Bucaramanga

Bucaramanga (/bu.ka. eclipseaŭmaŭ.ga/ (?·i)) is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Santander. In 2015 a World Bank report placed it as one of the most competitive and quality of life in Latin America. It is located in the northwest of the country on the Cordillera Oriental, branch of the Andes mountain range, on the banks of the river Oro. Bucaramanga has 625,114 inhabitants and, together with Floridablanca, Girón and Piedecuesta, it forms the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga with a total of 1,224,457 inhabitants, the fifth most populous urban agglomeration in the country. It is 384 km from Bogotá, the capital of the country.

Because it is the capital of the department of Santander, Bucaramanga houses the headquarters of the Santander Government, the Departmental Assembly, the sectional headquarters of the Prosecutor's Office and the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area. Along with the title of capital of Santander, Bucaramanga holds the titles of capital and development nucleus of the Metropolitan Province. Bucaramanga is communicated with the other cities of the country by road; for air transport, it has the Palonegro International Airport.

The sectors of the economy, ordered according to their participation in the city's economy, are commerce, services and industry; Likewise, the economy of the Bucaramanga metropolitan area represents the fifth largest in the country. The unemployment rate for the Bucaramanga metropolitan area for the period June-August 2022 was 9.2%.

Symbols

Flags of Colombia, Santander and Bucaramanga.

Flag

The flag of Bucaramanga was designed by the historian Gustavo Gómez Mejía. It is composed of 3 horizontal bands: two green bands at the ends, which symbolize hope and glory, and in the center a yellow strip that symbolizes wealth and progress. In the center there is a blue circle, surrounded by a red border that symbolizes the blood contributed by the children of Santander to the struggles for independence. In the middle of the blue circle is a white star. In the center circle is the motto "Under the blue of its sky and defended by the generous blood of its children, Bucaramanga is open to the four horizons of the Homeland."

Shield

The Bucaramanga coat of arms was devised by the writer Enrique Otero D'Costa. By Decree of October 10, 1971, when Saúl Trillos was Mayor, it was adopted. The coat of arms was drawn by Alberto Torres Carrizosa. A description in heraldic language would be:

In the head's rightful canton a rose will flourish, allegory of the vergels that decorate the city and that in the science of the blazon manifests the beauty of the lineage. This rose has to go in the field of siple, emblem of courtesy and friendship and therefore of hospitality.

In the canton of the sinister will look a sword of silver, which teaches courage in respect of the Rota of Palonegro, hecatombe in which they succumbed as good as so many children of the holy heritage, fighting for an ideal nobleman; and this sword that is to be naked, must shine in the field of gules that symbolizes intrepidity, honor and maturity with blood. The first barracks below will show two keys, seldom that of color that say armory guard and might, keys that will have to go in the field of gold that denotes Light and Wisdom, meaning all this that the city keeps the might of the capital of the department whose ship leads and rules wisely and lucidly. In the art of the soft, the oak proclaims Esfuerzo. This symbolic tree is to go in the last to mean the potent Santanderian effort in the palenques of Ceres; creative effort of our valuable territorial wealth. The oak, enameled with siple, will go in the field of Silver that manifests Cleaning, Integrity and Riqueza; for our husbandmen, after having sought us regional wealth, gave it to us with cleanness and integrity. The Escudo de Armas is that of a great metropolis Santandereana, which to comply with the heraldic rule, is completed by an orla a few Latin letters in the field of blao that say: Montani Semper Liberi (Always free in our mountains).

And by a bell a right yelmo, with his gaze toward the right, profiled and open with the golden and soft donkey. For a foreign currency, I gold its colour, holding a Flag of Colombia with all its enamels. All these decors of trascolé, foliages and dependencies of gold and soft.

Anthem

The Bucaramanga anthem was written in 2003 by Gabriel Latorre.

Political-administrative structure

Political division

Palacio Amarillo headquarters of the Governorate of Santander.

Municipal Administrative Centre of Bucaramanga

The city is located within the Bucaramanga metropolitan area, a subdivision of the department of Santander.

The mayor of Bucaramanga is the head of government and the municipal administration, legally, judicially and extrajudicially representing the city. It is a position elected every four years by universal and direct suffrage. The position is currently held by Juan Carlos Cárdenas Rey. He is in charge of the decentralized municipal secretariats and institutes whose main officials are appointed by the mayor.

Bucaramanga, as the capital of Santander, is the seat of the Santander Government. The Yellow Palace is located a few meters from the Mayor's Office and is the seat of executive power. In charge of the government are some entities such as the Industrial University of Santander. The Departmental Assembly is the legislative body of Santander; It is also based in Bucaramanga and is made up of 16 deputies.

The Bucaramanga Council has legislative powers and is in charge of exercising political control in the municipal administration. It is made up of 19 councilors, who are elected by popular vote every four years.

The judiciary is represented in the city by the different jurisdictional bodies of the country. The city is the seat of the Judicial District of Bucaramanga. The headquarters of the Superior Courts of the Judicial District are based in the city of Bucaramanga and jurisdiction in the Circuits of Barrancabermeja, Bucaramanga, Málaga and San Vicente de Chucurí. In addition, Bucaramanga is the seat of the Judicial Circuit and its jurisdiction includes the municipalities of Bucaramanga, California, Cepitá, Charta, Floridablanca, Girón, Lebrija, Los Santos, Matanza, Piedecuesta, Rionegro, Suratá, Tona and Umpalá.

Administrative division

The city is divided into 17 communes, each of which includes neighborhoods, settlements, urbanizations, and other sectors with a floating population. The communes of the urban area comprise 1,341 manzanas and there are around 200 neighborhoods. The rural area is made up of three corregimientos that in turn are divided into 25 villages. Each Commune and corregimiento has a Local Administrative Board that has 7 councilors elected by universal and direct suffrage and who have the same term as the mayor of the city and the municipal council.

Nutrition Officer	Commune	Nutrition Officer	Commune	Location
1	North	10	Provenza (South-West)
2	Northeast	11	Southern Commune
3	San Francisco	12	Plain head (Oriental)
4	Western	13	Eastern Centre
5	García Rovira (Centre-West)	14	Morrorrico (Nor-Eastern)
6	The Concordia (South-Central)	15	Centre
7	The Citadel (Centre-West)	16	Lakes of the Cacique (South-Eastern)
8	Surocdent	17	Mutis (West)
9	La Pedregosa (South-Eastern)

Metropolitan Area

The Bucaramanga metropolitan area is made up of the municipalities of Bucaramanga, Floridablanca, Girón and Piedecuesta. All of them belong to the Metropolitan Province and are registered in the upper basin of the Lebrija River. It has an extension of 1,479 km².

It was created by ordinance no. Giron and Floridablanca. In 1984, Ordinance No. 048 was issued to include the municipality of Piedecuesta, which was formalized on March 2, 1985, with Decree 0332 "by which the municipality of Piedecuesta is integrated into the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area ”.

It is administered by a Metropolitan Board chaired by the mayor of Bucaramanga, who is head of the administration and his representative. It is also made up of a representative of the Bucaramanga Council, elected by majority vote, a representative of one of the councils of the municipalities of Floridablanca, Girón and Piedecuesta, elected by the president of the respective councils, a mayor of a municipality other than the of Bucaramanga, appointed by the Governor plus a representative of the Governor.

According to data projected by DANE for the 2008-2009 period, the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area is home to 1,065,228 of the 2,016,251 inhabitants of the Department of Santander, which is equivalent to 53% of Santandereans.

Municipalities	Extension km2	Population (hab)	Density (hab/km2)	Altitude m. n. m.	Distance Bucaramanga (km)	Map of the Metropolitan Area
Bucaramanga	165	516.460*/527.913**	3130	959	0
Floridablanca	100.35	254.600*/265.407**	2538	926	2
Giron	475.14	135.860*/180.377**	286	919	7
Piedecuesta	344	117.405*/149.248**	341	1005	17
Total	1041.3	1.122.945*	-	-	-
♪Census data by the DANE Data projected by DANE

Defense

Bucaramanga is the headquarters of the Second Division of the Colombian Army. From said division, the Fifth Brigade and some of its battalions are stationed in the city, such as the Ricaurte infantry battalion, the Caldas engineer battalion, the Mercedes Ábrego service battalion and the 2nd Aviation battalion.

History

Pre-Columbian Period

The indigenous people who inhabited the region before the Spanish Conquest of America were the Guanes. Their domains, as supported by the documents of the Chibcha nation, bordered on the West with that of the Yariguíes, on the North with that of the Chitareros, on the East with that of the Laches, and on the South and Southeast with that of the muiscas. These limits were defined by the West by the route taken by the Yariguíes mountain range or mountain range, by the height of Zapatoca and a part of the Río de Oro to the point where the Suratá river empties; Between this river and the Umpalá River, at the height of the Páramo de Santa Bárbara, the Guane territory was limited to the North and Northeast with that of the Chitareros. Going down the Umpalá River to its mouth of the Chicamocha River and returning through it to its point of coincidence with the Guantiva Mountain Range, the limit with the Lache territories is demarcated. The continuity of the Guantiva mountain range to the Páramo de La Rusia defines the southeastern border with the Muisca country and continues from the south to the west through the Tolotá river and the Lenguaruco river, which flows into the Suárez river.

Cacique Guanentá was one of the five sovereigns who ruled the Chibcha people. Its seat of government was located in the Guane town on the Jéridas Plateau and the caciques of Uyamata, Sancoteo, Caraota, Cotisco, Siscota, Cácher, Xuaguete, Bocore, Butaregua, Macaregua, Chalalá, Poima and Poasaque were subject to its jurisdiction. At present, the royal certificates, colonial reservations delimit the Chibcha country, a colonial reservation that is integrated with Lake Maracaibo from Venezuela to Brazil.

