Nariño Department

Department of Nariño Departamento de Nariño
Department
Flag Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Desde el mar hasta el Galeras (Spanish: From the sea to the Galeras)
Anthem: Himno del Departamento de Nariño
Nariño shown in red
Topography of the department
Coordinates: 01°10′N 77°16′W
Country	Colombia
Region	Pacific Region/Andes Region
Established	6 August 1904
Capital	Pasto
Government
• Governor	John Rojas (2020-2023)
Area
• Total	33,268 km2 (12,845 sq mi)
• Rank	11th
Population  (2018)
• Total	1,630,592
• Rank	8th
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-NAR
Provinces	3
Municipalities	64
HDI (2019)	0.724 high · 24th of 33
Website	[Gobernación http://xn--nario-rta.gov.co/inicio/]

Nariño (Spanish pronunciation: [naˈɾiɲo]) is a department of Colombia named after independence leader Antonio Nariño. Its capital is Pasto. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean.

Nariño has a diverse geography and varied climate according to altitude: hot in the plains of the Pacific and cold in the mountains, where most of the population resides, a situation that is repeated in a north-south direction. Other important cities include Tumaco and Ipiales.

History

The territory was occupied during the Pre-Columbian era by numerous Indian tribes, including Quillacingas, Awá, Pasto, and Tumas. The first European conquistador who entered the territory was Andagoya Pascual in 1522, who traveled from the Colombian Pacific coast and then used information obtained by Francisco Pizarro to organize the expedition that culminated in the conquest of Peru.

Juan de Ampudia and Pedro de Añazco first explored the mountainous part of the department, commissioned by Sebastián de Belalcázar in 1535, who then toured the territory in 1536 and reached Popayán and remained for some time before leaving for Spain.

Municipalities

See also

• Las Lajas Sanctuary