Villavicencio

Villavicencio
Municipality and city
From the top: Panoramic, The axe Park, Christ the King Monument, The harps monument
Flag of Villavicencio
Official seal of Villavicencio
Nickname(s): 
Puerta del Llano (Gate of the Plain)
Villavo la bella (Villavo the beautiful)
La Capital de la tierra Llanera (The Capital of the Llanera Land)
El Corazón del Este (The Heart of the East)
Location map of the municipality and city of Villavicencio in the Department of Meta.
Location map of the municipality and city of Villavicencio in the Department of Meta.
Villavicencio is located in Colombia
Villavicencio
Villavicencio
Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 4°9′N 73°38′W / 4.150°N 73.633°W / 4.150; -73.633
Country Colombia
RegionOrinoquía
Department Department of Meta
Founded1840
Government
 • MayorJuan Felipe Harman
Area
 • Municipality and city1,328 km2 (513 sq mi)
 • Urban
65.83 km2 (25.42 sq mi)
Elevation
467 m (1,532 ft)
Population
 (2018 Census[1])
 • Municipality and city531,275
 • Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
492,052
 • Urban density7,500/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
DemonymVillavicense
Time zoneUTC-05 (Eastern Time Zone)
Area code+57 (8)
ClimateAf
WebsiteOfficial website (in Spanish)

Villavicencio (Spanish pronunciation: [biʎaβiˈsensjo]) is a city and municipality in Colombia. The capital of Meta Department, it was founded on April 6, 1840. The municipality had a population of 531,275 in 2018.[1] The city is located at 4°08'N, 73°40'W, 75 km (about 45 mi) southeast of the Colombian capital city of Bogotá (DC) by the Guatiquía River. It is the most important commercial center in the Llanos Orientales (Eastern plains) of Colombia.

Villavicencio has a hot and very wet climate, with average daily temperatures ranging from 21 to 30 °C (70 to 86 °F) and an annual rainfall of around 4,500 millimetres or 180 inches. It is affectionately called "Villavo" la bella. Villavicencio lies on the great Colombian-Venezuelan plain called the Llanos, situated to the east of the Andes mountains. Villavicencio is also called "La Puerta al Llano", or "The Gateway to the Plains", due to its location on the historical path from the Colombian interior to the vast savannas that lie between the Andes range and the Amazon rainforest.

Villavicencio's proximity to huge mountains and great plains make the city an example of Colombia's geodiversity. Because it is located in the foothills of the Andes, the morning and evening breezes cool the city, which is very hot for most of the day.

  1. ^ a b "INFORMACIÓN CAPITAL" (PDF) (in Spanish). Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) of Colombia.