Colonial Period

Foundation

Bucaramanga was established as a designated indigenous town of reservation lands attached to the jurisdiction of Pamplona on December 22, 1622 by the presbyter Miguel de Trujillo and by Captain Andrés Páez de Sotomayor, following the dispositions of the auditor Juan de Villabona Zubiaurre, visitor of the province of Pamplona. One of the reasons that led Juan de Villabona to order this indigenous establishment was the difficulty expressed by Miguel de Trujillo, who had to look for the indigenous people from mine to mine in order to carry out his work of evangelizing.

The place where the Indian village was built was one kilometer north of where the Bucaramanga ranchería was located, near the Quebrada Seca. Two months after construction began, the town of Bucaramanga—named after the ranch and the ravine—was ready. On December 22, 1622, the founders of the city documented the order and the natives of the Bucarica, Cachagua, Gérira and Guaca crews moved there. The town was declared a "real de minas", alluding to the gold mining that took place nearby.

From real de minas to parish

Villa de Bucaramanga in 1851.

In a period Bucaramanga was the seat of the mayor's office of the contiguous Reales de Minas. By 1799 it had a population of 2,178 people, of whom only 178 were aborigines. When alluvial gold began to decrease, it gradually turned into a town of Creoles and mestizos, displacing a high percentage of the indigenous population. The mining occupation carried out on the banks of the Río de Oro dispersed to the point of disappearing, although its inhabitants continued to enjoy the economic facilities offered by the King to the towns that paid gold taxes when, on the contrary, they worked in various agricultural activities, which meant a bad situation. business for the Crown of Spain because they were neither Indians nor miners. Due to the above and adding to the situation in which Spain found itself, which was pressing for resources to finance wars and given the scarcity of resources that came from the mines, one source of financing was the sale of these territories to Spaniards and mestizos as farmland. The situation was denounced by the council of the city of San Juan de Girón before the Royal Court since they wanted the extinction of the Real de Minas and the annexation of the territories of Bucaramanga to their jurisdiction.

On July 11, 1778, the visitor Francisco Antonio Moreno y Escandón arrived in the region, who, seeing that the order established by Juan de Villabona could not be maintained, ordered the transfer of the few indigenous people that still remained in the town of Bucaramanga so that they were relocated to the town of Guane, leaving definitively on January 1, 1779. In place of the old town, the parish of Chiquinquirá and San Laureano of the real de minas de Bucaramanga was created in 1779.

Republican Period

The Villa of Bucaramanga

Although in 1810 it was provisionally granted the title of Villa, a request for formalization as a villa was formally submitted to congress. This request was presented by Enrique Puyana, proxy of several of the citizens. The documents presented by Enrique Puyana justify the appointment due to patriotism and the services provided to the country by the parish. On June 30, 1821, the Constituent Congress definitively granted him the title of Villa.

19th century

Parque García Rovira de la Ciudad de Bucaramanga in the year of 1882.

In 1824, the new Republican government of Gran Colombia granted it the rank of town of Bucaramanga, head of the canton of its name, in what was known at the time as the department of Boyacá.

Capital of Santander

After Santander was founded, the Constituent Assembly met in the town of Pamplona on January 1, 1857. This population had a conservative majority, so its inhabitants thought that they were going to be named as the state capital. But the majority of conventionists were members of the Liberal Party and they wanted Socorro to be named for being a town with a liberal majority. Due to this problem, a persecution began, which caused the majority of the assembly members to go to Bucaramanga to continue with the deliberations. Before leaving Pamplona, the president of the state Manuel Murillo Toro signed the law declaring Bucaramanga as the capital of the State of Santander on November 24, 1857.

On December 2, 1857, the assembly was installed in the town council of Villa de Bucaramanga and, 4 years later, on September 14, 1861, Socorro was decreed the capital of the State. Finally, on March 24, 1886, by order of the Military and Civil Chief of the State Antonio Roldán, the capital of Santander was transferred again to Bucaramanga.

The Snake of Pico de Oro

From September 7 to 9, 1879, a popular revolt occurred as a consequence of the class confrontation between two groups of the time: the artisans and the merchants (made up of German immigrants and wealthy Santandereans) who owned the banks and the production of raw Materials. The artisans of that time formed a society that its detractors called La Culebra de Pico de Oro, within which nationalist zeal awoke, brewing a riot that ended in the death of several Colombian merchants and two German citizens. The then German Empire made the respective claim and request for compensation through diplomatic channels, even threatening armed intervention if the demands were not met. The events ended with the arrest, trial and imprisonment of several of those responsible for the massacre.

20th century

At the beginning of the XX century, Bucaramanga endured the economic stumbling block caused by the Thousand Days War. In the year 1900 the liberal fighters tried to take the city, but finally the conservative soldiers managed to repel the aggression and win the battle, although shortly after it would end up passing to liberal control for a few months. In addition, the strong social and political blows of this time marked the entire society, highlighting that this was one of the regions that had the greatest participation in the war of a thousand days, although later in the second decade of the century XX began its recovery, with great growth in terms of population and infrastructure. The first organized communes of the city began to be forged, accompanied by a greater amount of trade derived from the artisanal exploitation of gold that had in Bucaramanga the epicenter of the commercialization of multiple imported products, which allowed a commercial flow with the exterior, exploitation mining company that had constant activity.^{[citation required]}

When oil was found that was brewing in the area of the banks of the Magadalenta river, it boosted the economy of Bucaramanga, as it was the place where the companies and workers that would go to the jungle area that was the Magdalena half of Santander, were coordinated. where later the city of Barrancabemeja would emerge. Bucaramanga, in turn, extended the long route that from Bogotá sought trade with Venezuela.^{[citation required]}

21st century

View of the city

The city was elected as a member of the Andean Advisory Council of Municipal Authorities of the Andean Community of Nations.

Geography

The city is located in the department of Santander in the Metropolitan province on a plateau at 959 masl in the Eastern Cordillera at 7°08′N 73°08′W / 7.133, -73.133 north latitude with respect to the Bogotá Meridian and west longitude of Greenwich respectively. To the east it is surrounded by mountains and to the west is the Río de Oro canyon. It limits to the north with Rionegro; to the east with the municipalities of Matanza, Charta and Tona. the South with Floridablanca and; to the West with Girón.

Northwest:	North: Rionegro	Northeast:
West: Giron		This: Charta, Tona, Matanza
Southwest:	South: Floridablanca	Sureste:

Territory and soils

The total area of Bucaramanga is 162 km²; The different altitudes of some points on the ground allow the city to be found in several thermal floors that are distributed in warm 55 km², medium 100 km² (where the urban area lies with 34 km²) and cold 10 km².

The Bucaramanga plateau is located within the Río de Oro valley and forms a wide ledge attached to the eastern slope of the Valley. It is formed by a succession of mantles from the Pleistocene period, which descend slightly to the west. The plateau begins to the east at the foot of the Bucaramanga Massif, and is delimited to the west by a vertical scarp, at the base of which begins a topography dissected by intermittent water currents that give the territory a dendritic morphology. Near the western bank of the river there are also remains of materials that form the plateau, of rocks formed in the Jurassic and Triassic periods. The soil groups a succession of almost horizontal layers that vary lithologically between conglomerates, siltstones, clays, sandstones, and gravels.

Its soils, from an agrological point of view, can be divided into two groups: the first, since there is no danger of erosion, are propitious for growing a wide variety of products and for livestock. The other class of soils has a high erosive potential; for this reason, it has low fertility and a layer of superficial fertility, in some situations almost zero.

The city of Bucaramanga is located in a zone of High Seismic Activity, The sector where it is located by the Bucaramanga plateau is a sunken block between the Bucaramanga - Santa Marta Faults to the east, which limits the rocks of the Massif of Bucaramanga, and the Suárez Fault, in addition to being located near the Los Santos seismic node.

Panoramic view of Bucaramanga.

Bucaramanga at night.

Hydrography

The main rivers of Bucaramanga are the Río de Oro and Río Suratá, and the ravines of La Flora, Tona, La Iglesia, Quebrada Seca, Cacique, El Horno, San Isidro, Las Navas, La Rosita and Bucaramanga.

The Río de Oro is one of the most important rivers that crosses the city of Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area. Its passage through Bucaramanga is located according to the Bucaramanga POT in the western escarpment. The Grande ravine, the Suratá ravine and the Lato River flow into this river in the Piedecuesta area. In the area of Girón, it receives water from the Frío River, the La Iglesia stream, the Chimitá stream, the La Rosita stream, whose tributary is the El Loro stream, and the Seca stream, which in turn has the La Jewel as its tributary. Other important ravines in this area of the western escarpment are the Pincha, Chapinero, Las Navas with its tributary Dos Aguas, Argelia and Cuyamita ravines. The Oro river forms together with the Suratá river the Lebrija river.

On the Malpaso escarpment are the Carrasco and Guacamaya streams, which discharge their waters into the La Iglesia stream and the El Macho stream, which receives its waters from the La Bomba stream. On the northern escarpment are the Chitota ravine and the Zanjón de Regadero ravine.

Climate

Bucaramanga has a monsoon climate (according to the Köppen Am climate classification) and is classified by IDEAM as follows: in the lower altitude parts of the city the climate is hot dry; In the higher altitude areas of the city the climate is temperate. It has an average temperature of 23 °C and an average maximum of 30.9 °C. It presents an average annual precipitation of 1304 mm. The rainfall regime is distributed in two dry periods and two rainy periods, as in most of Colombia. The dry periods include the months of December, January, February, March, June, July and August. The rainy periods are distributed in the months of April, May, September, October and November.

