Leticia, Amazonas

Early Leticia history mentions a Portuguese explorer who, after becoming lost in the Amazon, died of starvation at the present site of Leticia with the rest of his crew. The Peruvian captain Benigno Bustamante, then governor of the Peruvian department of Loreto, founded the city itself on April 25, 1867. Legend has it that when the Peruvian government decided to colonise the area (in order to prevent the Colombian government from claiming it first), they found a cross inscribed with the words "San Antonio", naming the new town after this cross.

A legend states that a Colombian soldier fell in love with an Amerindian woman named Leticia and decided to name the settlement after her. It could also have been named after Saint Leticia. However, Peruvian records indicate that on the 15 December 1867, the port of "San Antonio" was renamed to "Leticia" by Peruvian engineer Manuel Charón. Charón named the port in honor of a young female resident of the Peruvian city of Iquitos named Leticia Smith, who in fact, was his wife.

Small border incidents between Peru and Colombia occurred in 1911, and in 1922 the two governments of those countries reached a controversial agreement awarding the Leticia area to Colombia in exchange for recognizing Peru's rights to the zone south of the Putumayo River, which was also claimed by Ecuador. This agreement proved to be unpopular among the Peruvian population, despite the treaty's ratification in 1928, because the treaty was signed in secret and it awarded Colombia a region that had been founded by Peruvians and that had a large Peruvian population living within its borders.

The Colombia-Peru War began in September 1932 when two hundred Peruvians, followed later by military troops, occupied public buildings in Leticia, which was not garrisoned. Hand-to-hand combat ensued between small Colombian and Peruvian forces in early 1933. The conflict lasted until May 1933, when a cease-fire negotiated by the League of Nations went into effect in order to settle the conflict. The League finally awarded the disputed area to Colombia in June 1934.

Though the League of Nations' intervention had officially ended the war, the Colombian government remained wary of the Peruvians, and decided to populate Leticia with people from Bogotá in order to ensure the town's loyalty to Colombia. Most of the people who came from Bogotá from the 1940s to 1965 still live in Leticia {{as of | 2012 | lc = on}}. During that time Leticia has expanded greatly, with a new main street being built. However, the city's industries have changed little since then, with agriculture and tourism still the prime sources of income.

Tourism in Leticia has boomed and the town is today a recognized tourist site. International students travel to Leticia to learn Spanish. Meanwhile, students and visitors can enjoy the attractions nearby the city.

Leticia features a tropical rainforest climate with minimal difference in average high and low temperatures throughout the course of the year. Leticia does have noticeably wetter and drier months, with its wettest month (March) seeing a little more than twice as much rain as its driest month (July). The average monthly rainfall in the city is consistently above {{convert|150|mm|in|0|disp=or}}.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|location = Leticia (A.Vasquez Cobo), elevation {{convert|84|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1981–2010)

| Jan record high C = 35.8

| Feb record high C = 36.4

| Mar record high C = 35.9

| Apr record high C = 36.2

| May record high C = 33.8

| Jun record high C = 34.2

| Jul record high C = 35.2

| Aug record high C = 35.7

| Sep record high C = 38.3

| Oct record high C = 38.5

| Nov record high C = 37.5

| Dec record high C = 39.0

| Jan record low C = 18.0

| Feb record low C = 19.2

| Mar record low C = 17.0

| Apr record low C = 18.2

| May record low C = 16.0

| Jun record low C = 14.3

| Jul record low C = 14.6

| Aug record low C = 14.8

| Sep record low C = 16.4

| Oct record low C = 18.3

| Nov record low C = 17.6

| Dec record low C = 18.0

|Jan high C = 30.7

|Feb high C = 30.7

|Mar high C = 30.8

|Apr high C = 30.5

|May high C = 30.1

|Jun high C = 29.5

|Jul high C = 30.0

|Aug high C = 31.1

|Sep high C = 31.6

|Oct high C = 31.6

|Nov high C = 31.3

|Dec high C = 30.8

| year high C = 30.7

|Jan mean C = 26.0

|Feb mean C = 26.0

|Mar mean C = 26.1

|Apr mean C = 26.0

|May mean C = 25.7

|Jun mean C = 25.1

|Jul mean C = 25.1

|Aug mean C = 25.7

|Sep mean C = 26.1

|Oct mean C = 26.3

|Nov mean C = 26.3

|Dec mean C = 26.0

| year mean C = 25.9

|Jan low C = 23.0

|Feb low C = 22.9

|Mar low C = 23.0

|Apr low C = 23.0

|May low C = 22.7

|Jun low C = 21.8

|Jul low C = 21.2

|Aug low C = 21.5

|Sep low C = 22.0

|Oct low C = 22.6

|Nov low C = 22.9

|Dec low C = 22.9

| year low C = 22.5

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 366.8

|Feb precipitation mm = 354.6

|Mar precipitation mm = 357.9

|Apr precipitation mm = 376.4

|May precipitation mm = 301.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 189.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 158.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 157.9

|Sep precipitation mm = 220.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 257.3

|Nov precipitation mm = 317.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 330.1

