) , motto = , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = Flag of Urumita (La Guajira).svg , image_seal = Escudo de Urumita.svg , image_map = Colombia - La Guajira - Urumita.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location of the town and municipality of Urumita in the Department of La Guajira. , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 =

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, subdivision_type2 =

Department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, subdivision_name =

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, subdivision_name1 =

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, subdivision_name2 = La Guajira , leader_title =

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

, leader_name = Eunice Murgas Saurith ( L) , established_title = Foundation , established_date = October 3, 1785 by Juan Bautista Canalete , area_magnitude = , area_total_sq_mi = , area_total_km2 = 329 , area_land_sq_mi = , area_land_km2 = , area_water_sq_mi = , area_water_km2 = , area_water_percent = , area_urban_sq_mi = , area_urban_km2 = , area_metro_sq_mi = , area_metro_km2 = , population_as_of = Census 2018 , population_note = , population_total = 10198 , population_metro = , population_urban = , population_density_km2 = , population_density_sq_mi = , timezone = , utc_offset = -5 , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , latd= , latm= , lats= , latN= , longd= , longm= , longs= , longW= , elevation_m = 255 , elevation_ft = , blank_name =

Climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

, blank_info = Aw , website = urumita-guajira.gov.co/
, footnotes = ^* Urumita is a town and municipality of the

of La Guajira.

Geography

The municipality of Urumita is located on the

Serranía del Perijá The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch ( Cordillera Oriental), in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), offici ...

mountain range with part of its territory covering the valley of the Cesar River towards the

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

mountain range. The municipality seat of Urumita is however located on a flat area some 45 km away from the capital of the Department of Cesar, Valledupar and some 175 km from the capital city of the Department of La Guajira, Riohacha. Urumita: geography
/ref> Urumita limits to the north with the municipality of Villanueva in a 36 km borderline; to the south with the municipality of La Jagua del Pilar sharing approximately 50 km; to the east with

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 ...

, sharing 10 km; and to the west with the municipality of Valledupar sharing 15 km covering a total area of 329 km².

Climate

Climate in the municipality of Urumita is very warm to hot with an average temperature throughout the year of varying only slightly over the year. There is a lengthy rainy season from April to November, with a slightly drier period mid-year, and a short, very

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...

from mid-December to March. Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Urumita has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

, labelled ''Aw'' on climate maps.

History

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, the area of Urumita was inhabited by indigenous peoples pertaining to the Chimila. At the time of the Spanish arrival in the early 16th Century, the area was governed by a ''

cacique A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...

'' named Uruma. After a period of conquest and colonization by the Spanish, on October 3, 1785 Juan Bautista Canalete founded the village of Urumita. The village became part of the jurisdiction of the municipality of Villanueva within the Government of Santa Marta. It was later made part of the Province of Padilla. Urumita: History
/ref> In 1972 Urumita became an autonomous corregimiento by Ordinance 043 of 1971 until 1978 when the Urumita was segregated from the municipality of Villanueva and became a relative status by Ordinance 016 of the same year. In 1982 the previous ordinance of 1978 is reconfirmed by ordinance 036 of 1982 rectifying the limits with Villanueva.

Culture

The region has a large presence of Calagualas, a plant considered medicinal. It is used in various ways by the population of Urumita, and it is part of its popular culture. The locals celebrate the Festival y Reinado de las Flores y la Calaguala (Festival and Pageant of the Flowers and the Calaguala) in honor of the plant. Urumita: Culture
It is also featured in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's classic novel ''One Hundred Years of Solitude.''

References

External links

Urumita official website

{{Coord, 10, 34, N, 73, 01, W, region:CO_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Municipalities of La Guajira Department