Tuluá

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 Demographics
2 Geography
3 History
4 Climate
5 Education
6 Transportation
7 Tourism
8 Points of Interest
9 Entertainment
10 Gastronomy
11 Famous Persons
12 External links

[edit] Demographics

Tuluá (pronunciation tOOl-wä), is a city located in the core and heart of the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the department's third largest city after Cali, the department capital, and Palmira. Founded around 1741 in southwestern Colombia on the Tuluá River, it has a population of approximately 200,000 inhabitants.

[edit] Geography

The River Tuluá runs through the urban part. Tuluá has excellent access to three major cities: Cali, Pereira, and Armenia. Tuluá is located 269 miles from Bogotá, DC., capital of Colombia; 63 miles northeast of Cali; and 108 miles from the important harbor city Buenaventura, Colombia, which is situated on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.

[edit] History

The city was established by Juan de Lemos y Aguirre, and is a major industrial and commercial center. The city is famous for its attractive women and delicious food. It is well-known throughout Colombia and many parts of South America as a major center of salsa dancing. It's also known as the Corazón del Valle (approximating to Valley's Heart/Core) and also as La Villa de Céspedes (Town of Céspedes, for the naturalist Juan María Céspedes). Tuluá is a native name meaning Tierra Fácil (Easy Land). Even though its urban area is small, Tuluá is a big place if you take into account the rural area. Tuluá is famous not only because of violence or great quantity of motorbikes in it. It is also famous due to its people's sense of humour, tenderness and integrity.

[edit] Climate

Located 3° north of the equator, the weather in Tuluá is very tropical, with hot, sunny days punctuated by intense storms. The weather is 28 degrees Celsius and more. The nights are cool, though. It lies between the two westernmost cordilleras of Colombia, about 50 miles east of the Pacific Ocean port city of Buenaventura. A lot of vegetables and fruit are grown here thanks to the diverse climates.

[edit] Education

The Universidad del Valle has a branch campus in Tuluá. The main Universidad del Valle campus is based in Cali, the department capital. The Tuluá branch campus address is located at Calle 43 No. 43-33.

[edit] Transportation

The closest international airport that services the city is Cali's international airport, which is in Palmira and is called Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport (CLO) or Palmaseca. Nine airlines provide service for the airport, including American Airlines, AeroRepública, and Avianca, Colombia's largest airline. Tuluá also has a regional airport, Farfán (ULQ)

[edit] Tourism

If you want to sight-see, go to the Jardin Botánico Juan María Céspedes (in Mateguadua Village), Barragán, La Moralia, La Marina, or to nearby villages and towns. You can also go and see the Chillicote Lake, with its famous herons, or dive in the natural waters of the Parque de la Guadua.

[edit] Points of Interest

Farfán regional airport;
Soccer Stadium 12 de Octubre (October 12th) with 17,000 capacity;
Professional Soccer Team (Cortuluá).
Renowned Hospitals;
Shopping Malls: La 14 and La Herradura, among others;
Regional Universities;
Industrial Park.
Excellent infrastructure with all the national public utilities:
- Tuluaguas,
- Cetsa (electricity),
- Teletuluá,
- Gases del Valle,
Communication Mass Media:
- Television
- Local newspapers (El Tabloide is the most important).
Sufficient hotels and restaurants.

[edit] Entertainment

You can find different ways of entertainment. If you´re looking for parties, go to Yambú Discoteque, a place where Salsa music is played and where black and white people demonstrate the tolerance. Or go to the Zona Rosa (Pink Zone), where you´ll find your music site: cross over, rock, rancheras, vallenatos etc. as well as fast food places and different restaurants. Another choice is Nariño, the Juanchito for Tulueños. The best thing you will not regret when you are here is the Feria de Tuluá (Tuluá´s Festival). This takes place every June, in the second or third week. You can find all kinds of things here. Hard to describe with words! Within the festival, of course, music plays an important role - bands, artists, and singers show their capabilities mainly in singing. A musical presentation is held each night, preferably one that mixes emotions.

[edit] Gastronomy

Some famous beverages are the Chicha de maíz, Masato and Champús. Typical foods in the city are Sancocho, Morcilla or Rellena, Tamal, etc. This includes some sweet meals: Desamargado (orange, lemon, pumpkin, grapefruit, and early figs), Natilla (at Christmas time only), Trasnochado (maize, cheese, yucca, and arracacha).