Santa Rosalía () is a town and municipality located in the
Department of
Vichada,
Colombia.
Geography
The area is part of the
Llanos plain shared by Colombia and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, located within the
Orinoquia region of Colombia. The municipality has an average temperature of 28 °C throughout the year, persisting a hot and dry climate. The seat of the municipality lies on the riviera of the
Meta River
The Meta River is a major left tributary of the Orinoco River in eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela, South America. The Meta originates in the Eastern Ranges of the Andes and flows through the Meta Department, Colombia as the confluence of ...
which also serves as boundary between the Department of Vichada and the
Department of Casanare
Casanare Department (, es, Departamento de Casanare) is a department in the central eastern region of Colombia.
Its capital is Yopal, which is also the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopal.
It contains oil fields and an 800& ...
.
The municipality of Santa Rosalia limits to the north with the
Department of Casanare
Casanare Department (, es, Departamento de Casanare) is a department in the central eastern region of Colombia.
Its capital is Yopal, which is also the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yopal.
It contains oil fields and an 800& ...
; to the east with the municipality of
La Primavera; to the south with the municipality of
Cumaribo
Cumaribo is a town and municipality located in the Department of Vichada, Republic of Colombia. Cumaribo was founded by Jose Nicolino Mattar in 1959.
In 2005 the municipality had an estimated total population of 28,718 inhabitants, 4,312 of t ...
and to the west with the
Department of Meta.
History
The area of present-day Santa Rosalia was inhabited by indigenous tribes, predominantly the
Guahibo people
The Guahibo (also called Guajibo, or Sikuani, though the latter is regarded as derogatory) people are an indigenous people native to the Llanos or savanna plains in eastern Colombia (Arauca, Meta, Guainia, and Vichada departments) and in southern ...
. Upon the arrival of the
Spanish people
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both i ...
and other Europeans, the region was not colonized until the 16th Century. The settlement was established as a port for embarking cattle from the
haciendas. In 1993 La Primavera was proclaimed municipality.
Santa Rosalia: History
/ref>
See also
* Santa Rosalía Airport
References
External links
Santa Rosalia official website
Municipalities of Vichada Department
{{Vichada-geo-stub