Average Bucaramanga climate parameters
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	32.0	33.0	34.2	33.8	32.4	33.8	32.6	33.8	32.6	32.4	32.4	33.8	34.2
Average temperature (°C)	27.7	27.7	27.9	27.9	28.0	27.9	28.1	28.3	28.2	27.6	27.2	27.4	27.8
Average temperature (°C)	22.9	23.2	23.3	23.2	23.1	23.0	22.9	23.0	22.8	22.5	22.4	22.6	22.9
Temp. medium (°C)	18.9	19.1	19.4	19.5	19.5	19.4	19.0	19.1	19.0	18.9	19.1	18.9	19.2
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	15.1	13.4	13.6	14.0	14.2	15.4	15.0	16.0	15.4	14.6	14.8	15.0	13.4
Total precipitation (mm)	90	101	138	134	131	86	106	86	111	132	111	78	1304
Precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	10	11	14	17	19	17	18	19	19	19	14	10	187
Hours of sun	174	107	98	100	115	88	112	111	101	104	125	156.	1391
Relative humidity (%)	80	80	81	83	84	83	82	81	82	84	85	82	82.3
Source: Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Research (IDEAM) January 29, 2010

Flora and Fauna

Flora

Parque San Pío de Bucaramanga and the diversity of plant species.

The vegetation of the city of Bucaramanga corresponds to a transition life zone between the Tropical Dry Forest (bs-T) and Premontane Humid Forest (bmh-PM) or a transition between the Sub-Andean Forest and Lower Tropical Forest of the classification from Cuatrecasas. 70 species of trees have been identified in Bucaramanga, of which 40 are native species and the other 30 are introduced species. The most abundant species of trees in the city are the Licania tomentosa or oiti and the pink and yellow Guayacanes with 30%. Chicken coops and sarrapios with 15%. The royal palm and the fan palm with 5%. The búcaro with 2%. There are other species among which are Ficus benjamina, Areca palm, African Tulip, Mango, Leuceana among others; occupy 3%.

Wildlife

Some of the animal species that can be found in the city are birds such as the owl, parrot, parakeet, canary, turpial, blackbird among others; Reptiles like the boa constrictor, iguana, stifle; mammals such as monkeys and rodents such as squirrels, sloths and opossums.

Eastern Hills

It is a mountainous formation located to the east of the city, between the Pan de Azúcar neighborhood and the road to Cúcuta, made up of 1,300 hectares of native forest (3,942 hectares if the Tona River basin and the rural border with Floridablanca were added, both territories inhabited by peasants), declared a nature reserve thanks to the Land Management Plan (POT) issued in 2013 for this area. It is home to wild animal species such as gray foxes, squirrels, anteaters, armadillos and iguanas. Despite being a protected area, many of the ecosystems of the Eastern Hills are threatened by construction company plans to urbanize them, for which reason it was planned to build an ecological park with trails for walkers and a viewpoint, using 290 hectares of the mountainous system without using construction material such as sand, brick and concrete so as not to affect the surrounding ecosystem. The project is suspended due to the rejection of its development by environmentalists. In itself, they are already a special tourist attraction for walks and tours organized by ecological groups of the city and the municipal administration, through the Institute for Youth, Recreation and Sport of Bucaramanga (INDERBU).

Pollution

In Bucaramanga, the measurement of the different types of pollution corresponds to the Regional Autonomous Corporation for the Defense of the Bucaramanga Plateau CDMB.

Air pollution

For the measurement of air pollution, the CDMB uses the IBUCA index. This index reports the air quality daily, indicating the level of concentration of air that is breathed and its correlation with health. This measurement is carried out with 5 automatic stations, 3 manuals and 4 meteorological stations located in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga. In addition, this entity is responsible for applying general standards and principles for atmospheric protection and mechanisms for monitoring, control and monitoring of air pollution to preserve air quality and reduce or prevent environmental deterioration.

In 2009 the data obtained from the CDMB measurement were:
NO2: 13'58 Ppb which, according to the IBUCA measurement scale, shows regular figures, indicating that this oxide is one of the main air pollutants in the city.
NO: 13'71 Pbp,
SO2: 4'20 Pbp. According to the IBUCA scale, this oxide does not represent a high risk to public health.
CO: 0'89ppm,
O3: 12'30 Pbp,
Suspended particles: 38'21 μg/m³.

Water pollution

The main points of water contamination are found in the Oro, Suratá and Lebrija rivers, since these are the streams that receive wastewater from the Bucaramanga metropolitan area. In 2009, 61 monitoring points were located in the streams of the area of jurisdiction of the CDMB. This jurisdiction also corresponds to several municipalities outside of Bucaramanga. 11% (7 points) have a classification of Terrible, 16% (10 points) Inadequate, 28% (17 points) Doubtful and 44% (27 points) Good, according to the Water Quality Index of the 2008.

Demographics

52.4% of the dwellings in Bucaramanga are houses, while 40.4% are apartments and the remaining 7.2% correspond to rooms or others. According to the figures presented by DANE from the 2005 census, the composition ethnography of the city is:

• Triggers (or Mestizos) and Whites: (95.9%)
• Black, Afro-descendant or Afro-Colombian: (3.9%)
• Indigenous or Amerindians: (0.2%).

Bartality and mortality

In 2008, 15,633 births were registered in Bucaramanga, an increase compared to 2007 of 633 births. Of these, 7,956 were men and 7,677 were women.

In 2008, 3,923 deaths occurred in the city, which compared to the 4,328 in 2007 shows a decrease of 405 deaths. 2,158 deaths were among men and 1,765 were among women.

Citizen security

For the year 2015, the victimization rate was 15%, which represented a variation of 6.5%, which means a statistically significant variation. For the percentage of households that reported thefts, the rate was 2.6%, increasing 0.9 percentage points when compared to the previous year (1.7%).

Citizen security is in charge of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Police, attached to the Colombian National Police. It has four districts, nine stations, one substation and forty-one immediate attention centers (CAI). Its radius of action is made up of the municipalities of Bucaramanga, Floridablanca, Girón, Piedecuesta, Lebrija and Los Santos (Santander). The city's emergency line is known as the comprehensive emergency and security system and is accessed by dialing the free phone number 123.

Economy

Industry

The industrial activity with the greatest presence in the city is agribusiness, followed by metal-mechanics, and traditional footwear production. The Association of Footwear and Similar Industrialists, Asoinducals, is located in the city. agricultural, due to the size of the income and jobs generated, whose main activities, agriculture, livestock and poultry farming, are carried out in various municipalities and surrounding areas in the departments of Santander and Cesar, but their administration and commercialization are carried out in the City.

Bucaramanga has the Chimitá Industrial Zone located to the west in the conurbation of the municipality of Girón; There are countless companies from different specialties such as Terpel, Nexans Colombia. Also in the city is one of the main plants of the Bavaria Brewery. In the city, in the conurbation with Floridalbanca, there is a free zone, called the Santander Free Zone.

The 2005 census carried out by DANE presents us with the following figures: 16.5% of the establishments are dedicated to industry; 52.1% are dedicated to commerce; 29.8% are dedicated to services and 1.6% are dedicated to another activity. 3.7% of households in Bucaramanga have economic activity in their homes. In establishments that have between 0 and 10 jobs, commerce, 54.4%, is the most frequent activity. In establishments with between 10 and 50 people, the main activity is services (41.7%). Regarding the rural sector of the city, DANE figures showed that 75.9% of occupied rural dwellings, with people present on the day of the census, had agricultural activity. DANE found that 70.1% of these dwellings that had agricultural activity were dedicated to agricultural work, 94.1% to livestock work, and the remaining 5.6% to fish farming. These data are presented because most of the dwellings simultaneously have 2 or 3 types of activities.

Thanks to the commercial and business development that it has, and the size of its economy and that it is de facto the political center of eastern Colombia, Bucaramanga has positioned itself as a city of congresses and events by having infrastructures such as the Fair Center and Exhibitions - CENFER, which has become the largest commercial showcase in eastern Colombia, since countless fairs and exhibitions are held there annually in all branches of national commerce. The City also has a multifunctional center for events and shows that gives Bucaramanga a suitable space for the realization of great shows and recreational, sports or commercial activities. Countless conference and congress rooms allow Bucaramanga to hold conventions with the security of the most appropriate logistics, execution, convenience and comfort of the service offered by the people of Bumanga for businessmen from all over the country.

Specialized fairs, in addition to generating direct benefits to the respective sector, mark out other lines of the economy such as transportation, hotels, restaurants, commerce and various exhibitor service activities such as advertising, stand design and decoration, modeling, etc

In this city, one of the most important fairs with an export focus in the region is held: the EIMI International Children's Fashion Exhibition, the only one specialized in this subject in Latin America and to which Bucaramanga owes the name of " capital of children's fashion". It takes place in Cenfer and is the engine of exports of the clothing sector in the region, generating 40% of foreign sales of this industry.

Trade

La Quinta Centro Comercial

In recent years, important shopping centers and other types of buildings have been built in the city of Bucaramanga. Among them, the Megamall Shopping Center stands out, inaugurated in 2007, Cañaveral, Caracolí, Cacique and Jumbo, in addition to the commercial centers by stages of Cabecera del Llano: the Cabecera I Stage, II Stage and III Stage shopping centers, the Cabecera shopping centers IV Stage and the La Quinta or V Stage Shopping Center, in addition to the Gratamira Shopping Center specialized in advanced technology items; In other areas of the city we can mention the Acropolis Shopping Center in the Ciudadela Real de Minas, the San Andresito la Isla Shopping Center now called La Isla Shopping Center and the San Andresito Centro Shopping Center.

Labor Market

Historically, the city of Bucaramanga has been one of the cities with the lowest number of unemployed in the country. As of September 2010, according to DANE statistics, between July and September 2010 the city had an vacancy rate of 11'8%; increasing by 3'3%; with respect to the months of October and December 2009 when a rate of 8'5%; was presented. The global participation rate (TGP) is 70'1%; the occupancy rate (TO), of 61'8%; the subjective underemployment rate (TS Sub), of 39'0%; the target underemployment rate (TS Obj) of 13'7%.

