Chinchiná, Caldas

Chinchiná is a city in the province of Caldas, Colombia, and is located in the Zona Cafetera the Central Cordillera. The city is situated 1360 meters above sea level and has an average annual temperature of 26 ° C.

Chinchiná has about 84,000 inhabitants and is located 17 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital Manizales. Chinchiná is one of the typical cities in the coffee region of Colombia and offers tourists a unique mountain landscape. 30 km east is the still active volcano Nevado del Ruiz.

Economy

The city is known as the main region of the Colombian highland coffees, it is the seat of the Buendía coffee factory and the Coffee Research Institute Cenicafé. Chinchiná is located in a mountain valley with 112.4 km stretch, which is surrounded by numerous coffee plantations. The local coffee quality is one of the best in the world because of the favorable climate. The cultivation of coffee to Chinchiná is characterized by a high degree of technological progress. The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Chinchiná was proposed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Hydrolelektrische plants and dams in the area around Chinchiná supply the provinces of Caldas, Quindio and Risaralda with energy.

Chinchiná is strategically important transportation hub between Pereira and Manizales in the middle of Colombia, which promotes trade and industry and ensures high land prices. Lately, there are efforts to promote ecotourism. Old coffee fincas and haciendas are converted to hotels, to promote an ecologically adapted tourism in the mountainous region in line with the traditional coffee cultivation.

History

Founded in 1857, the town was of Antioch ( Armenian Christians ) in the year 1857. Mentioned Notably Candelario Rodriguez, Gregorio and Francisco Restrepo as some of the first settlers. The original name of the village was San Francisco. Later, the Indian name Chinchiná was taken.

Conservation

In the valley of the Rio Chinchiná the project PROCUENCA is operated in the communities Neira, Manizales, Palestine and Villa María, which takes into account an ecologically stable forest use while ensuring the socio-economic aspects of the region.