Pereira, Colombia
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Pereira () is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It is located in the foothills of the
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
in a
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
-producing area of Colombia officially known as the " Coffee Axis". Pereira, alongside the rest of the Coffee Axis, form part of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
known as the "Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia"."Colombia green guide Michelin 2012-2013."
Michelin. 2012. Accessed at Google Books 29 December 2013.
It is the most populated city in the Coffee Axis. Pereira is also part of the Central West Metropolitan Area, which has 735.769 residents and is composed of Pereira and the neighboring cities of Dosquebradas and La Virginia. It is considered the most important city in the "Coffee Axis" from a geopolitical and economic standpoint. As the capital of the department of Risaralda, Pereira houses the headquarters of the Government of Risaralda, the Departmental Assembly, the Departmental Court, the Metropolitan Area Authority and the Attorney General. It also serves as the headquarters for numerous public companies and institutions of the Colombian state. Being in the center of the Golden Triangle (which consists of the cities 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 ...
,
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
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 ...
), Pereira has become especially important in the fields of trade and commerce.


Toponymy

Pereira was named after lawyer, land owner and naturist Francisco Pereira Martínez. He was a supporter of independence of the city, located in the same place as ''Old Cartago''. The city of Pereira is known as "the pearl of Otún".


Geography

Pereira is located within the Golden Triangle of Colombia, a broad zone informally delimited by tracing this figure over the map 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 ...
,
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
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 ...
. More narrowly defined, Pereira lies in the Central ''Cordillera'' (mountain range) of Colombia in the Otún and Cauca river valleys. The municipal area is 702 km2 It shares boundaries with the municipalities of La Virginia, Marsella and Dosquebradas to the north, Santa Rosa de Cabal the northeast, Tolima to the east, Quindío and Valle del Cauca to the south and Balboa and Valle del Cauca to the west. Pereira, like many Colombian cities, has high-elevation areas with difficult access or flat or steep parts. The streets are laid out according to the elevation of the respective zones. The greater part of the municipal territory corresponds to the sheer elevations of the Central Mountain range. Among the orographic accidents are the snowcapped Quindio, Ruiz, and Santa Isabel, located in the limits with the departments of Quindío, Caldas and Tolima respectively. It also has other accidents like Santa Barbara, also known as the Alto del Nudo. The hydrographic system of the municipality includes the rivers Cauca, Barbas, La Vieja, Otún and Consota, with its many tributaries. The area enjoy a variety of climates, with the following thermal floors: warm, 60 km ²; Medium, 367 km2; Cold, 70 km ² and páramo, with 107 km ².


Climate

The climate of Pereira oscillates between warm climate 9.9%, moderate climate 60.7%, cold climate 11.5%, paramo 17.7%. Its annual average rainfall is 2,750 mm. The Pereirano territory, which extends mainly from east to west, gives the city different climates within its boundaries. For example, the areas of Caimalito and Cerritos to the west of the city, near the river Cauca, have temperatures up to 27°C, since the height in this zone is from 950 to 1250 m. At the other end is the Julita area, where the Technological University of Pereira is located. Due to the territory occupied by large forests, it is one of the coldest areas of the city, with high humidity. The temperature in this zone ranges around 17°C, with an average height of about 1550 msnm. This diversity of climates and terrain offers a rich range of vegetation and landscape coverage, providing Pereira with one of the richest biodiversities of the nation. However, the city is also an area of high seismic vulnerability due to the type of soils that make up it and the geological faults that cross it. Pereira's climate is subtropical highland. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 17°C (63°F ) to 26°C (79°F) and is rarely below 16°C (61°F) or above 29°C (83°F). The average temperature of Pereira is 21°C (69°F).


Waterways

Lake Otún, which feeds the River Otun, is the main body of water in the city. The river system of the municipality includes the Cauca, The Barbas River, the La Vieja River, the Otún River, the Consota, and many tributaries.


