Mocoa

Mocoa
Municipality and city
Plaza Central Mocoa in 2013
Plaza Central Mocoa in 2013
Flag of Mocoa
Flag
Coat of arms of Mocoa
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
The Head of Putumayo
Location of the town and municipality of Mocoa in Putumayo Department.
Location of the town and municipality of Mocoa in Putumayo Department.
Coordinates: 1°09′0″N 76°38′51″W / 1.15000°N 76.64750°W / 1.15000; -76.64750
Country Colombia
RegionAmazonía Region
Department Putumayo
Foundation1551
Government
 • MayorJose Antonio Castro
Area
 • Total
5.613 km2 (2.167 sq mi)
Elevation
604 m (1,982 ft)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total
38,457
 • Density6,851/km2 (17,750/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-05 (Eastern Time Zone)

Mocoa (Spanish pronunciation: [moˈko.a]) (Kamëntšá: Shatjok) is a municipality and capital city of the department of Putumayo in Colombia. As per the 2018 census, the population of Mocoa was estimated at 38,457 individuals. The city was founded in 1551 and covers an area of 5.613 km2 (2.167 sq mi).

Geography

Mocoa is a municipality and capital city of the department of Putumayo in Colombia. The city was founded in 1551. The municipality covers an area of 5.613 km2 (2.167 sq mi). It lies on the fringes of the Andes mountain range in the Caquetá River basin. It is surrounded by Amazon rainforests and flat agricultural and grazing lands. There are several waterfalls, wildlife reserves, and caves surrounding the city.

On 31 March 2017, flooding and mudslides caused significant destruction and left more than 254 people dead, and hundreds missing.

Climate

Mocoa has mean yearly temperature of 21–21.4 °C (69.8–70.5 °F) with minimum of 16–17 °C (61–63 °F) and maximum of 28–29 °C (82–84 °F). It receives an annual rainfall of 420–460 cm (170–180 in), with majority of the rainfall happening from April to July.: 29 

Climate data for Mocoa (Mocoa Acueducto), elevation 650 m (2,130 ft), (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 27.5
(81.5)		 27.6
(81.7)		 27.2
(81.0)		 27.2
(81.0)		 26.5
(79.7)		 25.8
(78.4)		 26.1
(79.0)		 26.7
(80.1)		 27.7
(81.9)		 28.3
(82.9)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.9
(82.2)		 27.2
(81.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.0
(73.4)		 22.6
(72.7)		 22.0
(71.6)		 21.9
(71.4)		 22.3
(72.1)		 23.0
(73.4)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.4
(74.1)		 22.9
(73.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 20.3
(68.5)		 20.5
(68.9)		 20.4
(68.7)		 20.4
(68.7)		 20.2
(68.4)		 19.7
(67.5)		 19.3
(66.7)		 19.4
(66.9)		 19.8
(67.6)		 20.3
(68.5)		 20.5
(68.9)		 20.6
(69.1)		 20.1
(68.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 200.6
(7.90)		 227.1
(8.94)		 273.1
(10.75)		 383.5
(15.10)		 442.3
(17.41)		 473.5
(18.64)		 411.3
(16.19)		 348.0
(13.70)		 296.3
(11.67)		 237.2
(9.34)		 236.0
(9.29)		 214.8
(8.46)		 3,656.3
(143.95)
Average precipitation days 19 19 23 24 26 26 25 23 20 21 20 21 260
Average relative humidity (%) 85 84 86 86 87 88 87 84 82 82 83 85 85
Mean monthly sunshine hours 99.2 84.7 80.6 81.0 74.4 66.0 74.4 93.0 108.0 117.8 108.0 111.6 1,098.7
Mean daily sunshine hours 3.2 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.4 2.2 2.4 3.0 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.0
Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales

Demographics

As per the 2018 census, the population of Mocoa was estimated at 38,457 individuals, and increase from approximately 27,104 in 2005. The population consisted of 18,852 males and 19,605 females. About 8,057 (22.7%) of the population was below the age of fourteen, and 2,139 (9%) was above the age of 65 years.

Transport and economy

The city is located off the highway connecting Pasto, the capital of Narino department, to Puerto Asis. In 2009, the San Francisco-Mocoa road corridor was planned at a cost of US$ 54 million intended to serve as another route connecting the Colombian Pacific coast with the Amazon region. The city is served by the Villa Garzón Airport (Cananguchal Airport), which is well connected by road.: 38  The city serves as the economic center of the department, whose economy is based on agriculture, and livestock rearing.: 41 

References

  1. ↑ O'Brien, Colleen Alena (2018). A Grammatical Description of Kamsá, A Language Isolate of Colombia (PDF).
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Mocoa". Britannica. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "City of Mocoa". Colombia.com. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Mocoa municipality with localities". Citypopulation.de.
  5. ↑ "Mocoa". Columbia travel. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Colombia CO: Humanitarian Situation Report #2, 5 April 2017". Relief Web. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  7. ↑ Brodzinsky, Sibylla (2 April 2017). "Colombia landslide leaves at least 254 dead and hundreds missing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  8. ↑ Brocchetto, Marilia; Ramos, Fernando; Sanchez, Ray. "Mudslides kill more than 200 people in Colombia". CNN. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 Technical report (PDF). Coppergiant (Report). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Promedios Climatológicos 1981–2010" (in Spanish). Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  11. ↑ "IDB to help Colombia build San Francisco-Mocoa road". Inter-American Development Bank. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  12. ↑ "Villa Garzón Airport". Avionia. Retrieved 17 June 2025.