Puerto López, Meta

Municipality and town in Meta Department, Colombia

Flag

Seal

Location of the municipality and town of Puerto López, Meta in the Meta Department of Colombia.

Coordinates: 4°05′14″N 72°57′38″W / 4.08722°N 72.96056°W / 4.08722; -72.96056Country

ColombiaDepartmentMeta DepartmentFoundedMay 1, 1935Government

• MayorVictor Manuel Bravo RodriguezArea

• Total6,740 km² (2,602.33 sq mi)Elevation

365 m (1,198 ft)Population

(2015)

• Total33,440Time zoneUTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)ClimateAm

Puerto Alfonso López (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpweɾto ˈlopes]) is a small town and municipality in the Orinoquía Region (Llanos region) of Meta Department, Colombia. It is known as Puerto López and is a port on the Meta river. The town is located approximately 100 kilometers east of the town of Villavicencio. Its main industries are agriculture and cattle.

Puerto Lopez has been said to be the "belly button",^[1] or geographical center, of Colombia. Nearby is the Obelisco del Alto de Menegua, a 30 meter tall^[1] obelisk that marks the intersection of 4 degrees north latitude and 72 degrees west longitude.^[2]

History

The town was established on 1 May 1935. It was centered on the river port and pre-existing village. On 3 May 1937, the Intendencia for Meta Department ordered the creation of the Yacuana District (corregimiento) whose capital is Puerto Alfonso Lopez. The municipality was established on 3 July 1955, in accordance with National Decree No. 2543 of 1945.

Notes

^ ^a ^b Porup, Jens; Kohn, Michael (2010). Lonely Planet Colombia (Country Guide). Footscray, Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-74104-827-8.
^ "Emisión: "4-72, La Red Postal de Colombia"" (in Spanish). Amigos de la Filatelia Temática en Colombia (Friends of Thematic Philately in Colombia). 29 May 2008.