History

The history of the city goes back to the
pre-Columbian era 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 ...
, in which the current city area was inhabited by the Quimbaya and Pijao cultures, widely recognized for their goldsmiths. In this region, Marshal Jorge Robledo founded the city of Cartago (Carthage) on August 9, 1540, but due to the siege of the pijaos or reasons of economic expediency this city was moved in 1691 to the site that currently occupies the north end of the Valley of the Cauca, towards the banks of the La Vieja river. The original site became jungle again and buried the remains of civilization. On the few ruins of the Spanish population, crossed by the route that led from Valle del Cauca to Medellín, through
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 ...
, a group of 20 Antioqueno families had already built their homes when a handful of Vallecaucanos appeared to find the population of Carthage La Vieja, today Pereira. Although the formal foundation came from the Caucano group, the emergence of Pereira was another chapter of the Antioqueno colonization, and the contribution of other social groups such as the Caucano was in its beginning relatively scarce. Later, with the ideal of reviving this city, which until then was a jungle area, on August 24, 1863, the presbyter Remigio Antonio Cañarte and Jesús María Ormaza Niño, among others, returned to the ruins of ancient Carthage, where they established a few huts that were blessed on August 30 of the same year. For 6 years the settlement was called Carthage, but in 1869 it was renamed Villa de Pereira, in honor of the doctor Francisco Pereira Martínez, who in 1816 took refuge in the area, along with his brother Manuel Pereira, after the defeat of the Patriotic forces in the Battle of Cachirí during the Spanish reconquest of New Granada. From 1870 and especially as a result of the civil wars of 1876 and 1885, the region received a new wave of immigrants from Antioquia. The settler group of 1863 and following years had been formed by forest reclaimers who only aspired to have a single plot of land, while the second group was made up of men of greater ambition and greater entrepreneurial capacity. Some of them were linked to Antioquian capitalists who financed their activities, which involved leveling mountains and starting cattle ranches using peonadas and heavy capital investments. The arrival in the city of a group of merchants and professionals at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th introduced education as a new reason for social differentiation. A new elite group emerged that became a leader of the economic, civic, and political activities of the city. Pereira was the city where the last execution in Colombia took place. David López, 19, was indicted for the murder of Ricardo Torres on November 30, 1888. Lopez unsuccessfully exhausted all appeals to spare his life; he was executed in Pereira on July 26, 1890, after telling the firing squad to shoot directly at his heart. In the 1920s, settlers from Antioquia moved to Pereira for its economically strategic location, fertile soil, and good weather. The settlers grew large quantities of high-quality
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
in the mineral-rich, volcanic Andean soil. Other produce included sugarcane and cattle. Settlers also came from cities such as Valle del Cauca and
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 the 1950s, during a period of bipartisan political struggle in the country, Pereira became a refuge for thousands of Colombians, quadrupling its population and creating a national melting pot that changed its community forever. In recent years, the city has achieved an urban identity and a significant growth in its cultural development. Social integration and higher levels of education are providing the city sustained economic and cultural growth. In the economic recession of 1999, and the stagnant years of 2000 and 2001, some residents of Pereira emigrated to the United States and Spain. Towards the years 2005 and 2006, Pereira recovered from decline and went into an economic boom, with new office, retail and housing development, and most importantly Megabus, the main public transportation system, opening to the public. In 2015 the new Biopark Ukumari was opened to the public in its initial phase with 2 bioregions. It is planned to have up to 8 bioregions including the Andean Mountains, African desert, Amazonas and many more, including a section designed for mechanical rides. Up until 2016, Pereira has been an epicenter of massive urban redevelopment with many international companies opening new stores, factories, and logistical centers. The unemployment rate has decreased significantly from being one of the highest in the country, to the national standard of 9%. Pereira is beginning to transform into the capital city of the Coffee Axis or Eje Cafetero region, with many residents from neighbouring cities such as
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 Manizales coming to Pereira to shop for goods in stores that are unique to Pereira.


Governance

The Pereira municipal area covers . Pereira is divided into 19 neighbourhoods: Ferrocarril, Olímpica, San Joaquín, Cuba, Del Café, El Oso, Perla del Otún, Consota, El Rocío, El Poblado, El Jardín, San Nicolás, Centro, Río Otún, Boston, Universidad, Villavicencio, Oriente y Villasantana. Pereira has also rural neighbourhoods called Altagracia, Arabia, Caimalito, Cerritos, La Florida, Puerto Caldas, Combia Alta, Combia Baja, La Bella, Estrella-La Palmilla, Morelia, Tribunas. Together with La Virginia and Dosquebradas, Pereira forms the Area Metropolitana de Centro Occidente (AMCO). The three cities cooperate on various affairs and share many services such as the Megabus system.