Tourism

Dann Carlton Hotel.

Chicamocha Canyon, where is the Chicamocha National Park or PANACHI, one of the largest tourist attractions in the region.

In Bucaramanga and the neighboring municipalities you can carry out a variety of tourist activities; Ecological tourism through its parks, Adventure tourism in the table of Ruitoque (Floridablanca) 15 minutes from the city is the "Voladero las Águilas" where you can practice Paragliding. The downtown area has colonial buildings, such as the churches of San Laureano, the chapel of Dolores. Some important houses such as the house of Bolívar, by Luis Perú de Lacroix. Other colonial constructions are found in the neighboring municipalities of the city. Bucaramanga's tourist diversity earned it being chosen as one of the 7 tourist destinations of national pride through a voting process that was convened by Colombia es pasión and Bavaria.

Bucaramanga has a very good hotel infrastructure made up in part by some of the best hotel chains in the country. Several areas of the city are the center of important restaurants and nightclubs in the city.

C.C. Megamall.

Viewpoints

view of Bucaramanga from the viewpoint of Palonegro, near the airport.

Morrorrico: located to the east of the city. A hill-shaped park is built in the sector, where an impressive panoramic view of the city can be seen from its top; there are concrete and dirt paths that lead to the top where there is a fountain with a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is visited at Easter time by the inhabitants of the city, especially to perform the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday; In addition, the inhabitants and parishioners of the sector believe that the statue works miracles. The park also has a stage in the shape of a crescent cake or crescent for outdoor theater or other cultural, social or religious activities.

Palonegro: located on the road to the airport of the same name, where you can appreciate a splendid view of the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga. In the place there are several discos and whereabouts visited especially on weekends.

Historical and Natural surroundings

Chicamocha National Park (PANACHI): on the road that leads to Bogotá at the maximum height of the eastern mountain range in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Aratoca, it offers an exceptional view of the imposing Chicamocha river canyon. It also offers family attractions such as the cable car, among others.

Chicamocha National Park, one of the largest tourist attractions in the region.

Girón:: located 9 km from Bucaramanga. Founded in 1631, its gold mines made it important during the Colony, a time of a stupendous architectural legacy, which turned its old town into a National Monument. The Museum of Religious Art stands out, with valuable paintings and ancient liturgical objects, the Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, a pilgrimage site, and the Chapel of the Corregidor, on the outskirts.

Socorro: located 121 km from Bucaramanga. Cradle of the Comuneros uprising, it is located in the Comunera province, northeast of the department of Santander. It was founded in 1681 and in 1711 it was granted the title of "Very Noble and Loyal Villa". In 1781 Manuela Beltrán broke the edict that increased taxes and contributions, which gave rise to the rebellion of Los Comuneros. In the main square, the monuments to José Antonio Galán, leader of the uprising, and Antonia Santos stand out. Other attractions are the house of culture and the cathedral. The old part of the town was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest of the nation.

Barichara: 118 km from Bucaramanga. It was founded by the Pradilla de la Parra family around the veneration of the Virgen de la Piedra; in May 1975 it received the qualification of "The prettiest little town in Colombia" and through Resolution 005 of June 30, 1975, its old town was declared a "National Monument" or "Well of Cultural Interest" by the Colombian state. It is known for its cobbled streets and wooden balconies; In its surroundings, it is worth mentioning the colonial town of Guane, under its jurisdiction, in which the 17th Century Church stands out with its Sanctuary of Santa Lucía and the Anthropological and Archaeological Museum, where its important collection stands out. of marine fossils, colonial books and archaeological objects of the Guane, Yareguí, Chalalá indigenous culture, etc.

San Gil: located 96 km from Bucaramanga. The historic center of this town with steep streets and located on the banks of the Fonce River was declared a National Monument of the nation. One of its greatest attractions is the El Gallineral park, which occupies an island in the river; the moss that hangs from the trees and the sound of the water make it a must-see. Other attractions in San Gil are the Ragonessi ecological park, the Pozo Azul spa, La Gruta hill, La Cruz hill and the practice of adventure sports such as canoeing, mountaineering, mountain biking and motocross, among others.

Hidroeléctrica de Sogamoso and/or Hidrosogamoso: owned by the state company ISAGEN, it is built on the Sogamoso River. The dam and the reservoir are located in the jurisdiction of the municipalities of Girón, Betulia, Zapatoca, Los Santos and San Vicente de Chucurí. It is one of the 5 largest power generation plants in the country and its reservoir area (the largest in the country) of some 7,000 ha will serve to develop fishing for both livelihood and sport, as well as the practice of water sports and recreational walks. in rowing or motor boats, jet skis or yachts.

Telecommunications

The city of Bucaramanga has the most important telecommunications services available at the moment: fixed and cellular telephony, broadband wireless networks of which Bucaramanga was the first city in the country to acquire this service, internet cafes, IP communication, etc. The main companies in this sector are Movistar, Une and Claro.

Fixed and Mobile Telephony and Internet

The fixed telephony and internet service in the city is provided by the companies Movistar (Former Telebucaramanga), UNE Telecommunications and Claro; 87.8% of the city has fixed telephone coverage and 19% with internet service. The mobile telephone service is provided by all mobile telephone operators in the country with 100% coverage, including the municipalities of the Metropolitan Area. Claro (from América Móvil), Tigo, Movistar, WOM, Móvil Éxito and Virgin Mobile are the six operators that offer the service with 3G technology and as of 2012 the 4G service is also offered. All five operators have GSM technology. They also provide mobile Internet service that also works on 3G and 4G technology. The Avantel company operates in the city offering the trunking service.

Estatua Cerro El Santísimo

Television

The city has a regional channel; TRO channel. In addition, the five national channels provide their services: the three private Caracol Televisión, Canal 1 and Canal RCN, and the two public: Canal Institucional and Señal Colombia. Subscription television companies offer their own channels.

Cable television service is provided by Tigo and Claro, on satellite television by Movistar (offered by the former Telebucaramanga) and DirecTV. In addition, several companies offer satellite TV service.

Radius

The city has a large number of AM and FM stations, both with local and national coverage, most of which belong to large media conglomerates such as the radio stations RCN Radio and Caracol Radio, other large commercial stations tune like Olímpica Stereo, or institutional like the National Police, the National Army, stations of the TUI, the UDES, Radio USTA (Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino), Blu Radio and the Cultural Station "LUIS CARLOS GALÁN SARMIENTO", the only cultural station in eastern Colombia.

Press and Newspapers

Percentage of public services available in Bucaramanga.

In Bucaramanga, the newspapers Vanguardia Liberal, El Frente and Periódico Q'hubo; In addition, free newspapers circulated such as the weekly Gente de Cabecera and Gente de Cañaveral. The national newspapers El Tiempo, El Espectador, ADN newspaper and the newspaper El Despertador also circulate.

Public Services

Energy

La Electrificadora de Santander (ESSA), an EPM company, is in charge of providing the service in the city of Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area. In the city, 97.6% of homes have electricity service.

Aqueduct and Sewerage

The Metropolitan Aqueduct of Bucaramanga S.A. E.S.P. is responsible for the aqueduct service and the Empresa Pública de Alcantarillado de Santander S.A E.S.P., EMPAS S.A. of the sewerage service. This company supplies the city from the Surata River, the Frío River and the Tona River. 96.1% of the city has the aqueduct service and 94.7% with the sewerage service.

Bucaramanga's water is considered the best in the country according to a study of the Bucaramanga aqueduct based on the water quality risk index (IRCA). This rate cannot exceed 5 percent. For Bucaramanga it reached 0.35 percent. For water treatment, the Bucaramanga Aqueduct has four treatment plants. The Bosconia plant is located on the road that leads from Bucaramanga to the municipality of Matanza; The Flora plant is located in the upper eastern part of Bucaramanga on the road to Cúcuta; the Morrorrico plant is located to the east of the city; The Oriente plant is located in the upper part of the Bucarica and Caracolí neighborhoods. To guarantee the provision of drinking water service until the year 2050, the construction of the Bucaramanga Reservoir is planned.

Cleaning and Garbage

The city of Bucaramanga produces daily around 426 tons of waste. The companies in charge of collecting this waste are the Bucaramanga Cleaning Company (EMAB), which covers strata 1, 2 and 3. Aseo Chicamocha S.A E.S.P that covers strata 4, 5 and 6.

This waste is taken to the "El Carrasco" landfill, located between the municipalities of Bucaramanga and Girón. This landfill began to be used in 1978 as an open-air dump. Every day about 750 t of waste from 10 municipalities of Santander arrive at its facilities, the four from the metropolitan area, as well as Surata, Cáchira, Charta, Rionegro, Lebrija and Barbosa. However, El Carrasco reached its useful life and had to be closed in September 2010. Currently looking for a place where a new sanitary landfill can be built.

Gas

The city of Bucaramanga is supplied with gas from the 8-inch Barrancabermeja - Payoa - Bucaramanga gas pipeline that began operations in July 1997. The city also has the Gibraltar - Bucaramanga gas pipeline that transports 30 million cubic feet of gas per day, this project seeks to guarantee the natural gas service to the city for 15 years, and was completed in December 2010

91.5% of the homes in the city have natural gas service. The company in charge of providing the service to the people of Bumangues is Gas Natural Del Oriente S.A. E.S.P. (Gasoriente S.A.).

Health

The entities in charge of guaranteeing the provision of the city's health services are the Ministry of Health and the Environment and ISABU. The Bucaramanga health network is made up of 24 service points, distributed in 21 Health Centers, 2 Intermediate Units, 1 Mobile Unit and the Local Hospital of the North. The city has the most important hospital in the region, the University Hospital de Santander (HUS), which is of a departmental order, serves people from various parts of the department and other neighboring departments.

