Valle del Cauca Department
Department of Valle del Cauca
Departamento del Valle del Cauca | |
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Coat of arms | |
| Anthem: Himno al Valle del Cauca | |
Valle del Cauca shown in red | |
Topography of the department | |
| Coordinates: 3°25′N 76°31′W / 3.417°N 76.517°W | |
| Country | Colombia |
| Region | Andean Region/Pacific Region |
| Established | 16 April 1910 |
| Capital | Cali |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Clara Luz Roldán (2020-2023) (Social Party of National Unity) |
| Area | |
• Total | 22,140 km2 (8,550 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 23 |
| Population (2018) | |
• Total | 4,475,886 |
| • Rank | 3 |
| • Density | 202.2/km2 (523.6/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | COP 139,863 billion (US$ 32.9 billion) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 |
| ISO 3166 code | CO-VAC |
| Municipalities | 42 |
| HDI | 0.812 very high · 2nd of 33 |
| Website | www.valledelcauca.gov.co |
Valle del Cauca (Spanish for "Cauca Valley"; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbaʎe ðel ˈkawka]), is a department in western Colombia abutting the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Santiago de Cali. Other cities such as Buenaventura, Buga, Cartago, Palmira and Tuluá have great economical, political, social and cultural influence on the department's life. Valle del Cauca has the largest number of independent (i.e., nonmetropolitan) towns with over 100,000 inhabitants in the country, counting six within its borders. Buenaventura has the largest and busiest seaport in Colombia, moving about 8,500,000 tons of merchandise annually.