Demographics

In 2023, Pereira had about 481,768 residents, the fourteenth largest city of Colombia. Pereira has a twin city, Dosquebradas (about five minutes drive from the Plaza de Bolivar), which has about 225,540 residents. With a total population of about 735,796, the Pereira conurbation also includes La Virginia. Pereira, Dosquebradas and La Virginia comprise the Pereira metropolitan area. As a result of urbanisation, Pereira has one of the most equitable distributions of wealth in Colombia.


Economy

The municipality of Pereira has a diversified economy in its economic structure, with the primary sector accounting for 5.7% of the GDP, the secondary sector 26.2%, and the tertiary sector 68.1%. Pereira's economy grew 3.7% in 2004, due to the flagship program of the national government, greater fluidity in the financial system, contributions from overseas residents who have an important impact on consumption, and improved prices for oil, coal, nickel, and coffee. These developments were reflected in the increase in both the supply and demand for goods and services. Trade is the second-most significant generating employment activity. An important part of the city's trade is already in shopping centers (Alcides Arevalo, Bolivar Plaza, Lake Plaza, Novacentro, Parque Arboleda, Pereira Plaza, Victoria, Unicentro, etc.) where there is a wide variety of products and services. Hotels and resorts have been constructed in recent years, with several establishments located in downtown Pereira and in the outskirts such as Sonesta Cerritos in response to an increase of visitors to the city for various reasons, creating added value in different sectors.


Agriculture

In the region of Pereira, agricultural employment is 70 percent based in permanent cropping, 8 percent in annual crops and 22 percent engaging transient workers. Agricultural products include a variety of crops such as coffee, pineapple, sugarcane, cacao, cereals, rubber, and livestock. Pereira is part of the Colombian coffee growing axis.Palacios M
"Coffee in Colombia, 1850-1970: an economic, social and political history."
Cambridge University Press, 25 July 2002. p162. , 9780521528597. Accessed at Google Books 29 December 2013.


Manufacturing

Pereira's main manufacturing product is apparel. Other products include aluminium goods, motorcycles, and telecommunications technology. Pereira also hosts multinational corporations such as Avesco, Nestle, and Coats. In the future,
ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...
may be produced in Pereira, as sugarcane, an essential raw material for ethanol production, is farmed in the nearby Cauca valley.


Logistics

Pereira is a centre for transport logistics. Logistics companies include Servientrega International Logistics, FedEx, DHL, Central, and TCC. There are logistics centers in Dosquebradas and Alpina. In 2016, two major companies opened logistical centers in Pereira. The first was Deprisa, the subsidiary company of Avianca for correspondence and mail; it opened in Pereira as a logistical center for the entire Coffee Axis region. The second was for the national supermarket chain Exito, serving the cities of Manizales, Pereira, Armenia and Cartago. Pereira is also in the process of building two logistical parks, which already house important national companies such as a D1 Supermarkets distribution center, as well as an Alberto VO5 national distribution center. Pereira also houses the Zona Franca, or Free Zone which is becoming increasingly important on a national level.


Trade and commerce

Trade and commerce is the second biggest employment sector in Pereira and in 2010. Commercial enterprises include numerous malls, home centers, hypermarkets, and supermarkets. There are also fast food outlets, hotels, and a convention centre.


Tourism

Pereira is known nationally for being an important city for tourism, attracting visitors as it is the center of the Coffee Cultural Landscape as named by UNESCO. Pereira has several landmarks which attract tourists, such as the Bolivar Statue, the Viaduct, and its many open-air swimming pools and recreational parks. Lake Otún and Santa Isabel provide destinations for sports adventure tourism. Pereira also has a night life scene with bars and nightclubs, located mostly on Circunvalar Avenue. Pereira is also a health destination, with many clinics housing health care specialists, as well as esthetic clinics. The city is also the most common setting for two Colombian soap operas on Netflix: Sin senos no hay paraíso, and the sequel Sin senos sí hay paraíso. It is also very close to Cocora Valley (Valle de Cocora in Spanish) which is around 45 minutes drive from Pereira and famous for its giant palm trees visited by all types of domestic and international tourists every year.


