Leticia () is the southernmost

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in 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 ...

, capital of the department of Amazonas, Colombia's southernmost town (4.09° south 69.57° west) and one of the major ports on the Amazon River. It has an elevation of 96 meters (315') above sea level and an average temperature of 27 °C (80.6 °F). Leticia has long been Colombia's shipping point for

tropical fish Tropical fish are fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world. Fishkeepers often keep tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a general term for f ...

for the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade. Leticia has a population of 33,503 located on the left bank of the Amazon River at the point where the borders of Colombia,

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

meet in an area called Tres Fronteras. A long-standing border dispute involving Leticia, between Colombia and Peru, was decided in 1934 by the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

after these two nations were engulfed in an armed conflict known as the Colombia-Peru War. It is adjacent to the larger Brazilian city of

Tabatinga Tabatinga, originally Forte de São Francisco Xavier de Tabatinga, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Tres Fronteras, Três Fronteiras area of Western Amazonas. It is in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Amazonas (Brazilia ...

. Together with the

vian city of Santa Rosa de Yavari, the entire urban area has more than 120,000 residents spread along the Amazon River

History

Early history and etymology

Early Leticia history mentions a Portuguese explorer who, after becoming lost in the Amazon, died of starvation at the present site of Leticia with the rest of his crew. The Peruvian captain Benigno Bustamante, then governor of the Peruvian department of Loreto, founded the city itself on April 25, 1867. Legend has it that when the Peruvian government decided to colonise the area (in order to prevent the Colombian government from claiming it first), they found a cross inscribed with the words "San Antonio", naming the new town after this cross. A legend states that a Colombian soldier fell in love with an

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

woman named Leticia and decided to name the settlement after her. It could also have been named after

Saint Leticia Leticia (; ), whose feast day is October 21, is venerated as a virgin martyr and saint, presumably a companion of Saint Ursula, Ursula. A saint with the same name had a feast day occurring on March 13 and July 9. Her cult was diffused in Corsica ...

. However, Peruvian records indicate that on the 15 December 1867, the port of "San Antonio" was renamed to "Leticia" by Peruvian engineer Manuel Charón. Charón named the port in honor of a young female resident of the Peruvian city of

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province, Peru, Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the List of cities in Peru, ninth-most populous city in Peru ...

named Leticia Smith, who in fact, was his wife.

Territorial dispute

Small border incidents between Peru and Colombia occurred in 1911, and in 1922 the two governments of those countries reached a controversial agreement awarding the Leticia area to Colombia in exchange for recognizing Peru's rights to the zone south of the

Putumayo River The Putumayo River or Içá River (, ) is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River, southwest of and parallel to the Japurá River. Course The Putumayo River forms part of Colombia's border with Ecuador, as well as most of the border with Per ...

, which was also claimed by

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. This agreement proved to be unpopular among the Peruvian population, despite the treaty's ratification in 1928, because the treaty was signed in secret and it awarded Colombia a region that had been founded by Peruvians and that had a large Peruvian population living within its borders. The Colombia-Peru War began in September 1932 when two hundred Peruvians, followed later by military troops, occupied public buildings in Leticia, which was not garrisoned. Hand-to-hand combat ensued between small Colombian and Peruvian forces in early 1933. The conflict lasted until May 1933, when a cease-fire negotiated by the League of Nations went into effect in order to settle the conflict. The League finally awarded the disputed area to Colombia in June 1934.

Recent history

Though the League of Nations' intervention had officially ended the war, the Colombian government remained wary of the Peruvians, and decided to populate Leticia with people from

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 ...

in order to ensure the town's loyalty to Colombia. Most of the people who came from Bogotá from the 1940s to 1965 still live in Leticia . During that time Leticia has expanded greatly, with a new main street being built. However, the city's industries have changed little since then, with

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

still the prime sources of income. Tourism in Leticia has boomed and the town is today a recognized tourist site. International students travel to Leticia to learn Spanish. Meanwhile, students and visitors can enjoy the attractions nearby the city.