In the private sector we can find the Carlos Ardila Lülle clinics, Bucaramanga clinic, Metropolitan clinic, Chicamocha clinic, La Merced clinic among others. In addition, the city has entities specialized in the management of cardiovascular diseases, made up of the Colombian Cardiovascular Foundation (FCV- Heart Institute) which manages other specialties such as neurosciences, critical care and transplants, the Bucaramanga Heart Institute, and the Santander Cardiovascular Society.

Currently in Bucaramanga the construction of two Special Permanent Duty-Free Zones in health of the country is being carried out. One of them will have 80,000 m² and will start operating in February 2012 and has an investment of 120,000 million pesos.

The other special permanent Free Trade Zone for Health, has an International Hospital, Dental Medical Center, Convention Center and hotel, all in an area of 270,000 m² and began operations in 2013.

The significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases is of special relevance, since in the city (Clínica Chicamocha) there is one of the few centers in the country where Therapeutic Bronchoscopy is performed.

The Clinics in Bucaramanga, especially the private sector, are characterized by having a wide range of technologies, such as telemedicine that allows care and medical treatment in remote regions used by the Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia.

Education

In Bucaramanga, the entity in charge of supervising and controlling education in the city is the Secretary of Education attached to the Bucaramanga mayor's office. The city has public and private university institutions. Students come to these institutions from various regions of the department and the country, such as the Caribbean region and Norte de Santander. The city has several institutions specialized in technical and technological training. In the area of education, the city presents a wide range of educational institutions that include all levels, from pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, primary, secondary, technical and technological basic education and higher university education.

Educational Coverage

The census carried out by DANE in 2005 presented the following educational data in Bucaramanga. 95.3% of the population of Bucaramanga older than 5 years knows how to read and write. 48.8% of the population between 3 and 5 years old attends a formal educational institution; 93.1% of the population between 6 and 10 years and 82.6% of the population between 11 and 17 years. 32.5% of the population residing in Bucaramanga has reached the basic primary level and 32.4% the secondary level; 13.2% have reached the professional level and 2.2% have completed specialization, master's or doctoral studies. The resident population without any educational level is 6.1%.

Schools

The city of Bucaramanga has many primary and secondary education centers, several of which offer bilingual education. The good level of education in Bucaramanga has been reflected in the state tests for admission to higher education ICFES, where on average, 41% of the best ICFES are from Santander, which is why it stands out year after year public and private sector schools.

In the city stands out the "Students Street" Located in the Ciudadela Real de Minas, a sector in which several official educational institutions of the city are currently concentrated. These and many more schools make up the city's student body with more than 140,000 students between public and private institutions.

Higher Education

The city has several specialized institutions in the field of higher education where their institutions offer technical, technological, and university undergraduate degrees. And in postgraduate courses, diplomas, specializations and master's degrees are offered in agreement with other institutions in the country and the world, as well as doctorates.

The most important public university in the city is the Industrial University of Santander (UIS) which is ranked among the 4 best in the country in the public sector, in the private sector several universities such as the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga stand out UNAB and the Santo Tomás University (USTA).

Among the Universities founded and based in the city are:

• Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS)
• Autonomous University of Bucaramanga (UNAB)
• University of Santander (UDES)
• Technological units of Santander (UTS)
• University of Research and Development (UDI)
• Technology FITEC (I.E.S.)
• University Science and Development Corporation (UNICIENCIA)
• Fundación Universitaria Comfenalco (UNC)

Also those that have an extension office in Bucaramanga such as:

• Universidad Santo Tomás (USTA)
• Universidad Pontificia Bolivarian (UPB): Located in the municipality of Piedecuesta.
• Cooperative University of Colombia (UCC)
• Antonio Nariño University (UAN)
• Manuela Beltrán University (UMB)
• Open National University and Distance (UNAD)
• Corporación Universitaria Remington (UniRemington)
• Higher School of Public Administration (ESAP)

Research and Science

Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area have different research and science centers where important processes for the industry are developed:

• Guatiguara Technological Park. PTG
• Instituto Colombiano del Petróleo ICP
• Research Group on Vegetal Ecophysiology & Terrestrial Ecosystems (GIEFIVET)
• Research Group on Industrial Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (CINBIN)

Transportation

Public and private transit in the country and therefore in the city of Bucaramanga is regulated by Law 769 of August 6, 2002, which in its article 6 Paragraph 3 allows municipal authorities to issue regulations for the improvement of traffic in the city as long as they do not imply modifications to the law.

Ground transportation

Provincial Viaduct.

Ways

The City of Bucaramanga has a Land Management Plan (POT), in turn this plan classifies the roads of the city into two types: the roads called Type Arteries and the roads of the local Municipal Network.

Paths Artery Type

The Type Artery Pathways are divided: into Type V-0 Pathways. They have a cross section greater than 60 meters. Type V-1 tracks. They have a cross section between 60m and 40m. Type V-2 tracks. It is between 30 m and 40 m in cross section. Type V-3 tracks. They have between 25 m and 30 m in cross section. Among the arterial roads we can find:

• Race 15: This is type V-2. In the Rosita sector it becomes Diagonal 15 is one of the most important for its permanent movement of transport mainly of public service, recently it was expanded and arranged for the Metroline project, it begins in the northern sector of the city of the road that comes from Santa Marta and in the sector of the sun gate ends to become the Autopista Bucaramanga - Floridablanca - Piedecuesta.

• Race 27: This is type V-2. Also known as Avenida Próspero Pinzón, crosses the city from North to South. starts at the Universidad Industrial de Santander and crosses the city from North to South. In the sector of the sun gate is located the exchanger of the same name from where the road to the motorway to Floridablanca and a continuation of the 27 race continues to the sector between the neighborhoods La Victoria and La Salle where it becomes the Autopista to Girón and Lebrija, from this road starts to Barrancabermeja.

Other important arterial pathways are:

• Autopista Bucaramanga - Floridablanca: Of type V-0. Communicate these two municipalities in the metropolitan area.
• Autopista Bucaramanga - Girón: Of the type V-1.
• Via Palenque - Café Madrid: Of the type V-1.
• La Rosita Avenue: Type V-2.
• Quebrada Seca Avenue: Type V-3.

Roads local network of the municipality

The roads of the local network of the municipality are divided into: Type V-4 roads. They have a minimum of 18 m and a maximum of 25 m in cross section. Type V-5 tracks. They are between 15 m and 18 m in cross section. Type V-6 tracks. They are between 12 m and 15 m in cross section. Type V-7 tracks. They are the roads of the local road network that have a cross section between 9 m and 12 m. Tracks Type V-8. It is the road of the local road network that has a cross section of less than m. Among the roads of the local network of the municipalities we can find:

Race 33 to the head of the Llano.

• Carrera 33: Of the type V-4 Also known as Avenida de las Américas, part from Quebrada Seca Avenue and crosses the city from north to south is very important by its passage through several commercial sectors of the city plus from 56th Street to 45th Street has a wide pedestrian area for the enjoyment of the passersby.

Other important thoroughfares are Carreras 17 and 21 and Calle 56, Calle 45 that crosses the city from east to west and ends near the Chimitá industrial zone, Calle 36 that passes through the center of the city and the Avenida González Valencia and La Rosita.

Ground transportation

Metroline Troncal at Bucaramanga Highway - Floridablanca and Cañaveral Station.

• Metroline. It is the public transport system of Bucaramanga and part of its metropolitan area. The system consists of articulated buses that circulate from north to south in exclusive lanes, these are also complemented by padded buses and feeders. The cost per passage for the year 2023 is 2800 Colombian Peso.

• Bus. The city has a good number of buses covering the entire metropolitan area, The SITM has been integrating the old urban passenger transport companies and is moving forward in the integration of the entire metropolitan area of Bucaramanga to the SITM coverage. The cost of the bus ticket varies every year. The cost per passage for the year 2023 is COP$2800.

• Taxi. Bucaramanga has a large number of taxis 24 hours a day with around 22 companies, it is the second city of Colombia with more taxis. The minimum value of a taxi race for the year 2023 is 6,200 Colombian pesos. The taximeter starts from 40 units and goes up to 83 units, each unit equals 60 meters and/or 60 seconds with a night surcharge of 1000 Colombian pesos that would go from the 8:00 p.m. a 04:59 a. m. Taxis make use of mobile applications and telephone radio for better service to citizens.

• MetroBici. As a transport alternative that contributes to reducing road congestion and pollution, the public transport system has been implemented on bicycles. The system has 8 stations in various parts of the city and is free of charge, with hours of service between 6:00 AM- 6:00pm, from Monday to Friday.

• Train. Bucaramanga has a railroad track in the northern city sector, where is the old railway station called the Madrid coffee station, currently restored and operates as a ludoteca, this old railway station communicated with the railway station of the municipality of Puerto Wilches and in turn with the railway station of Barrancabermeja, currently this railway station is without use, and is integrated in the 98% future transport of passengers.

National road connection

Bucaramanga is connected to the rest of the country by 2 main roads. The first is National Route 66 that comes from Barrancabermeja and connects it with Cucutá and from there goes to Venezuela, the second is National Route 45A that comes from Bogotá and reaches San Alberto. This road connects it with the Colombian Caribbean Region and its main cities through National Route 45.