Ukumari Biopark

The Flora and Fauna Theme Park or "Bioparque" Ukumari is located in the sector of Galicia, 14 kilometers from the city. It is known as the most ambitious tourist project of the Coffee Axis and the largest theme park in Latin America with an area of 820,000 m2. Animals will be in natural environments that represent the continents of Africa, America, Eurasia, Australia, and Colombia's Eastern Plains, Amazon, Atlantic Coast, and Coffee Axis regions. This biopark will feature 3D attractions, interactive games, and adrenaline-related biodiversity scenarios.11 The biopark is an educational and conservation proposal for Colombia and the world, created with the idea of "the animal and its surroundings", with the intention of breaking the stereotypes of Victorian zoos with prisonlike animal enclosures. The Ukumari Bioparc opened its doors on June 30, 2015, the last day of June began the official transfer of animals from the Matecaña zoo (recently closed) to the forests of Ukumarí. It initially offered only an Andean forest bioregion exhibit, representing home to 69% of Colombia's birds. Additionally, there would be six other bioregions, three with exotic animals from Africa and Asia, and four other bio-regions of the Colombian territory. For the beginning phase of the transfer of animals to the biopark, and the inauguration of the Andean Forest bioregion, 80 billion pesos were invested, divided between the national government, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, and the INFIPEREIRA. Purchase of the biopark land and construction cost 30 billion pesos. Ukumarí is expected to become a development engine for Pereira and a new opportunity to elevate tourism in the region. As previous administrations of Pereira have pointed out for over a decade, this project will complement the Coffee Axis and, along with Matecaña International Airport, be a new pride of 'the querendona, trasnochadora and morena'.


Places of interest

* Technological University of Pereira, (
planetarium A planetarium (: planetariums or planetaria) is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetariums is ...
and botanical garden of Pereira Technological University and ''Guaducto'', a bamboo bridge). * Cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty. * Lucy Tejada, cultural centre and museum. * Pereira Museum of Art * Jaime Mejia archaeological museum * Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. * Consota Recreational Park: Noah's farm eco-park, water park * Olympic venues: village, pools, tennis courts, basketball courts and velodrome. * Los Nevados National Natural Park * Botanical Garden of Marsella * Plaza de Bolívar and the naked Bolívar statue. * Circunvalar Avenue, high end shopping boulevard * Victoria's City Square * Parque Arboleda Shopping mall * Unicentro, the largest mall in the Coffee Axis * Santiago Londoño Londoño Municipal Theater


Monuments

* ''Monument to the founders'', Rodrigo Arenas Betancur * ''Prometheus bound'', Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. * ''Christ without the cross'', Our Lady of Fatima church, Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. * ''The Rebecca'', Circunvalar park, Cardigan Ave., Larry Mendez. * ''Train: monument of transport", transportation terminal.'' * ''Alexandra Ariza'', Jorge Eliecer Gaitan park, opposite the St. George hospital, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan * ''The Obelisk'', Hernando Hoyos. * ''Diana of the Gavi and the young of Jar.'' * ''General Rafael Uribe Uribe'', Franco A. Cano. * ''The Traveler'', Antonio Segui.


Architecture

In the city center the skyline is dominated by the republican style of low-rise buildings. In the Ciudad Victoria, there are buildings both in the modern and less numerous colonial styles. The reconstruction of the old gallery sector is the largest social and economic renewal project in the city. Since the early 1980s there were calls in Pereira for urban renewal in this deteriorated area. This resulted in the development of what is now Ciudad Victoria, which has varied public spaces, among which is the Plaza de Bolivar. Located opposite the Cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty, it is famous for its Naked Bolivar monument. The area is the main center of commercial and financial activities of the city, as well as a meeting place for its inhabitants. Other notable landmarks include the Lucy Tejada Cultural Center, located at the site of the central gallery, where the Cultural Institute of Pereira is located, the Issuer "Remigio Antonio Cañarte", the Pereira Air station, the Municipal Library, Exhibition Hall, and the headquarters of the Academy of History, Between Ciudad Victoria and the Avenue Circunvalar there is a flyover bridge that connects the two areas, with both pedestrian and bicycle lanes. The most important venue for concerts, artistic performances, and core of the cultural life in Pereira, is the Teatro Municipal Santiago Londoño, which pays tribute to one of its most prominent patrons. The city also has the Library and Exhibition Centre, Bank of the Republic, and the Museum of Modern Art, the latter with modern exhibition halls and an auditorium. Victoria has the Egoyá Linear Park between streets 14 and 18, with 0.6 ha of parkland. Its name comes from the Egoyá channel, running through the center of the city but now mostly underground. Many major events and festivals take place at the Civic Victoria Plaza. Among the most representative monuments of the city are: * Naked Bolivar: Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt. Bolivar plaza. * Monument to the Founders: Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt. Carrera 13 with Calle 12. * Chained Prometheus: Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt. Technological University of Pereira. * Without Christ Cross: Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt. Church of Our Lady of Fatima. * Rebeca: Leonidas Mendez. Park Avenue Cardigan Circunvalar. * Railway: Monument to Transport. Waterfront Transport Terminal. * Jorge Eliecer Gaitan: Alexandra Ariza. Jorge Eliecer Gaitan Park, opposite the San Jorge Hospital. * The Obelisk: Hernando Hoyos. Calle 17 with carrera 6. * General Rafael Uribe Uribe: A. Franco Cano. Park Lake. * The Traveler: Antonio Segui. August 30 avenue, roundabout Cuba.


