Pereira () is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It's located in the foothills of the Andes in a coffee-producing area of Colombia officially known as the "Coffee Axis". Pereira, alongside the rest of the Coffee Axis, form part of UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia". It's 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's 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, Medellín, and Cali), 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, Medellín and Cali. 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 northeastand, Tolima to the east, Quindío and Valle del Cauca to the south and Balboa and Valle del Cauca to the west.
Pereira is located on the central mountain range, on the Otún river valley, and part of the Cauca river valley. 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 Otun, 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 Old River, the Otún River, the Consota, and many tributaries.