Puerto Gaitán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Puerto Gaitán
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Municipality and town
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Location of the municipality and town of Puerto Gaitán in the Meta Department of Colombia.
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| Country |  Colombia |
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| Department | Meta Department | ||
| Area | |||
| • Municipality and town | 17,250 km2 (6,660 sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 2.63 km2 (1.02 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 149 m (489 ft) | ||
| Population
(2018 census)
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| • Municipality and town | 41,513 | ||
| • Density | 2.4066/km2 (6.2329/sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 20,659 | ||
| • Urban density | 7,855/km2 (20,340/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time) | ||
| Climate | Aw | ||
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Puerto Gaitán is a town and a municipality in the Meta Department of Colombia. It is a place with a rich history and important natural features.
Contents
History of Puerto Gaitán
Puerto Gaitán was started on February 11, 1932. Some merchants from Venezuela, Pedro Capella, Ventura Alvarado, and Concepción Izanoboco, arrived and settled by the Manacacías River. They were waiting for a ferry to help people travel between Puerto Carreño and Villavicencio.
At first, this area had many "majaguillo" trees. So, it was called "Majaguillal." In 1960, it became a Police Inspection of the Puerto López municipality and was renamed Manacacías. A Police Inspection was a local administrative area, like a small district.
On November 29, 1969, the Meta Department Assembly officially made it a municipality. They named it Puerto Gaitán to honor Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, a well-known political leader.
Geography
Where is Puerto Gaitán Located?
Puerto Gaitán is in the Meta Department. It covers a large, flat area known as the Savannahs of the Altillanura. The main river in this area is the Meta River.
The municipality has an irregular shape. The Meta River is to its north. The Manacacias River and the Yucao River are to its west. The Iteviare River is to its south. A straight line forms its eastern border. It is the most northeastern part of the Meta Department. It is also the farthest municipality from Villavicencio, the capital city of the department.
Rivers in Puerto Gaitán
The area is home to several important rivers. These include the Manacacias, Meta, Yucao, Planas, Muco, Guarrojo, Tillaba, and Uva rivers.
Climate and Weather
In Puerto Gaitán, the summers are short, warm, and often cloudy. The winters are hot, wet, and mostly cloudy. The weather feels warm and humid all year round. Temperatures usually stay between 22°C and 34°C. It rarely drops below 20°C or goes above 37°C.
If you like warm weather activities, like going to the beach or pool, the best times to visit Puerto Gaitán are from mid-June to mid-October and from early December to early February.
| Climate data for Puerto Gaitán (Carimagua), elevation 200 m (660 ft), (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.5 (90.5) |
33.9 (93.0) |
33.6 (92.5) |
31.9 (89.4) |
30.7 (87.3) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.4 (84.9) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.3 (88.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.0 (80.6) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.9 (82.2) |
26.5 (79.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.1 (79.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.1 (71.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.9 (0.55) |
45.6 (1.80) |
93.2 (3.67) |
244.5 (9.63) |
320.8 (12.63) |
397.5 (15.65) |
328.0 (12.91) |
255.2 (10.05) |
276.1 (10.87) |
245.1 (9.65) |
137.3 (5.41) |
50.5 (1.99) |
2,407.7 (94.79) |
| Average precipitation days | 3 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 172 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 71 | 68 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 83 | 81 | 77 | 80 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 257.3 | 206.3 | 173.6 | 135.0 | 130.2 | 117.0 | 127.1 | 142.6 | 153.0 | 173.6 | 192.0 | 235.6 | 2,043.3 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 8.3 | 7.3 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 5.6 |
| Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales | |||||||||||||
Economy
The main ways people make money in Puerto Gaitán are through raising animals (livestock), farming, trading goods, and fishing. There is also a small amount of handmade crafts.
Raising animals is the biggest part of the economy. For farming, people grow crops like corn, bananas, cassava, and African palm. Fishing is also a good way for people to earn money, as is tourism.
The Rubiales oil field is a very important source of money for Puerto Gaitán. About 90% of the municipality's yearly budget comes from this oil field. However, oil is a non-renewable resource, meaning it cannot be replaced once it's used up.
See also
In Spanish: Puerto Gaitán para niños
