Putumayo Department

Putumayo (Spanish pronunciation: [putuˈmaʝo]) is a department of Southern Colombia. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering Ecuador and Peru. Its capital is Mocoa.

Department of Putumayo Departamento del Putumayo
Department
Green Hills around Mocoa
Flag Coat of arms
Putumayo shown in red
Topography of the department
Coordinates: 1°09′N 76°37′W
Country	Colombia
Region	Amazonía Region
Established	1991
Capital	Mocoa
Government
• Governor	Sorrel Parisa Aroca Rodriguez(2016-2019)
Area [1][2]
• Total	24,885 km2 (9,608 sq mi)
• Rank	16th
Population  (2018)[3]
• Total	348,182
• Rank	26th
• Density	14/km2 (36/sq mi)
GDP [4]
• Total	COP 5,617 billion (US$ 1.3 billion)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-PUT
Municipalities	13
HDI (2019)	0.717[5] high · 26th of 33
Website	www.putumayo.gov.co

The word putumayo comes from the Quechua languages. The verb p'utuy means "to spring forth" or "to burst out", and mayu means river. Thus it means "gushing river".

History

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1973	67,336	—
1985	174,129	+158.6%
1993	264,291	+51.8%
2005	310,132	+17.3%
2018	348,182	+12.3%
Source:[6]

Originally, the southwestern area of the department belonged to the Cofán Indians, the northwestern to the Kamentxá Indians, the central and southern areas to tribes that spoke Tukano languages (such as the Siona), and the eastern to tribes that spoke Witoto languages. Part of the Kamentxá territory was conquered by the Inca Huayna Cápac in 1492, who, after crossing the Cofán territory, established a Quechua population on the valley of Sibundoy, known today as Ingas. After the Inca defeat in 1533, the region was invaded by the Spanish in 1542, and from 1547 was administered by Catholic missions.

The current territory of Putumayo was linked to Popayan during the Spanish Colonial Period and in the first Republican decades belonged to the "Azuay Department", which included territories in Ecuador and Perú. Later a long process of territorial redistributions began:

• 1831: Popayán Province.
• 1857: Estado Federal del Cauca.
• 1886: Cauca Department.
• 1905: Intendencia del Putumayo [es].
• 1909: Intendencia del Caquetá [es].
• 1912: Comisaría Especial del Putumayo.
• 1953: Department of Nariño.
• 1957: Comisaría Especial del Putumayo.
• 1968: Intendencia Especial del Putumayo.
• 1991: Putumayo Department.

Municipalities

Municipalities	Map
Colón Mocoa Orito Puerto Asís Puerto Caicedo Puerto Guzmán Puerto Leguízamo San Francisco San Miguel Santiago Sibundoy Valle del Guamez Villagarzón

Flag

The flag of the Department of Putumayo is a rectangle with horizontal tricolored stripes. The green stripe symbolizes the jungles that almost entirely cover the Department. The white stripe symbolizes the peaceful character of the people of Putumayo. The black stripe symbolizes oil, the Department's main economic resource.^[7]

The flag is similar to the flag of the Spanish region of Extremadura, the flag of Oostburg and some of the historical flags of Afghanistan.

Gallery

• 
  The Cascadas Fin del Mundo in Mocoa, Putumayo (2019)
• 
  Aerial view of Orito, Putumayo (2020)
• 
  The Monumento al Centenario in Puerto Asís, Putumayo (2014)
• 
  Colorful decorative wood carvings in Sibundoy Park in Sibundoy, Putumayo (2014)
• 
  Hills in Mocoa, Putumayo (2017)
• 
  Tres de Mayo Airport in Puerto Asís, Putumayo (2019)
• 
  A waterfall in Villagarzón, Putumayo (2009)

See also

• Santuario Orito Indí-Andé Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
• Putumayo Genocide