Pereira

Overview

Pereira is the center of the traditional coffee growing region, or zona cafetera . The city is at an altitude of 1600 meters and annual temperatures are in the range of 26-31ºC. Pereira is located between Armenia and Manizales, and there are a number of interesting places to visit nearby: Parque de los Nevados, Valle de Cocora, Laguna del Otun. You can arrive by car from Cali or Medellín (approx. 3 hours) or by plane from Bogotá or Medellín (approx. 45 mins).

With the last nation-wide census in Colombia happening in 1993 it is hard to assess accurately the current population. This is especially exacerbated by the fact that many emigrants that left Colombia to live the US, Spain, Mexico and Costa Rica are known to come from Pereira. Colombia's national institute of statistics (DANE.gov.co) ran a Pereira-specific recount on 2004.

The population is believed to be of approximately 576,329 inhabitants as of 2005, making it the sixth biggest city in Colombia . Pereira also has a twin city, Dosquebradas (1 min. in car),of approximately 200,000 inhabitants and a series of satellite cities: Cartago (15 min), La Virginia (15 min), and Santa Rosa de Cabal (10 min.) that together reach the 210,000 inhabitants, the total amount of inhabitants in the nearest influential area of the city is then, of about 986,000 making the area one of the most crowded urban areas in Colombia. Pereira, Dosquebradas and La Virginia conform the Metrolpolitan Area Of Mid West, these thre cities will be conected...more

History