Zarzal () is a city and municipality in the north of the department of Valle del Cauca in Colombia. Its economy is based primarily on the extensive cultivation of sugar cane, on small and medium enterprises in the metallurgic sector, and on utilities. Commerce is also of great importance, because a great number of warehouses for basic necessity goods exist in the city. A

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

also exists, which serves as reference for various cities that are close by. Zarzal municipality has a population of about 42,000. New city districts were constructed in the center of the city; it has now become difficult to find bare land inside the city.

Geography

The territory is mostly flat within the valley of the

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangué in Bolívar Department, an ...

, a river that flows into La Paila River. The municipality is also home to the forest of the Caracolíes, Los Chorros, Cumba recreational park, La Paila river, Mount Caré and Mount Pan de Azúcar.

Climate

Zarzal has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Am''), bordering on a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(''Af''), although it is relatively dry for those climate types due to the influence of shielding by the Andean cordilleras.

Economy

The municipality of Zarzal is one of the region with most production of

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

and sugar refineries. The municipality is home to two major companies; the Rio Paila Sugar Company and the Colombina Candy Factory. Besides the cane and sugar production other agricultural products are produced in the municipality: plantain,

yuca ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although a perennia ...

, cotton, maize,

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

, sugar cane, soy, grapes,

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...

passionfruit ''Passiflora edulis'', commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to the region of southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its ...

pitaya Pitaya () or pitahaya () (common names strawberry pear or dragon fruit) is the fruit of several cactus species indigenous to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. Pitaya is cult ...

, citrus like oranges and limes, mango,

guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...

, avocado and chontaduro. Some are used for cattle raising and for a small industrial fishing industry that produces tilapia, cachama, peacock bass and bocachico.

Higher education

The Zarzal satellite of the Universidad del Valle (University of Valle) has a population of 1200 students in all of its academic programs, as well as its own Universidad del Valle site. It was founded in 1986 and operates in an area known for its heavy agricultural activity. The Zarzal satellite offers academic programs that strengthen the development of the region. It serves people in the areas of

Andalucía Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, Bolívar, Bugalagrande, El Dovio, La Unión, Obando,

Roldanillo Roldanillo is a town and municipality located in the Departments of Colombia, Department of Valle del Cauca Department, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is also a tourist hot spot and known as Colombia's flying capital. It has hosted a range of inte ...

, Versalles,

Toro Toro may refer to: Places *Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy *Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria *Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...

, and Zarzal. Different social organizations that exist in many of these municipalities have participated, or at least were evaluated, in local development projects. On April 1, 2011 the city's mayoral office has donated a lot in the city's south zone that lies near the small town of La Paila. This lot extends to a length of four to five Hectares and will house the University Campus of the Zarzal Regional Seat. This decision occurred during the Zarzal Satellite Hearing, which was presided over by the only notary of the city of Zarzal, dean Iván Enrique Ramos Calderón, Zarzal satellite director Cecilian Madriñan Polo, the mayor, the city council, and the university community. The new campus will have classrooms, auditoriums, laboratories (for investigation, languages, foods, electronics, mathematics, and systems) and areas for sport and cultural activities (theatres, sport fields/courts, a gymnasium, and a pool) that will cater to the needs of the students in the municipality of Zarzal and its surrounding area of influence.

References

External links

Government of Valle del Cauca: Zarzal

{{Coord, 4, 23, 54, N, 76, 04, 38, W, region:CO, display=title Municipalities of Valle del Cauca Department Populated places established in 1809