Ibagué Batholith
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Ibagué () (referred to as San Bonifacio de Ibagué del Valle de las Lanzas during the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
period) is the capital of Tolima, one of the 32 departments that make up the
Republic of Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast ...
. The city is located in the center of the country, on the central mountain range of the Colombian Andes, near
Nevado del Tolima The Nevado del Tolima is a Late Pleistocene to recently active andesitic stratovolcano located in the Tolima department, Colombia. The volcano lies south of Nevado del Ruiz volcano and is situated within the Los Nevados National Natural Park. T ...
. It is one of the most populous cities in the country, with a population of 500 thousand people approximately, making it the eleventh most populous in Colombia, and with a population of 544,132 in the municipality. It was founded on 14 October 1550, by the Spanish captain Andrés López de Galarza. The city of Ibagué is divided into 13 communes and the rural area has 17 corregimientos. As the capital of the department of Tolima the city hosts the Government of Tolima, the Departmental Assembly, and the Attorney General's Office. It is the main epicenter of political, economic, administrative, business, art, culture, and tourism activities in the area. Ibagué one of three cities in the country chosen by the World Trade Center Association (WTCA) to build headquarters along with
Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...
, adding to the one existing in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
. The economy of Ibagué is based primarily on the industrial, tourism, and agricultural sectors, with its textile industry being the third largest in Colombia. According to "Doing Business" from the World Bank in Washington DC, Ibagué tops the ranking of the cities with greater ease of doing business and investment in the country after
Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...
. The city is also part of the
Colombian coffee growing axis The Coffee Axis () is a geographic, cultural, economic and ecological region of Colombia, located in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the regions of northwestern Tolima, northern and eastern Valle del Cauca and southw ...
. The city is known as "The Musical Capital of Colombia and America", thanks to the Conservatory of Tolima (one of the most prestigious and important in Colombia), folklore festivities, and its many monuments referring to music. The city's main educational institutions are the University of Tolima, the University of Ibagué, and the Conservatory of Tolima.


History

Ibagué was founded by Andrés López de Galarza on 14 October 1550, as "Villa de San Bonifacio de Ibagué del Valle de las Lanzas" ("Town of Saint Boniface of Ibagué of the Valley of the Spears") in a nearby location where now lies the urban area of the neighboring municipality of
Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Per ...
about to the west of Ibagué's current whereabouts. The indigenous Pijaos commanded by
cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...
Ibagué were not fond of Spaniards colonizing the area so the city was re-founded in its current location on 7 February 1551. From April to December 1854, Ibagué was briefly the capital of the
New Granada New Granada may refer to various former national denominations for the present-day country of Colombia: *New Kingdom of Granada, from 1538 to 1717 *Viceroyalty of New Granada, from 1717 to 1810, re-established from 1816 to 1822 *United Provinces of ...
following a coup d'etat promoted by general
José María Melo José María Dionisio Melo y Ortiz (October 9, 1800 – June 1, 1860) was a Colombian general and political figure who fought in the South American wars of independence, and who rose to power and briefly held the presidency of Colombia in 185 ...
. In 1908, when the department of Tolima was created, Ibagué was designated as its capital. The University of Tolima was founded in 1945, and was raised to state university status in 1954. The city is also the home of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ibagué The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ibagué () is an archdiocese located in the city of Ibagué in Colombia. History * 20 May 1900: Established as Diocese of Ibagué from the Diocese of Tolima * 14 December 1974: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdioce ...
.


Geography

Ibagué is located in the Colombian
Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
region, in the center of the department of Tolima, surrounded by mountains on all sides with the exception of a plateau which extends to the east.


Volcanism

Ibagué lies within the
Andean Volcanic Belt The Andean Volcanic Belt is a major volcanic belt along the Andean cordillera in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It is formed as a result of subduction of the Nazca plate and Antarctic plate underneath the South Americ ...
. It has two active volcanoes in its immediate vicinity: the
Nevado del Tolima The Nevado del Tolima is a Late Pleistocene to recently active andesitic stratovolcano located in the Tolima department, Colombia. The volcano lies south of Nevado del Ruiz volcano and is situated within the Los Nevados National Natural Park. T ...
, NW of the city, and the
Cerro Machín Cerro Machín is a stratovolcano located in Tolima Department, Colombia. Cerro Machin is a volcanic plug that is approximately the same age (1,000,000+ years) as the Ruiz-Tolima Massif and has the appearance of being part of that volcanic system. ...
, west of the city center but still within the Municipality of Ibagué. The city is one access point to Los Nevados National Park, the other being
Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...
. Cerro Machín has been dormant for the last 800 years, but seismological activity has been registered recently causing several earthquakes. The volcano is classified as "III – Changes in behavior of volcanic activity" by Ingeominas, the Colombian Institute for Geology and Mining. A map of menaced areas has been published indicating that in the event of an eruption the city of Ibagué would not be affected despite its proximity to the volcano.