|year precipitation mm = 3389.1

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 25

| Feb precipitation days = 22

| Mar precipitation days = 23

| Apr precipitation days = 23

| May precipitation days = 23

| Jun precipitation days = 19

| Jul precipitation days = 16

| Aug precipitation days = 16

| Sep precipitation days = 17

| Oct precipitation days = 20

| Nov precipitation days = 22

| Dec precipitation days = 25

| year precipitation days = 249

| Jan humidity = 88

| Feb humidity = 88

| Mar humidity = 88

| Apr humidity = 88

| May humidity = 88

| Jun humidity = 88

| Jul humidity = 86

| Aug humidity = 85

| Sep humidity = 85

| Oct humidity = 86

| Nov humidity = 87

| Dec humidity = 88

| year humidity = 87

|Jan sun = 133.3

|Feb sun = 115.7

|Mar sun = 130.2

|Apr sun = 141.0

|May sun = 145.7

|Jun sun = 147.0

|Jul sun = 189.1

|Aug sun = 198.4

|Sep sun = 177.0

|Oct sun = 170.5

|Nov sun = 156.0

|Dec sun = 139.5

|year sun =

|Jand sun = 4.3

|Febd sun = 4.1

|Mard sun = 4.2

|Aprd sun = 4.7

|Mayd sun = 4.7

|Jund sun = 4.9

|Juld sun = 6.1

|Augd sun = 6.4

|Sepd sun = 5.9

|Octd sun = 5.5

|Novd sun = 5.2

|Decd sun = 4.5

|yeard sun =

|source 1 = Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales{{cite web

|url=http://www.ideam.gov.co/documents/21021/553571/Promedios+Climatol%C3%B3gicos++1981+-+2010.xlsx/f28d0b07-1208-4a46-8ccf-bddd70fb4128

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815025712/http://www.ideam.gov.co/documents/21021/553571/Promedios%2BClimatol%C3%B3gicos%2B%2B1981%2B-%2B2010.xlsx/f28d0b07-1208-4a46-8ccf-bddd70fb4128

|archive-date=15 August 2016

|title=Promedios Climatológicos 1981–2010

|publisher=Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales

|language=es

|access-date=3 June 2024

|url-status=dead}}

}}

File:Sunset on the Amazon (7613489930).jpg

The frog fauna of Leticia is highly species rich. An intensive survey effort in primary rainforest and flooded forest some 10 km (6 miles) north of Leticia revealed 96 frog species (with two more found shortly afterwards). However, the true number might be as high as 123 species, based on species expected to occur in the area but not yet documented there.{{cite journal |last1=Lynch |first1=J. D. |year=2005 |title=Discovery of the richest frog fauna in the World—an exploration of the forests to the north of Leticia |journal=Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias |volume=29 |issue=113 |pages=581–588 |url=http://zoologia.puce.edu.ec/vertebrados/recursos/publicaciones/cientifica/lynch_2005.pdf}}

The majority of Leticia's population have migrated from elsewhere. There is no obviously dominant segment, but migrants from Bogotá, Medellín, and Tolima are the majority. Few people from Cali live in Leticia. A significant proportion of Leticia's population comprises native Amerindians (as opposed to mestizos or caboclos). The prevailing trend is for people to move from the village of their birth in far-lying rural communities into the city to make a "better" living.

The region is home to several indigenous people, including the Witoto, Inga, Tucano, Ticuna, and Nukak. The Peruvian Yagua settled in the riverside village of La Libertad in the 1990s.

Although the inhabitants commonly eat the same things each week, a wide variety of food is available in Leticia. Dishes specific to each of Colombia's regions are made here. For example, people make Sancocho, a hearty soup, with regional variations in different parts of Colombia. But even within regions, each family has its own recipe. Leticia's cuisine includes Brazilian and Peruvian influences. Common staples in Leticia include river fish, domestic (and occasionally wild) meat, rice, locally-grown vegetables and potatoes. Meals are usually cooked over a wood-fired stovetop in a pan. A typical Sunday meal might comprise grilled meats, cooked in makeshift charcoal grillers, served with rice and plantains.

Leticia is considered an important area for the study of the Amazon and its biodiversity.

• National University of Colombia at Leticia
• Universidad Antonio Nariño (UAN)
• Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD)
• University of the Amazon

File:Leticia Town SG.jpg

• Amacayacu National Park
• Parque nacional natural Cahuinarí
• Isla de los Micos (Monkey Island)
• Puerto Nariño, the only other Amazonas municipality
• Lago Tarapoto, where botos can be seen
• Lago Yahuarcacas
• Parque Ecologico Mundo Amazonico (Amazon World Ecological Park)
• Museum Banco de la República
• Orellana Park
• Santander Park
• Our Lady of Peace Cathedral

The Vásquez Cobo International Airport in Leticia is the largest airport in the south of Colombia. In addition to being the Colombian jungle region gateway, it also serves as the major airport in the triple-border region (Colombia, Brazil and Peru). For this reason, the airport handles the majority of passengers from the central Amazon region.

The city is not connected to the bulk of Colombia by road.

{{Commons category|Leticia (Colombia)}}

• Tabatinga, the Brazilian town and harbour that adjoins Leticia. The two cities cooperate closely, and altogether their urban area and adjacent suburbs along the Amazon River have a population of more than 100,000 people.
• Santa Rosa de Yavari
• Inírida, Guainía, another isolated Colombian city

{{Reflist}}

• {{Wikivoyage-inline|Leticia}}
• [http://leticia-amazonas.gov.co/ Official website] {{in lang|es}}

{{coord|4|13|S|69|56|W|type:city|display=title}}

{{Municipalities amazonas department}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1867 establishments in Colombia

Category:Brazil–Colombia border crossings

Category:Capitals of Colombian departments

Category:Colombia–Peru border crossings

Category:Municipalities of Amazonas (Colombian department)

Category:Populated places established in 1867

Category:Populated places on the Amazon

Category:Road-inaccessible communities of Colombia

Category:Tres Fronteras