Caldas Department

{{Short description|Department of Colombia}}

{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=es|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Department of Caldas

| native_name = Departamento de Caldas

| native_name_lang = es

| type = Department

| image_skyline = Nevado_del_Ruiz_by_Edgar.png

| image_alt =

| image_caption = The Nevado del Ruiz in July 2007

| image_map1 = Caldas Topographic 2.png

| map_caption1 = Topography of the department

| image_flag = Flag of Caldas.svg

| flag_alt =

| image_shield = Coat of Arms of the Department of Caldas.svg

| shield_alt =

| nickname =

| motto =

| anthem =

| image_map = Caldas in Colombia (mainland).svg

| map_alt =

| map_caption = Caldas shown in red

| coordinates = {{coord|5|06|N|75|33|W|region:CO_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}

| coor_pinpoint =

| coordinates_footnotes =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Colombia}}

| subdivision_type1 = Region

| subdivision_name1 = Andean Region

| parts_type = Largest city

| parts_style = para

| p1 =

| established_title = Department

| established_date = 1905

| blank_name_sec1 = Provinces

| blank_info_sec1 =

| blank1_name_sec1 = Municipalities

| blank1_info_sec1 = 27

| founder =

| named_for =

| seat_type = Capital

| seat = Manizales

| government_footnotes =

| leader_party =

| leader_title = Governor

| leader_name = Henry Gutiérrez Ángel (2024-2027)

| unit_pref = Metric

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 7888

| area_rank = 28th

| area_land_km2 =

| area_water_km2 =

| area_water_percent =

| area_note =

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m =

| population_footnotes = {{cite web|title=DANE |url=http://www.dane.gov.co/daneweb_V09/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=72 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113143414/http://www.dane.gov.co/daneweb_V09/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=72 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 13, 2009 |access-date=February 13, 2013 }}

| population_total = 998255

| population_as_of = 2018

| population_rank = 17th

| population_density_km2 = auto

| population_note =

| demographics_type1 = GDP

| demographics1_footnotes = {{citation|title=Producto Interno Bruto por departamento |url=https://www.dane.gov.co/files/operaciones/PIB/departamental/anex-PIBDep-TotalDepartamento-2022pr.xlsx|website=www.dane.gov.co}}

| demographics1_title1 = Total

| demographics1_info1 = COP 23,953 billion
(US$ 5.6 billion)

| blank_name_sec2 = HDI

| blank_info_sec2 = 0.769{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}
{{color|#0c0|high}} · 6th of 33

| timezone1 = UTC-05

| postal_code_type =

| postal_code =

| area_code_type =

| area_code =

| iso_code = CO-CAL

| website = [http://www.gobernaciondecaldas.gov.co/ gobernaciondecaldas.gov.co]

| footnotes =

}}

Caldas ({{IPA|es|ˈkaldas}}) is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7,291 km2. Caldas is also part of the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis region along with the Risaralda and Quindio departments, which were politically separated from Caldas in 1966.

Subdivisions

=Municipalities=

=Districts=

Caldas has 6 districts.

Dams

The Miel I Dam is situated in Caldas.[http://www.ingetec.com.co/brochures-ingles/BROCHURE-PRESAS-INGLES.pdf Ingetec.com.co] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327183137/http://www.ingetec.com.co/brochures-ingles/BROCHURE-PRESAS-INGLES.pdf |date=2009-03-27 }}

Demography

{{Historical populations

|type =

|footnote = Source:{{cite web|title=Reloj de Población|url=http://www.dane.gov.co/reloj/|website=DANE|publisher=Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadísitica|access-date=6 July 2017|archive-date=28 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028083854/http://www.dane.gov.co/reloj/|url-status=dead}}

|1938 | 769968

|1951 | 1067324

|1964 | 712916

|1973 | 698042

|1985 | 883024

|1993 | 1030062

|2005 | 968740

|2018 | 998255

}}

The population of Caldas is 984,128 (2013), half of whom live in Manizales. The racial composition is:

  • White / Mestizo (93.16%)
  • Amerindian or Indigenous (4.29%)
  • Black or Afro-Colombian (2.54%)

The local inhabitants of Caldas are known as caldenses. Of the five main regional groups in Colombia, the predominant group in Caldas are known as paisa, referring to those living in the Paisa region, which covers most of Antioquia, as well as the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío.

References

{{reflist}}