Routes from Bucaramanga

Route	Cities	Description
	Barrancabermeja - Bucaramanga - Cúcuta	This route part of Barrancabermeja crosses the municipality of Lebrija and a part of Girón, finally arriving to Bucaramanga to this point has 120 km of road. After passing through Bucaramanga the road crosses the area of the Berlin slum, it reaches the municipality of Pamplona and from there to Cúcuta. This part of the tour is 189 km of road.
	Bucaramanga - Bogotá	On leaving Bucaramanga crosses San Gil, Socorro, Barbosa and the city of Tunja among others until arriving in Bogotá. This route has 394 km of road.
	Bucaramanga - Ocaña	When leaving Bucaramanga the road crosses the municipalities of Rionegro, the Playón in Santander. Empalma with the national track 45 at the height of San Alberto, follows San Martín, and before arriving at Aguachica takes the national route 70 crosses the high of Sanín Villa, Río de Oro and arrives in Ocaña.
	Bucaramanga - Valledupar	After crossing Aguachica you arrive to San Roque, where you take the detour to the national route 49. Several municipalities cross to Valledupar.
	Bucaramanga - Bosconia	After his passage through Aguachica he arrives in San Roque, from where he continues to Bosconia. There on the national route 45 you reach the Y Ciénaga, which serves as a detour to Santa Marta or the national route 90 towards Barranquilla. From Bosconia to Valledupar, and Cartagena, the route from Bucaramanga has 640 km of road.

Transport Terminal

The international transport terminal of Bucaramanga is located on the road that leads from Bucaramanga to Girón near the Provenza neighborhood. It has 5 stations to receive and dispatch passengers.^{[citation required]}

Air transportation

By air transport, Bucaramanga is served by the Palonegro International Airport, located to the west of Bucaramanga in the municipality of Lebrija, on the road to Barrancabermeja on the historic hill of Palonegro. Inside the building was a small museum with some of the war objects found at the time the airport was built, which has been considered a pharaonic work of Colombian engineering, due to its location on the esplanade hill.

The airport was inaugurated in 1974, replacing the old Gómez Niño airport located in the current Ciudadela Real de Minas. Currently, the Palonegro Airport operates under the administration of the Colombo-Coreano Aeropuertos de Oriente S.A.S. consortium. Group that obtained the concession to operate it for 15 years. It receives flights from the main cities of Colombia and Santander, as well as international flights to and from the cities of Panama and Fort Lauderdale.

The main terminal is located 20 minutes from the city on the expressway of the western motorway to Girón.

By 2019 it was positioned among the 5 most important airports in Colombia, transporting nearly 2 million people annually.^{[citation required]}

Culture

Culture in Bucaramanga has several expressions, from the plastic arts such as painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, and recently also in manifestation with proposals that incorporate new technologies for artistic communication, such as video. Throughout its history, Bucaramanga has hosted various cultural proposals in various areas, this is how there are many artistic groups in the city.

One of the main pillars of culture in Santander and in Bucaramanga as the cultural epicenter was literature. In past times there was a cultural movement around literature that produced a good number of writers who accounted for the notable interest of the community for literature. Today the performing arts, such as theater, are one of the main exponents of cultural work in the city.

The IMCT (Municipal Institute of Culture and Tourism) is the municipal government agency that provides library services, artistic workshops, presentation of a wide range of shows and programming of cultural events, carries out cultural work with the different neighborhoods of the city Likewise, it sponsors cultural activities carried out with private initiative and has a cultural station (Emisora Cultural Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento) on the dial 100.7 F.M.

Museums

Museum of Modern Art in Bucaramanga.

• 

  Museo Casa Bolívar
  Museo Casa de Bolívar, headquarters of the Academy of History of Santander, preserves costumes and historical objects that used at some point the Liberator Simón Bolívar in his passage through the city, in addition to containing archaeological objects (including mummies) of the Guane indigenous culture that dwelt in the past a part of the Santanderean territory.
• Centro Cultural del Oriente, headquarters of ancient schools of the city, with deadlines for cultural and social events.

The above sites were declared National Monuments by the Colombian government.

• Gua Museum, located in an old coffee farm where the cemetery park La Colina works today. There is an old restored colonial case where you can find different artifacts from the vestiges of the indigenous presence in the territory and several elements that make a tale of the history of the urban development of Bucaramanga at the beginning of the centuryXX..

• Casa Luis Perú de la Croixwhere the David Martínez Collazos Departmental Library operated, a former stronghold of realistic and liberating troops. Today restored to function as one of the headquarters of the Attorney General's Office.
• Museum of Modern Art in Bucaramanga. Located in a republican house, it has at the disposal of the public 2 exhibition rooms, sculpture garden, sculpture courtyard, educational room, among other spaces. Since its opening in 1989 it has discovered and promoted local artists who have jumped to national recognition and some of whom have been able to exhibit in several galleries of the world. Annually, the project "Look at the City", which consists of training approximately a thousand children from educational institutions, taking them to cultural centers and heritage spaces of the city, culminating in an exploration workshop at the Museum's facilities. It is located on 37th Street 26th - 16.
• Neomundo, It is located on the side of the Viaduct La Flora, on 89th Street - metropolitan eastern- with Carrera 69. The building is a multi-level complex. It has a modern Convention Centre of 12,631 m2, with multifunctional auditoriums and exhibition halls.
• Museum of Natural History, located at the Universidad Industrial de Santander.
• Total Book House (located on 35 N.o. 9-81), venue for cultural, artistic, literary and musical events, and where the project of ellibrototal, one of the largest Spanish-speaking virtual libraries in America is being developed. It is a project of RSE of a local firm (SYC S.A) that is propelled by the recovery of the cultural heritage of the arts and classical lyrics of the Hispanic world.
• Planetarium UIS (located at the Universidad Industrial de Santander, Campus Central - building Human Sciences - last floor- entrance by Visitors), The Planetarium consists of a dome that simulates the celestial vault, on which a projector of stars allows to visualize the galaxies, stars, constellations, planetary systems like the solar, etc. In addition, documentaries, videos and dome films are projected.
• Ludoteca Estacion Cafe Madrid. In the facilities of the former railway station that joined Bucaramanga with Puerto Wilches and Barrancabermeja, the space has been recovered as a ludoteca for the recreation of children, young people and adults. Space for the recovery of historical and cultural heritage.

In the metropolitan area:

• Guane Museum of the city of Floridablanca, located in the Casa de la Cultura Piedra del Sol, has a large collection of objects of the Guanes, one of the most important indigenous groups of Santander disappeared almost entirely during the Spanish conquest (centuryXVI).

Theaters and auditoriums

Internal view of the Peralta Colosseum from the theatre tables.

• Neomundo Convention Centre
• Teatro Santander. It is the stage with the highest technical and logistical conditions for performing and musical works. Its exterior facade was declared a National Monument.^{[chuckles]required]}
• Peralta Coliseum Theatre. Declared National Monument
• Corfescu Theatre. With varied programming of theatrical performances and stand up comedys
• Auditorium Luis A. Calvo de la Universidad Industrial de Santander.
• Auditorio Pedro Gómez Valderrama of the Municipal Institute of Culture.
• Auditorium Enrique Low Mutra del SENA.
• Auditorium Leonardo Angulo Prada de Comfenalco.
• Auditorium John Paul II of the Bolivarian Pontifical University.
• Auditorio Mayor Carlos Gómez Albarracín de la UNAB
• Auditorio Menor Alfonso Gómez de la UNAB
• Auditorium Jesus Alberto Rey Mariño de la UNAB
• Auditorium of the Chamber of Commerce of Bucaramanga.
• Auditorium of the Water Park.
• UIS Planetary Auditorium.

Other sites of interest

• Former Hotel Bucarica, located on the side of Santander Park, was headquarters of the Hotel Bucarica, first luxury hotel built in the city to accommodate the athletes who participated in the National Games held in 1941 in the city. It is currently one of the headquarters of the Universidad Industrial de Santander and declared this National Monument by the Colombian government.
• Trade Club, located in the same Parque Santander diagonal to the Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia, is one of the oldest social clubs in the country. Declared National Monument by its facade of the nineteenth century.
• Casa Natal de Custodio García Rovira, birthplace of this procer of national independence, located in Carrera 9 with Calle 35. Declared Cultural Interest Good of Colombia.
• Old Carnes Pavilion of Central Market Square; in its location, next to the Central Market Square and with the lands of it, there was a lagoon called San Mateo; although its facade dates from the centuryXIX, the building is not part of the Cultural Interests of the nation but is part of the Bucaramanga Urban Heritage.
• Bucaramanga reservoir; owned by the Bucaramanga Aqueduct, it is located in the confluence of the Tona River, it is a serious reservoir that will occupy 54 ha. It includes the construction of a 103 m high dam that will store a volume of 17.6 million m3 of water and will regulate a flow of 1000 litres of water per second, reserveing drinking water for the city and its neighboring municipalities until 2050. It will also serve as a recreation site for sport fishing and water sports.
• Viaducto Provincial; known as the Viaducto de la Novena because it is located immediately from the Carrera 9 of the city, it is a 550 m steep bridge that draws attention to its avant-garde design and LED lighting system, which makes it a tourist attraction of night for own and foreign. Its objective is to decongest the traffic of vehicles by the city from the central to the south by entering service on April 9, 2015. In the western part, starting the 45th Street tour, there is an obelisk that serves as a viewpoint for the illumination of the bridge.
• Plaza Cívica Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento, built in the 90's as a place of concentration for political, religious and cultural activities. Located in the heart of the municipal, departmental and judicial public power, between 35th and 36th Streets and Carreras 11 and 12. It is located at the top of the open space a bronze statue of 5 m with the face of the Santanderean politician, martyr of the Colombian internal armed conflict.