Climate

Leticia 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 ...

with minimal difference in average high and low temperatures throughout the course of the year. Leticia does have noticeably wetter and drier months, with its wettest month (March) seeing a little more than twice as much rain as its driest month (July). The average monthly rainfall in the city is consistently above .

Biodiversity

The

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

fauna of Leticia is highly species rich. An intensive survey effort in primary rainforest and flooded forest some 10 km (6 miles) north of Leticia revealed 96 frog species (with two more found shortly afterwards). However, the true number might be as high as 123 species, based on species expected to occur in the area but not yet documented there.

Culture

People

The majority of Leticia's population have migrated from elsewhere. There is no obviously dominant segment, but migrants from

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 Tolima are the majority. Few people from

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 ...

live in Leticia. A significant proportion of Leticia's population comprises native

Amerindians In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

(as opposed to ''

mestizos ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to ...

'' or ''

caboclo A caboclo () is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and European ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or detribalized person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a ''caboclo'' generally refers to this specific type of ' ...

s''). The prevailing trend is for people to move from the village of their birth in far-lying rural communities into the city to make a "better" living. The region is home to several indigenous people, including the Witoto,

Inga ''Inga'' is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing treesElkan, Daniel. "Slash-and-burn farming has become a major threat to the world's rainforest" ''The Guardian'' 21 April 2004 and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. ''Inga''s l ...

, Tucano,

Ticuna The Ticuna (also Magüta, Tucuna, Tikuna, or Tukuna, ) are an indigenous people of Brazil (36,000'')'', indigenous peoples of Colombia, Colombia (6,000), and indigenous peoples in Peru, Peru (7,000). They are the most numerous tribe in the Brazi ...

, and

Nukak The Nukak people (also Nukak-Maku people, Makú) live between the Guaviare River, Guaviare and Inírida River, Inírida rivers, in the depths of the tropical humid forest, on the fringe of the Amazon basin, in Guaviare Department, Republic of Co ...

. The Peruvian Yagua settled in the riverside village of La Libertad in the 1990s.

Food

Although the inhabitants commonly eat the same things each week, a wide variety of food is available in Leticia. Dishes specific to each of Colombia's regions are made here. For example, people make

Sancocho Sancocho (from the Spanish verb ''sancochar'', "to parboil") is a traditional stew in several Caribbean and Latin American cuisines. Latin variations represent popular national dishes in Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Pana ...

, a hearty soup, with regional variations in different parts of Colombia. But even within regions, each family has its own recipe. Leticia's cuisine includes Brazilian and Peruvian influences. Common staples in Leticia include river fish, domestic (and occasionally wild) meat, rice, locally-grown vegetables and potatoes. Meals are usually cooked over a wood-fired stovetop in a pan. A typical Sunday meal might comprise grilled meats, cooked in makeshift charcoal grillers, served with rice and plantains.

Education

Leticia is considered an important area for the study of the Amazon and its biodiversity. * National University of Colombia at Leticia * Universidad Antonio Nariño (UAN) * Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD) * University of the Amazon

Attractions

* Amacayacu National Park * Parque nacional natural Cahuinarí * Isla de los Micos (Monkey Island) * Puerto Nariño, the only other Amazonas municipality * Lago Tarapoto, where

boto Boto is a Portuguese name given to several types of dolphins and river dolphins native to the Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (c ...

s can be seen * Lago Yahuarcacas * Parque Ecologico Mundo Amazonico (Amazon World Ecological Park) * Museum Banco de la República * Orellana Park * Santander Park * Our Lady of Peace Cathedral

Transportation

The Vásquez Cobo International Airport in Leticia is the largest airport in the south of Colombia. In addition to being the Colombian jungle region gateway, it also serves as the major airport in the triple-border region (Colombia, Brazil and Peru). For this reason, the airport handles the majority of passengers from the central Amazon region. The city is not connected to the bulk of Colombia by road.

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control 1867 establishments in Colombia Brazil–Colombia border crossings Capitals of Colombian departments Colombia–Peru border crossings Municipalities of Amazonas (Colombian department) Populated places established in 1867 Populated places on the Amazon Road-inaccessible communities of Colombia Tres Fronteras