Manizales

Manizales
—  City  —
View of Manizales skyline.

Flag
Seal
Motto: The city of open doors - World Capital of Coffee
Location of the city and municipality of Manizales in the Department of Caldas.
Manizales is located in Colombia
Manizales
Location in Colombia
Coordinates:
Country  Colombia
Region Andean Region
Department Department of Caldas
Foundation October 12, 1849
Government
 - Mayor Juan Manuel Llano Uribe
Area
 - Total 508 km2 (196.1 sq mi)
Elevation 2,150 m (7,054 ft)
Population (2005)
 - Total 414,349
 - Density 815.6/km2 (2,112.5/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern Time Zone (UTC-05)
Website
alcaldiamanizales.gov.co

Manizales is a city and municipality in central Colombia, capital of Department of Caldas and part of the region of Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.

Nowadays the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an important hub for higher educational institutions.

Contents

Geography

Manizales is the capital city of one of the smallest Colombian departments. The city is described as having "abrupt topography"; it is built in a mountain region with a number of ridgelines and steep slopes. Combined with the seismic instability of the area, this has required architectural adaptations and public works to make the city safer. Even though Manizales has a very difficult topography, there are a lot of coffee plantations in these fertile lands. The city is located in the north of the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis ("Eje Cafetero"), near the volcano Nevado del Ruiz, which has an altitude of about 5.321 meters.

History

Manizales was founded October 12, 1849, in the middle of a civil war between bipartisan followers; Liberals against Conservatives. The city was founded by a group of twenty Antioquians (The Expedition of the 20), which came from Neira and Salamina. There is a strong Spanish influence in the culture and the population was very homogeneous, mostly whites, until other races and ethnic groups migrated to the city in search of the outstanding universities. A big deal of tango is enjoyed in the city and there is a new appetite for jazz.

Hydrography

Basin of the Rio Chinchiná and sub basin of the Guacaica River.

Natural threats

Earthquakes, mud slides, and volcanic eruptions

Culture

The most important cultural events held are the International Festival of Theater City of Manizales, which is one of the major theater events in Latin-America, the Manizales Jazz Festival which gather Jazz Musicians from all over the world, it's held annually.

The Manizales Fair was born in 1951 with the first centenary of the city. It began with the presentation of grand Bullfights and with typical "Manolas" parade (Spanish parade). Due to its huge welcome by people, more shows and presentations have been brought into the Fair, such as International Coffee Beauty Pageant which together with the bullfighting season turn into the main events of the Fair.

Currently within the Fair you can enjoy activities as: Horseback riding Parades, Typical presentations, "Trovas", other parades, National and International Musicians and Bands, Expositions, and Cultural shows. The Feria de Manizales (Manizales Fair) is the second biggest celebration in the country, after the Barranquilla Carnival.

Catedral de Manizales

Museums

Periodic Events

Education

Manizales is an important regional cultural and educational center. It has the most universities per capita of any city in Colombia. The city has a student population of some 30,000 people that attend 6 colleges and universities:

Economy

Manizales' economy is based on coffee production and processing, steel and other metal manufactures, car parts manufacturing, food industry and educational services. In the last ten years Manizales has developed facilities and trained personeel for contact centers, that made important companies from Spain like Emergia and Digitex to move business units to this city, creating over 8000 working positions.

Transportation

Sports and Entertainment

The city is also known as the home of the football club Once Caldas, the winner of the 2004 Libertadores Cup, South America's main club competition.

Tourist Sites

Manizales: Neo-Gothic Cathedral

Sister cities

See also

Photo gallery

External links

Municipalities in Caldas Department
Aguadas · Anserma · Aranzazu · Belalcázar · Chinchiná · Filadelfia · La Dorada · La Merced · Manizales · Manzanares · Marmato · Marquetalia · Marulanda · Neira · Norcasia · Pácora · Palestina · Pensilvania · Riosucio · Risaralda · Salamina · Samaná · San José · Supía · Victoria · Villamaría · Viterbo
Flag of Caldas