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Riosucio () is a municipality and town in the
Department of Chocó 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, ...
, Colombia. The municipality and town are located in the Atrato River basin, on the Chocoan side of Urabá, a region spanning the departments Chocó and Antioquia. Riosucio municipality is landlocked, being separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Chocoan municipalities Juradó and Bahía Solano and from the Gulf of Urabá, a large inlet of the
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, by the Antioquian municipality
Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
and the Chocoan municipality Unguía. Riosucio town is mostly inaccessible by roads and has no airport; the river is the main route for access to and transportation within the town.


History

Before the Spanish arrival in the region now known as Chocó, the region was populated by indigenous Emberá and Katío communities. Spanish exploration began in 1501, with
Rodrigo de Bastidas Rodrigo de Bastidas (; Triana, Seville, Andalusia, c. 1465 – Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 28 July 1527) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who mapped the northern coast of South America, discovered Panama, and founded the city of Santa Marta. ...
,
Vasco Núñez de Balboa Vasco Núñez de Balboa (; c. 1475around January 12–21, 1519) was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an ...
, and
Juan de la Cosa Juan de la Cosa (c. 1450 – 28 February 1510) was a Castilian navigator and cartographer, known for designing the earliest European world map which incorporated the territories of the Americas discovered in the 15th century. De la Cosa was t ...
making the first efforts. There are no exact data on the foundation of Riosucio, but it could have occurred between 1518 and 1524, after Vasco Núñez de Balboa's second trip to the Atrato River. Although Spanish invaders tried to gain control of the area, the indigenous population kept them away until the 18th century, when an increase in trade and the region's presence along potential north–south trade routes made the region again of interest to colonizers. The municipality and town are named ''Riosucio'' (in English "Dirty River") after the river of that name that joins the Atrato River. The town was founded by the Spaniard Domingo Bailon. In 1996, the town was the target of a violent operation of the Colombian military along with paramilitary groups, in response to organizing by Afro-Colombians and the subsequent law granting land rights to residents of Riosucio and other nearby towns. Hundreds were killed, many disappeared, and over 22,000 survivors were forced to leave their lands and move to poor neighborhoods of big cities around the country.


Geography

Riosucio municipality is bordered by the country of
Panamá Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by C ...
to the municipality's northwest and around a small northward-extending portion of its territory, by the Chocoan municipality Unguía along the northernmost part of Riosucio's northeastern border, by the Antioquian municipalities
Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
and Mutatá along the central and southern parts of Riosucio's northeastern border, by the Antioquian municipality Dabeiba on the southeastern side of Riosucio's eastern tip, by the Chocoan municipality
Carmen del Darien ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
along most of an irregular border running roughly east-to-west in its eastern portion and northeast-to-southwest in its western portion, by the Chocoan municipality Bahía Solano for a small distance along Riosucio's southern tip, and by the Chocoan municipality Juradó along the remainder of Riosucio's southern tip and along all of Riosucio's western border except the small northern portion shared with Panamá. The municipality is rather forested and is located at the northern part of the department of Chocó in a region called "Lower Chocoan Atrato-Urabá" (Bajo Atrato-Urabá Chocoano). This region is crossed by the Atrato, one of Colombia's main rivers, which is joined by tributaries including Rio Sucio and the Salaquí and Truandó rivers. The municipality does not have an airport; although a forest road connects it with Chigorodó and Mutatá in
Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department, Colombia * Antioquia State, Colombia (defunct) * Antioquia District, Peru * Antioquia Railway The Antioquia Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Antioquia) i ...
and with Belén de Bajirá in a region disputed between Antioquia and Chocó, the road is undeveloped. The Atrato provides access southward (upriver) to the department capital Quibdó and northward (downriver) to the Gulf of Urabá and its port
Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
.


Climate

Riosucio has a
tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
with heavy rainfall in all months except January and February.


Economy

Located in a forest region of Darien, Riosucio is dedicated to wood exploitation, agriculture, and cattle husbandry. The
African palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' is a species of palm commonly just called oil palm but also sometimes African oil palm or macaw-fat. It is the principal source of palm oil. It is native to west and southwest Africa, specifically the area between Angola a ...
is one of the area's main economic products. Although the tourist industry is not well developed in the area due to lack of infrastructure and of general security, areas that attract tourist interest exist and include: *
Los Katíos National Park Los Katíos National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Los Katíos) is a protected area located in northwest Colombia which covers about . The elevation ranges between . It is a part of the Darién Gap, a densely forested area sha ...
, a territory that is shared with
Panamá Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by C ...
and that was declared a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in 1994 by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
: The park protects not only a rich and fascinating natural environment with unique animal and plant species but also the ancestral culture of Katíos and other indigenous peoples of the area. * The Afro-American and Indo-American rural communities of the region around the river and the sea, whose ancestral traditions and natural environment attract tourist attention


Culture

The region is populated mainly by Afro-Colombian communities and by indigenous communities whose ancestral groups include but are not limited to the Katíos and the Emberás. Their food, feasts, religiosity and traditions are influenced by their identity. The
Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
is the lingua franca, but several languages and language varieties are in use, especially among indigenous groups. Afro-Colombian groups have maintained the use of many African words and expressions but have also adopted loanwords from indigenous languages. The culture belongs to the river, and the region's music and dances are influenced by both African and indigenous cultural elements. The main feats in the municipalities are the Sweet Festival during
Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, wh ...
, the feast of Saint
Isidore the Laborer Isidore the Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer ( es, San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, El ...
in May, and the Carnival of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount C ...
from the 6th to the 16th of July.


Notable people

* Luis Enrique Mena (born 1992), Colombian footballer


References


External links


The devil wears military boots
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riosucio, Choco Municipalities of Chocó Department Colombia–Panama border crossings Road-inaccessible communities of Colombia Populated places established in the 16th century