Festivals

• Santander Theatre Festival in Escena, organized since 2005 by the Corporación Taller de Teatro Jaulabierta.
• Ibero-American Abrapalabra Cuenterus Festival, festival of tellers and comedians organized by Corporación Festival de Cuenteros that has been held in the city since 1992.
• International Piano Festival, piano festival organized by the Universidad Industrial de Santander where international, national and local artists participate since 1984 is considered the most important cultural meeting of the eastern Colombiano.
• Book Fair of Bucaramanga ULibro, festival of the book of Bucaramanga organized by the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga. Its cultural and academic programming is at the centre of the Fair and offers special appeals to the general public, the family, the university community and the elementary and middle school community. It includes lectures, encounters with authors, artistic presentations, film and literature cycle, poetry, workshops for children and young people, contests, among other activities.
• Bucaramanga Fair, event that takes place every year in the month of September and that among its programming it has sports, cultural and musical events where important artists from various musical genres are presented. The events take place in several parts of the city, among their events is the reign of the communes to choose the queen of the festivities, carnival of the east with parade of floats, parade of old cars, among others.
• International Performance Festival Actions al Margenorganized since 2013 by the Scenarios de Mujer Corporation.
• Festival de Música y Ecología Búcaro EcoFestivalof private initiative organized since 2015.
• Festival Internacional de Teatro de Calle y Circo de Santanderorganized since 2009 with the support of the Ministry of Culture.
• Festival Sin Fronteras De Magia y Artes Circenses, organized since 2015 by the Corporation Recreational Events.
• Santander International Film Festival,The International Film Festival of Santander – FICS is the most important film event in Santander and its surroundings organized by the Corporación Educativa Social y de Comunicación PRENSA LIBRE since 2009.
• Festival Internacional de Títeres de Santander , organized since 2013 by the Corporación Taller de Teatro Jaulabierta.
• INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF BLUES AND JAZZ DE BUCARAMANGAsince 2008 of private initiative.
• National Festival of Music and Folk Dance Maestro Guillermo Lagunaorganized since 1999 by the GIFOS Corporation
• International Festival of Contemporary Art Visible Spacessince 2015 by the Artemisia Org Foundation and the Ministry of Culture.
• Festival of Art Exhibitions The Open Halls - Circuit of Artsince 2010 by the Cultural Center of the Colombian East, Bucaramanga Chamber of Commerce.
• ..INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CULTURE IN SANTANDER "FICUS" Event created since 2017 that has invited countries such as Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico, that with the support on rare occasions of Mincultura, the governorate of Santander and the IMCT has succeeded in creating international alliances to generate processes that dynamize art from the local, and thus create a projection of culture beyond borders.

Gastronomy

Peel corn and tamal santandereano food typical of Bucaramanga and Santander.

In Bucaramanga, you can find all kinds of restaurants specialized in all types of cuisine (international, specialized, typical, fast); a good number of important restaurants are located in the Cabecera del Llano sector.

Among the typical dishes of Santanderean cuisine, we can highlight the Santanderean mute —a soup made from various grains and accompanied by various types of meat—; the pepitoria, a preparation of viscera and goat or camuro blood mixed with white rice and that is accompanied by its baked meat. Oreada meat, the pelao corn arepa, the Santanderean tamale, the ayacos or corn wrapped and sobrebarriga are other coveted foods.

Big ass ants are perhaps the most exotic of Santander's food; They are abundant in the months of March and April. The head and wings are removed and roasted over a fire. Some people attribute aphrodisiac powers to them. Currently, they are exported to several European countries and the United States. Traditional celery, lemon, cider, rice, arequipe and pineapple sweets are also noteworthy —made by many traditional families from Bumangues, without However, in the neighboring municipality of Floridablanca, companies have also been created that sell them—as well as the wafers and the bocadillo veleño in the south of the department of Santander.

Architecture

Panoramic Bucaramanga.

Bucaramanga is surrounded by mountains which has forced many neighborhoods to be located in mountainous places. The city has grown a lot in recent years, being an example of progress, however, given the scarcity of land for the city to expand, construction of buildings with significant heights for the housing and office construction sector has begun.

Colonial and Republican architecture

Residential infrastructure in the sector of Cabecera del llano.

The colonial architecture of Bucaramanga still preserves some buildings built in the XIX century, important are the Casa de Bolívar where the Libertador was in 1828, and is currently preserved as a museum.

The city's Club del Comercio, whose building was built in 1821 and designed by the architect Pedro Colón Moncotini, preserves the typical Republican style. On its façade we can find Doric columns. The Peralta Coliseum, built on the premises of Anselmo Peralta in 1895, was built following the architectural parameters of the Spanish corrals: Horseshoe shape, a huge outdoor stage with natural acoustics and double row of seats. The current Cultural Center of the Colombian East is located in the old facilities of a Jesuit school (Colegio San Pedro Claver). It was built between 1899 and 1912 and rebuilt in the 1970s for the operation of a high school in the city, still preserving its republican style. There is also the old Hotel Bucarica, a house built in 1880 where it would function decades later the hotel, set up by the departmental authorities to house athletes from other departments who participated in the V National Games of Bucaramanga in 1941. Its design was made by the Spanish architect Germán Tejeiro de Latorre, in art deco style. Currently, there is an annex to the Industrial University of Santander (UIS). The four buildings mentioned were declared National Monuments by the Colombian state.

In Bucaramanga and its Metropolitan Area, several buildings with more than 15 floors have been built, with more intensity in the sectors of the Bucaramanga-Floridablanca highway; from Provence to Cañaveral, a large number of buildings exceeding 22 floors have been developed. The tallest buildings are located in the eastern part of the city, more specifically in the Cabecera del Llano sector, where there are 20 to 28-story residential apartments, but recently they are being built in other sectors of the city, such as the Ciudadela Real de Minas, Lagos del Cacique, La Flora and the Bucaramanga - Floridablanca highway sector, as well as the Cañaveral sector in Floridablanca.

Barrio Lagos del Cacique (Commune 16)

Other sectors of the city are not so well urbanized since they are the places where the popular sectors settled their homes, these are the Comunas Norte and the Morrorico neighborhood; among others, where the houses are built on sites with a high risk of landslides. Added to this is the lack of projects of social interest.

There are other sectors where you can still see 1 and 2-story houses, houses built in the 60's and 70's with brick walls, mostly in neighborhoods of strata 3 and 4.

Header architecture.

The architecture of Bucaramanga has grown a lot in recent years, having many residential sites; especially, a large number of buildings, thus being the fifth city with the most constructions in Colombia. There is also a center specialized in science and technology called Neomundo and the Palace of Justice (seat of the judiciary in the department). Architecture is also present in clinics such as the Carlos Ardila Lulle Clinic, one of the largest in the country, with six large buildings each with more than ten floors.

Almost anywhere in Bucaramanga you can see the erection of a building, the remodeling of a house or the adaptation of land. But despite the fact that construction allows investment and job creation, there is concern about knowing where and how it is being built.

During the first 20 years of the XX century, the price of coffee, the region's main product, fell and for For investors at the time, it was profitable to convert agricultural land into urban land. Sociedad Sucesores de David Puyana S.A., the main developer at the time, began selling lots for housing construction in Waterloo, today the Antonia Santos neighborhood, as well as in Pueblo Nuevo and Cabecera del Llano, later. Freddy Merchán and Heiber Zanguña, who carried out the architectural pre-inventory at the Antonio Nariño University, state in their thesis that the houses built in these neighborhoods were of high value because, in addition to functionality, they had aesthetics: "The positioning of the elite in The sector was evidenced by Brench Wessells and Carlos Tapias, when they built two chalet-style villas, based on attractive and elegant plans brought from Europe". Today, the League Against Cancer works in one of these German-style houses. Part of the neighborhood was converted into buildings, premises and is now a commercial area.

'City within cities' It was an innovative urban concept raised in the government of former President Alfonso López Michelsen in the mid-70's. Thanks to the Instituto de Crédito Territorial, later called INURBE (an entity that has disappeared in Colombia), the main cities of the country, including Bucaramanga, were able to design an almost self-sufficient urban complex called Ciudadela Real de Minas, on the land where an airport called Gómez previously operated. Child.

Religious Architecture

Cathedral of the Holy Family

Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia.

The construction of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral began in 1896 with the laying of the first stone. In 1898 work began on its construction, on October 8, 1922, the towers were inaugurated. In 1929 the bell of the eastern tower was released, which was cast in Piedecuesta. On February 28, 1941, the tower clock was inaugurated. This clock was a gift from the Public Improvement Society, and was built in the Robledo workshops in the city of Medellín. Around 1945, the work on the cathedral was completed and that is when it was put at the service of the bumangueses. Declared a National Monument of Colombia.

Church of San Laureano

The church of Chiquinquirá del Real de Minas de San Laureano, or commonly known as the Church of San Laureano, began to be built on January 1, 1779. In the year 1866 the construction of its dome was completed and in the year its doors were inaugurated in 1893, the value of these was 1200 pesos of the time. The church is located next to the García Rovira Park. It was declared "Asset of Cultural Interest" by the Ministry of Culture in 2009.

Capilla de los dolores catalogada como memoria nacional de Colombia.

Chapel of Sorrows

First church built in the city, its structure dates from the 17th century although it is perfectly preserved. It was the place where the Liberator Simón Bolívar went to mass and prayed while he was passing through the city, waiting for the results of the Ocaña Convention. Its conservation is in charge of the Church of San Laureano and, like it, it was declared a National Monument by the Colombian State. The colonial style, in addition to the cozy and private nature of the site, makes it the favorite place for couples to seal their fraternal bond and swear eternal love in the institution of marriage, through the Catholic religious Eucharist.

Church of San Francisco de Asís

Ordered to be built by the friars of the Franciscan Order upon their arrival in the city in 1937, at the same time as the Franciscan Convent and the school they currently run (Colegio del Virrey Solis). Located in the San Francisco neighborhood on Carrera 22, its façade is built in the Gothic style, which attracts the attention of locals and tourists.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church

Commonly known as the Church of San Pedro, it was built by order of the Jesuit community that settled in the city since 1897, parallel to the construction of the Colegio San Pedro, which is currently under its responsibility. It is located on Calle 45 with Carrera 27A, in the Sotomayor sector.

Contemporary Architecture

Majestic Building

42-story skyscraper, it is the tallest building in the city, as well as the tallest in eastern Colombia. At present it is the sixth tallest in Colombia in terms of meters high and the tallest building in the country for residential purposes.

