Floridablanca, Santander

Floridablanca
Municipality
View of Cañaveral, the central hotspot of Floridablanca
Flag Seal
Location of Floridablanca in Santander
Floridablanca
Coordinates: 07°13′N 73°04′W / 7.217°N 73.067°W / 7.217; -73.067
Country	Colombia
Region	Andes
Department	Santander
Province	Soto
Founded	7 November 1817
Founded by	Javier Guerra de Mier
Government
• Mayor	Hector Mantilla Rueda (2016-2019)
Area
• Municipality	100.3 km2 (38.7 sq mi)
• Urban	17.04 km2 (6.58 sq mi)
Elevation	925 m (3,035 ft)
Population  (2020 est.)[1]
• Municipality	307,896
• Density	3,100/km2 (8,000/sq mi)
• Urban	295,724
• Urban density	17,000/km2 (45,000/sq mi)
Demonym	Florideño
Time zone	UTC-5
Area code	57 + 7
Website	Official website

Floridablanca (Spanish pronunciation: [floˌɾiðaˈβlaŋka], locally also simply Florida) is a municipality in the department of Santander situated at an altitude of 925 metres (3,035 ft) in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. It is part of the metropolitan area of the departmental capital Bucaramanga. Floridablanca is known for its parks and the Piedra del Sol, a large rock with spirals and circles carved by the Guane over 1,000 years ago.^[2] This city is home of the tallest statue of Jesus Christ in Colombia, "El Santisimo". The statue is 40 metres (130 ft) high and weighs 40 tonnes (88,000 lb).^[3] The city is situated along the Ruta Nacional 45A, a branch of the Pan American Highway, connecting the capital Bogotá with Santa Marta at the Caribbean coast and Cúcuta as a gateway to Venezuela.^[4] Together with other neighboring municipalities of Bucaramanga, Girón and Piedecuesta, Floridablanca is one of the growth areas for the capital of Santander with numerous constructions happening in recent years.^[5]