Demographics

The total population of the municipality of Ibagué (including urban and rural areas), according to the 2025 census, was 544,132 inhabitants, of which approximately 500 thousand people resided in the urban area.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Municipal transport is managed by several local bus companies that operate minibuses throughout the city and to neighboring villages. Ibagué lies at the intersection of national roads 40 and 43, connecting the city to
Magdalena River Valley The Magdalena River (, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, ...
and Bogotá to the east,
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
and the Valle del Cauca to the west, and
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
to the north. There is a long distance
bus terminal A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...
with connections to most big cities in Colombia. There are frequent connections to
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
,
Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...
,
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
, and several overnight buses to Cartagena,
Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a popul ...
, and seasonal services to
Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...
. About east of the city lies
Perales Airport Perales Airport is an airport serving the city of Ibagué in the Tolima Department of Colombia. It is east of the city. A major renovation of the airport was completed in June 2018. Airlines and destinations See also * Transport in Colombia ...
which has several flights a day to Bogotá and Medellín.


Climate

Ibagué features a
tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...
under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, albeit a relatively cooler version of the climate due to the high altitude. Although the city does experience noticeably drier conditions during and around the months of January and July, the city has no true
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 t ...
month, as all twelve months see on average more than of rain. As is commonplace in areas with this climate, temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the course of the year in Ibagué, with average high temperatures of about and average low temperatures of about . On average Ibagué sees of rain annually.


Neighborhoods

* Picaleña *Combeima *Ricaurte *Kenedy *Jordan (I-IX etapa) *Sta Helena *Belen *Pueblo Nuevo *Galan *Sta Rita *Venecia *Ambala *Pedregal *Vergel *Martires *Estadio *La Francia *San Francisco *Claret *Hipodromo *Las Ferias


Notable people

* Andres Marin, competitive ice climber * Gloria Valencia de Castaño, Journalist * Darío Ortiz Robledo, artist *
Óscar Escandón Oscar Eduardo Escandón Berrío (born July 10, 1984) is a Colombian professional boxer who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics for his native South American country. There he was stopped in the round of sixteen of the Flyweight (– 51 ...
,
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
*Jairo Alberto Bocanegra Pena, singer * Patricia Caicedo,
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
*
Estefanía Gómez Estefanía Gómez (born Carmenza Estefanía Gómez Osorio on November 19, 1976, in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia), is a Colombian actress. She is best known as Aura María Fuentes in Yo soy Betty, la fea.https://www.angelfire.com/tv2/bettylafea/au ...
, actress *
James Cañón James Cañón is a List of Colombian Americans, Colombian-American writer. He's the author of the award-winning ''Tales from the Town of Widows''. Cañón was born and raised in Ibagué, Colombia. He writes fiction primarily, though he has also ...
, novelist *
James Rodríguez James David Rodríguez Rubio (born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or Winger (association football), winger for Liga MX club Club León, León and Captain (associ ...
, soccer player


Sports

The Colombian Football Association announced that Ibagué will be one of the venue cities to host the
2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup The 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup was the eighth FIFA Futsal World Cup, the quadrennial international futsal championship contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was held in Colombia from 10 Septembe ...
, although in the end it was not designated as the venue for the sporting event. Ibague has one professional soccer team
Deportes Tolima Club Deportes Tolima S.A., commonly known as Deportes Tolima, or simply as Tolima, is a Colombian professional football club based in Ibagué, Tolima Department, that competes in the Categoría Primera A. Founded in 1954, the club has won the C ...
three times Liga BetPlay winner in 2003, 2018 and 2021. Club Deportes Tolima was founded on 18 December 1954, under the leadership of Manuel Rubio Sánchez, who was in charge of registering the team with Dimayor for the sum of 10,000 pesos. In 1957, one of the most important men in the history of Deportes Tolima, Jorge Guzmán Molina, arrived, achieving the first sub-championship of the team.


Twin towns – sister cities

Ibagué is twinned with: *
Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
, China *
Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...
, Spain


References


External links


El Nuevo Día (local journal)

ElOlfato.com (digital magazine)

Ecos del Combeima (local radio station and digital radio)

Ondas de Ibagué (local radio station and digital radio)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibague Municipalities of Tolima Department Capitals of Colombian departments Populated places established in 1550