Nilo is a Colombian

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located in the

department of Cundinamarca Department of Cundinamarca (, ) is one of the departments of Colombia. Its area covers (not including the Capital District) and it has a population of 2,919,060 as of 2018. It was created on August 5, 1886, under the constitutional terms pre ...

. It is part of the Alto Magdalena Province and is situated 148 kilometers southwest of

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 ...

History

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

era, the territory of what is now the

of Nilo was inhabited by the Panche indigenous people. In 1627, the Spanish magistrate Lesmes de Espinosa visited

Tocaima Tocaima () refers to both a city and a municipality in Cundinamarca, Colombia. City The city of Tocaima was founded on March 20, 1544 as San Dionisio de los Caballeros de Tocaima by the Spanish explorer Hernán Venegas Carrillo. This city is mos ...

and its surrounding settlements and ordered the construction of a church on the estate of Francisco de Esquivel, located on the banks of the

Sumapaz River The Sumapaz River () is a major tributary of the Magdalena River in Colombia. The long river originates in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at the largest páramo in the world; Sumapaz, of which it takes its name. It forms the natural bou ...

. This church was designated for the religious services of residents from the Valle de Picalá and

Fusagasugá Fusagasugá (; ) or Fusa is a city and municipality in the department of Cundinamarca, in central Colombia. It is located in the warm valley between the rivers Cuja and Panches, a central region of the Andes Mountains in South America. The mun ...

. There were two main settlements in the area: Nilo, located near

, and Limones, situated near the Pagüey River. By the late 18th century, with the aim of increasing the establishment of parishes for white settlers in the region, Father Francisco Antonio Ruíz founded the first church in Nilo in 1783. The name "Nilo" was inspired by the flooding of the Pagüey River, which resembled the annual flooding of the Nile River in Egypt.

Notable Events

The composer of the music for Colombia's National Anthem, Maestro Oreste Síndici, lived in Nilo. It was in Nilo where the first rehearsal of the anthem took place, which was later officially premiered in the city of Bogotá on November 11, 1887, in commemoration of the anniversary of Cartagena.

Political-Administrative Division

In addition to its municipal seat, Nilo has jurisdiction over the following populated centers: * El Redil * La Esmeralda * Pueblo Nuevo

Symbols

The Flag

The flag of the Municipality of Nilo was adopted through Decree No. 040 on December 11, 1991. It has dimensions of 2 meters in length and 1.7 meters in width. The design consists of three horizontal stripes of equal proportion. On the left side, there is a triangle overlay, with two of its vertices placed at the left corners of the flag. The third vertex of the triangle is positioned on the central white stripe.

Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms of Nilo, adopted through Agreement No. 007 on November 23, 1982, has a Spanish shape, divided into a cut and half-parted design, with a border and motto. In the upper field, it displays, in its natural colors, hills and the Quininí hill, the Paguey River that runs through the municipality, a tree symbolizing the tamarind, and a harmonium where Oreste Síndici rehearsed the national anthem. In the lower left section, it features, on a golden background, the head of a bull in black, symbolizing the municipality's livestock wealth. Two branches of coffee with their fruits in natural colors are also depicted, representing the coffee industry, which, along with livestock, constitutes the region's primary wealth. The motto, in red, crowns the coat of arms and bears the name of the municipality in black.

Anthem

* Music: Eugenio Andrade * Lyrics: Félix Amado Amado and Germán Ospina

Economy

The main activities for the economic sustainability of the municipality are agriculture and livestock farming, which make up 30% of the southern region of the municipality, as well as tourism, due to its proximity to Melgar and Girardot. Agriculture in Nilo focuses on crops such as coffee, bananas, mangoes, oranges, tangerines, soursop, papayas, and corn.

Politics

Mayors elected by popular vote * 1992 - 1994 , Félix Amado Amado , Colombian Liberal Party * 1995 - 1997 , Carlos Julio Ricardo Martínez , Colombian Liberal Party , A continuing progress * 1998 - 2000 , Félix Amado Amado , Colombian Liberal Party * 2001 - 2003 , Carlos Julio Ricardo Martínez , Colombian Liberal Party , United for Nilo * 2004 - 2007 , Carlos Herman Vargas Torres , Independent Civic Movement , Administration and progress for all * 2008 - 2011 , Freddy Alberto Amado Angulo , Social National Unity Party (Party of the U) , Because Nilo is all of us * 2012 - 2015 , Ramiro Hernández Vanégas , Colombian Liberal Party , Government with social projection * 2016 - 2019 , Juan Carlos Martín Caviedes , Colombian Liberal Party , Commitment with responsibility * 2020 - 2023 , Freddy Alberto Amado Angulo , Social National Unity Party (Party of the U) , Because Nilo is all of us

Places of Interest

The main economic activity of the city is tourism, which comes from Bogotá and foreign visitors. * Piscilago: A theme and water park located 106 km from Bogotá. * Lagosol: Another large water park. Within the municipality, there are several important military facilities: * Tolemaida Military Fort * Pedro Pascasio Martinez Rojas Professional Soldiers School * FedeTiro Nilo Shooting Range: The venue for the shooting sport events at the 2019 National Sports Games.

Festivities

* Festival of Folkloric Dances of Alto Magdalena

Public Services

* Electricity: Enel is the company providing electrical service. * Natural Gas: Alcanos is the distributor and marketer of natural gas in the municipality.

References

Municipalities of Cundinamarca Department {{Cundinamarca-geo-stub