It is the first skyscraper in Bucaramanga, so its consulting and engineering work was not common compared to other buildings in the city due to its topographical difficulty, since Bucaramanga is built on a plateau, in addition to the fact that the city is built near the Mesa de los Santos seismic nest, the second most seismically active in the world after the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan. Due to the number of floors that make it a skyscraper, the building has a different environmental management to the other buildings in the city, recognized by the Corporation for the Defense of the Bucaramanga Plateau (CDMB).

Required the execution in record time of 73 large reinforced concrete piles with an average diameter of 2 meters, which have a depth of 40 meters, managing to reach the bedrock, to provide the building with greater security.

This imposing building is located in an extension of approximately 12,000 m², surrounded by the leafy eastern hills of the city, in an exclusive place in the city called Altos de Cabecera, between Carreras 41 and 42 with Calle 41, to which a private road was built from Carrera 42, to provide security and privacy to residents and visitors to the sector.

Parks

Cigars Park.

Santander Park.

Bucaramanga, also called the City of Parks, has more than 72 parks in its metropolitan area.

In the downtown sector of the city are the oldest parks with colonial style. In this sector, the parks stand out:

• Romero Park.
• Antonia Santos Park.
• Centenary Park.
• Bolivar Park.
• Santander Park.
• Parque Custodio García Rovira.

Among the recent parks is Parque La Rosita, managed by the Bucaramanga Aqueduct, where a water storage tank is located, with architectural adaptations in the upper part, there is a giant map of the city divided into communes with its streets and races specified for the orientation of local citizens, tourists and visitors; In addition, it stores an amount of 4,500 cubic meters of water inside that helps to supply the liquid in the downtown sector of the city.

In the sector of the head of the plain and its surroundings we can find the following parks:

• Water Park: Inaugurated in 2003, this park is located in the facilities of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Aqueduct. The park combines teaching and recreational functions. The old aqueduct tanks were used for construction. In the Christmas season the park is illuminated with alusive decorations to this time. The design of the park has received several architecture awards at national and international levels.
• Morrrico Park: Selected site of pilgrimage in the city for the Viacrucis every Good Friday.
• Parque La Flora: The park is characterized by its abundant amount of trees and being a true green refuge in the middle of the city, it houses local fauna and flora that can be seen frequently, such as squirrels, birds like the hummingbird, see them, parrots, carpenter's bird, etc. With pedestrian trails, playgrounds and low-intensity sports facilities, sanitary units for use of walkers.
• Eastern National Park: Most popularly known as Acoustic shell for its conch-shaped stage; ideal for concerts, plays and the like. It has ecological trails, a vertical water source and a sample of orchids unique in the country.
• Parque de Las Palmas: Classic meeting area for young people in Bucaramanga on the weekends, it has developed around it an area of restaurants, bars and some discos.
• Parque San Pío: A reference park in the city located between the cra 33 and the cra 35a and 45th Street and 48th Street.Celebre long before a sculpture of the Botero was installed.
• Parque de Los Leones Another unique park, which serves as an outdoor gym for residents of the sector.

Southwestern sector of the city:

• Parque la Puerta del Sol - In the sector of the sun gate, it has a total area of 3,800 m2, it fulfills two important social functions: First, by means of a tank store 5000 cubic meters of water, that allow it to regulate the pressures of 12 000 units of the sector Ciudadela Real de Minas, and of the neighborhoods Mutis, Monterredondo, Heroes, Prados del Mutis, Manzanares and Estoraques, also to attend the moment
• Parque de las Cigarras Located in the area of the royal citadel of mines.
• Park Public Improvements
• Parque Las Américas
• Gabriel Turbay Park Located on the side of the race 27

Parks to the north of the city:

• Flag park - Located in the glorieta near Alfonso López Stadium.
• Parque de Los Niños- It is located on race 27. Its construction began in 1909. It was the first children's playground built in Bucaramanga, in its facilities it has several basketball and tennis courts, as well as a lot of trees of different varieties. It has two monuments: one to José Antonio Galán, leader of the insurrection of the communers and one of Tiple's acclaimers as a tribute to José Alejandro Morales, a saintly composer. Near it is the headquarters of the Municipal Institute of Culture.

Parks in the metropolitan area:

• Health Park - Located in the south of the city, in the sector known as El Bosque, near the Carlos Ardila Lulle Clinic.
• Eloy Valenzuela Botanical Garden in tribute to Juan Eloy Valenzuela and Mantilla.

Religion

Of the total population, 82% of the population in Bucaramanga considers itself Catholic, 15% from other Christian groups, 2% agnostics, atheists and Gnostics, and 1% from Islam and Jews.

According to data from the Archdiocese of Bucaramanga, up to 2008 there were a total of 428,892 baptized by the Catholic Church in Catholic parishes, and from that number there dropped a little more than 1,203 people who changed to other Christian groups.

Sports

Estadio Alfonso López, Casa del Atlético Bucaramanga.

The city of Bucaramanga has been characterized by exhibiting in the national concert the different sports modalities that are practiced in the Olympic games, you can easily find various public and private sports venues in the city. However, soccer and mini-soccer are the most practiced sports in the city. Indersantander and Inderbu are the entities in charge of the administration and development of local and departmental sports.

Football

Bucaramanga has the Alfonso López Stadium, located in the Olympic Village of the same name, it has a capacity for 25,000 people, the stadium has Bermuda 419 natural grass, which is the same used by the stadiums that host international games, this after 10 years after the artificial grass was installed, fulfilling its useful life cycle. This scenario is the home of Atlético Bucaramanga. It is also the alternate stadium for Real Santander when the latter requires it, since its usual venue is the Álvaro Gómez Hurtado stadium in the neighboring city of Floridablanca; Currently, this team plays in the First National Division. In 2010, the city hosted the 2010 South American Women's U-20 Championship organized by Conmebol. In the Olympic Village there is also the Cancha Marte on synthetic grass, a temple of amateur soccer in the region and where every year in December the Torneo de la Cancha Marte is held, the most important amateur soccer tournament in the department. There is also another synthetic soccer field called "La Juventud", located in the eastern sector of the stadium, open to the public in 2015, replacing the old field located where it is located. currently the Bicentennial Coliseum.

Other sports

Coliseum Bicentennial Alejandro Galvis Ramírez built in 2011.

For other sports, the city has the Vicente Díaz Romero Coliseum that has a capacity for 8,000 people. This stage, located in the city's Olympic Village, is the home of the Búcaros de Santander basketball team. In 2014, the Caribbean Heat team from San Andrés y Providencia played some home games on this stage; both teams play in Colombian Professional Basketball League. In the Olympic Village there are also the Olympic Pools for swimming and diving, receiving a remodeling process in 2010. For the practice of track cycling there is the Alfonso Flórez Ortiz Velodrome which was inaugurated on December 12, 1992. In addition to the aforementioned scenarios, in the Olympic Village there are also coliseums or arenas for the practice of sports such as gymnastics, Olympic and Greco-Roman wrestling, chess and shuffleboard.

Another setting where different sports are practiced is the Edmundo Luna Santos Coliseum, a hangar of the old Luis Francisco Gómez Niño airport, located in the Ciudadela Real de Minas sector; In this scenario, the professional indoor soccer or micro-soccer teams Independiente Santander play their home matches in the men's branch and Real Bumanguesas in the women's branch, who play the respective professional national micro-soccer tournaments; This stage is also often used to practice boxing and attached to it there is a small coliseum for practicing table tennis. Another micro-soccer team that played on this stage and was part of the micro-soccer tournament was TAZ Santander.

In 2010 construction began, in the Olympic Village, of the Alejandro Galvis Ramírez Bicentennial Coliseum, for the 2011 Indoor Soccer World Cup in Colombia, and of which Bucaramanga was chosen as a sub-venue. The coliseum had an investment of $18,771 million pesos. Its capacity is 8,000 spectators and its inauguration took place in March 2011 with the first World Cup match between the teams of Argentina and Brazil. The Bicentennial Coliseum was the scene of the Inline Skate Hockey World Cup that was played in the city from June 29 to July 14, 2012 and which included the participation of the power countries in this sport, competing on this stage, which it was adapted at the time for this discipline; It was the headquarters of the professional micro-soccer team Bucaramanga FSC until its dissolution and is currently the headquarters of the Real Bucaramanga futsal or futsal team that plays in the Colombian Futsal League; this scenario was also one of the venues for the 2016 Futsal World Cup that was held in Colombia. In this way, it became the first and only coliseum in Colombia to have hosted the two existing futsal world championships in the senior category male (AMF and FIFA versions)

For the practice of Athletics, there is the Luis Enrique Figueroa Rey athletics stadium, better known as Estadio La Flora, which is located in the southeastern sector of the city, next to Neomundo. In addition, there is a softball arena (which occasionally lends itself to playing baseball) and a speed skating arena (skating rink) called Roberto García Peña, these two located in the Ciudadela Real de mines. For the practice of extreme sports (aggressive skating, skateboarding and BMX) there is the Extreme Park, located in the south of the city (San Martín and San Pedro neighborhoods, under the García Cadena Viaduct).

The city of Bucaramanga has twice hosted the National Sports Games in 1941 and 1996, hosted the Pan American Track and Road Cycling Championships in 2000 and is the current venue for the ATP Challenger tournament Bucaramanga Open tennis series that is played every year on the courts of the Club Campestre de Bucaramanga, although this scenario is located in the neighboring city of Floridablanca, where the most important tennis players in Colombia and some of the best ranked in the world participate according to to the Association of Professional Tennis Players.

Twinned cities

• Concepción, Chile
• San Luis Potosí, Mexico
• Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico
• Fort Lauderdale, United States
• Grenoble, France
• Valencia, Spain
• Nuuk, Greenland
• Ribeirão Preto, Brazil