Photography

Thanks to the geographical location and cultural diversity, Pereira has wonderful landscapes that could be captured by photography lovers. * ''Viaducto César Gaviria Trujillo'': This bridge is one of the most important engineering works in Colombia, and you can also have a panoramic view of Pereira from the top. * ''Botanical Garden Technological University of Pereira'': A place is perfect for those passionate about photography in the natural world and full of knowledge about the plant individuals of the coffee region. * ''Laguna del Otún'': It is an imposing and majestic place, perfect for a good photographic work, you can see native vegetation and much of the Colombian biodiversity. * ''Simon Bolivar Monument'': The naked Bolivar made by the master Rodrigo Arenas in bronze, located in the center of Pereira. It is one of the symbols that represents the city and worthy of being photographed. * ''Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Pobreza'': It is a work of art and religious heritage, has a complex structure of twelve thousand pieces of wood that hold the dome worthy of knowing and being photographed.''


Transportation


Airport

Pereira's airport is the Matecaña International Airport. It was built between 1944 and 1946 and opened in August 1947. It operates both nationally and internationally. It is currently undergoing an expansion which will include a new control tower, a longer runway, new access roads, and new destinations such as New York, which will make Matecaña International Airport one of the most important in the country. In 2016, the airport launched the tendering process for the construction of the new terminal building. Both runway expansions and the new control tower were completed. With the city zoo moving out of Matecaña to the new Biopark Ukumari, these lands have been given to the airport to use for expansion of its access roads and an office and hotel complex.


Road

Pereira is at the center of the transport hub for Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindio. Autopista del Café are the highways which connect Armenia, Manizales, Pereira and Cartago. Other main urban highways include 30 August Avenue, Circunvalar Avenue, The Americas Avenue, Railway Avenue, Belalcazár Avenue, River Avenue, and Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Streets. Pereira's street system is aligned on a grid, with numbers for carreras going up from the River Otun, and street numbers going up from the neighbourhood of Alfonso Lopez. Beyond Alfonso Lopez, the streets become affixed with a letter E to denote East; for example, the Kennedy neighbourhood is completely composed of streets like Street 7E, Street 10E and so on.


SITM or Mass Public Transport

Pereira is currently undergoing a transitional phase, in which the traditional bus networks of the city are replaced completely by a mass public transportation system including a cable car system.


Urban Bus

A bus system which has almost 50 routes in the city is soon to be replaced. It has a cost of $3.250 which is paid directly to the driver in cash.


Cable Car

Part of the new transit development plan is to build 3 new cable car lines across the city. Currently the Mexican transportation consultants Transconsult are investigating the most viable routes and locations for the network. It was announced that final routes would be from Industrial Park (Parque industrial) to the airport, Villa Santana to the UTP University, and Villa Verde to the city center. Construction on the first line was scheduled to commence at the end 2017 or the beginning of 2018. It was announced that the first line to be built will be between the Olaya Park and Villa Santana, connecting with the Transport Terminal and the university. It will be the longest cable car in Colombia upon its completion. In March 2017, the local government began the design studies and construction was planned to begin in October 2017.


Megabus

Megabús is the mass transport system, which was founded in 2006. It comprises 3 trunk routes that link Dosquebradas and Cuba, and feeder routes which connect the rest of the metropolitan area including La Virginia, Puerto Caldas, Cerritos, Morelia, and many other neighbourhoods, which connect with the trunk routes at Interchanger stations. Since 2016, Megabus has embarked on the task of connecting the entire city, with new routes to important areas of the city that previously lacked a Megabus route. One of these new routes is to the UTP University, via The Américas Avenue and the Transport Station.


Cesar Gaviria Trujillo Viaduct

The architectural award-winning César Gaviria Trujillo Viaduct, a
cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wikt:stay#Etymology 3, stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, norm ...
, was opened on 15 November 1997. It is named after César Gaviria, the 40th president of Colombia, who was born in the city of Pereira. The viaduct links Pereira with Dosquebradas and the cities of
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
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 length of its centre span is , one of the longest in South America.


