Risaralda Department

Risaralda Department Departamento del Risaralda
Department
Flag Coat of arms
Risaralda shown in red
Topography of the department
Coordinates: 4°49′N 75°42′W / 4.817°N 75.700°W / 4.817; -75.700
Country	Colombia
Region	Andean Region
Established	July 1, 1966
Capital	Pereira
Government
• Governor	Sigifredo Salazar Osorio (2016-2019)
Area
• Total	4,140 km2 (1,600 sq mi)
• Rank	29th
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	943,401
• Rank	18th
• Density	230/km2 (590/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	COP 23,786 billion (US$ 5.6 billion)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-RIS
Municipalities	14
HDI (2019)	0.761[3] high · 11th of 33
Website	www.risaralda.gov.co

Risaralda (Spanish pronunciation: [risaˈɾalda]) is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central of the country, in the Andean region, It is part of the Coffee axis with Caldas and Quindío. Its capital is Pereira. Risaralda is very well known for the high quality of its coffee, and a booming industry: automotive, clothes, food, trading of goods and services.

It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966. The territory is very mountainous and has many kinds of climates in a very small area. Its proximity to harbours such as Buenaventura on the Pacific Region and to the biggest cities in Colombia – Bogotá, Cali, Medellín – makes it a fast-growing economic centre.