theater presentation (Pereira).

October: Araucaria Festival (Santa Rosa).

November: National Bambuco Festival
(Pereira).

---

Other Municipalities

Dosquebradas, industrial city of the coffee axis.
Apía, Balboa, Belén, de Umbría,
Guática, La Celia, Marsella, Mistrato, Quinchía, Pueblo Rico, Santa Rosa,
Santuario, Virginia.

---

Airport

Matecaña – Pereira.

---

Sanctuaries, Flora and Fauna

Santuario Otún-Quimbaya

---

National Natural Parks

Los Nevados
Region of Risaralda, Tolima, Caldas and Quindío.
Area: 38,000 hectares.

Tatamá (Mountain Mass)
Location: Region of Risaralda, Valle and Chocó.
Area: 51,900 hectares.