Climate

Pereira has 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 ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Af'') although its altitude is sufficient to make its afternoon temperatures very warm rather than hot. The average temperature is , and the annual average rainfall is . There is a large degree of
biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
in the region.


Education

Places of learning in Pereira include: Pereira also has a number of training institutions associated with the National Learning Service (SENA).


Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival () is celebrated on the anniversary of the founding of the city. It is usually also the month that coffee crops are collected, giving rise to the phrase "hicieron su Agosto" ("they made their August"), meaning that someone made good money, referring to the pay that coffee collectors earned in August.


Sports

Pereira has a huge variety in sport arenas in the city. It has the biggest and best Olympic Village in the Western part of the Country, with the recently renovated Stadium Hernan Ramirez Villegas, the Velodrome, the Olympic swimming pools, the multiple tennis and synthetic football fields, and the biggest Skate Park in the Country. It also has many other venues like the Commerce Club with many more venues. Pereira has achieved the title of the most active city in Colombia in 2015, with important programs such as the Cycle way every Sunday, by closing the most important avenues of the city to give way for people riding bike, running or simply walking. Also every neighbourhood in the city has an Open Air gym for the use of everyone. Pereira's main football team is the Deportivo Pereira, which plays in the
Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor due to Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a professional association football league in Colombia and the highest level of the Colombian ...
. The city hosts the Hernán Ramírez Villegas Stadium, a velodrome, a skating area, an Olympic swimming pool and a motocross track. Pereira is also home to the "coffee marathon". Pereira is the birthplace of the Colombian tennis player,
Santiago Giraldo Santiago Giraldo Salazar (, born 27 November 1987) is a Colombian former professional tennis player. He played on the ATP tour and represented Colombia Davis Cup team, Colombia in the Davis Cup competition. His best tournament result is reachi ...
, and soccer player Cucho Hernández.


Religion

The predominant religion is
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.


Twin towns – sister cities

Pereira is twinned with: *
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...
, United States


Gastronomy

Pereira's gastronomy is rich since its climate allows a great variety of fruits and vegetables to be grown. As well as being part of the Coffee Axis, it is also known for paisa culture. Therefore, the main dishes are influenced by the paisa culture and by regions near to it. Main dishes include the Sancocho soup made with chicken and beef, with
potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
,
yuca ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although a perennia ...
,
corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
, sweet plantain and
rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
. Another main dish is the bandeja paisa, which has beans with rice, fried sweet plantains,
avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...
, fried eggs, sausages, and meat. Mazamorra is another typical dish that is served as dessert, made of smashed corn with milk, with sweet unprocessed sugar added. In addition, Pereira is also known for its varieties of
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
, honey, and small biscuits called panderos, which are made of unprocessed sugar cane.


Flag

The flag of Pereira consists of a yellow isosceles triangle based on the hoist side, spread through the whole length of the flag, over a red field. Inside the triangle is a vertical stick, passing through the triangle's geometric center, and topped by a
Phrygian cap The Phrygian cap ( ), also known as Thracian cap and liberty cap, is a soft Pointed hat, conical Hat, cap with the apex bent over, associated in Classical antiquity, antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe, Anatolia, and Asia. The Phry ...
().Alcaldía de Pereira: Nuestros símbolos
/ref>


Gallery

File:PARQUE EL LAGO URIBE URIBE 09-09-2014.JPG, El Lago Uribe Uribe Park File:Plaza Bolivar Pereira.JPG, Bolívar Plaza File:Rio La Vieja - panoramio.jpg, Rio de La Vieja (Old Lady River) File:Zoologico (150).jpg, Lions from the Matecaña Zoo


See also

* 1999 Armenia earthquake * César Gaviria Trujillo Viaduct *
Matecaña City Zoo The Matecaña City Zoo (Zoológico Matecaña) was a zoo located in Pereira, Colombia. The zoo had a collection of 800 individuals from 150 different species, including birds, mammals, and snakes from the Americas, Africa and Asia, as well as en ...
* Technological University of Pereira * Deportivo Pereira * Lucrecia Dalt


References


External links


Official website.

Megabús' official website.

Pereira.

Universidad Tecnologica.

Portal of Pereira city.
{{Authority control Capitals of Colombian departments Municipalities of Risaralda Department