Department of Putumayo Departamento del Putumayo
Department
Flag Coat of arms
Putumayo shown in red
Topography of the department
Coordinates: 1°09′N 76°37′W / 1.150°N 76.617°W / 1.150; -76.617
Country	Colombia
Region	Amazonía Region
Established	1991
Capital	Mocoa
Government
• Governor	Sorrel Parisa Aroca Rodriguez(2016-2019)
Area [1][2]
• Total	24,885 km2 (9,608 sq mi)
• Rank	16th
Population  (2018)[3]
• Total	348,182
• Rank	26th
• Density	14/km2 (36/sq mi)
GDP [4]
• Total	COP 5,617 billion (US$ 1.3 billion)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-PUT
Municipalities	13
HDI (2019)	0.717[5] high · 26th of 33
Website	www.putumayo.gov.co

Putumayo (Spanish pronunciation: [putuˈmaʝo]) is a department of Southern Colombia. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering Ecuador and Peru. Its capital is Mocoa.

The word putumayo comes from the Quechua languages. The verb p'utuy means "to spring forth" or "to burst out", and mayu means river. Thus it means "gushing river".

History

Originally, the southwestern area of the department belonged to the Cofán Indians, the northwestern to the Kamentxá Indians, the central and southern areas to tribes that spoke Tukano languages (such as the Siona), and the eastern to tribes that spoke Witoto languages. Part of the Kamentxá territory was conquered by the Inca Huayna Cápac in 1492, who, after crossing the Cofán territory, established a Quechua population on the valley of Sibundoy, known today as Ingas. After the Inca defeat in 1533, the region was invaded by the Spanish in 1542, and from 1547 was administered by Catholic missions.

The current territory of Putumayo was linked to Popayan during the Spanish Colonial Period and in the first Republican decades belonged to the "Azuay Department", which included territories in Ecuador and Perú. Later a long process of territorial redistributions began:

• 1831: Popayán Province.
• 1857: Estado Federal del Cauca.
• 1886: Cauca Department.
• 1905: Intendencia del Putumayo [es].
• 1909: Intendencia del Caquetá [es].
• 1912: Comisaría Especial del Putumayo.
• 1953: Department of Nariño.
• 1957: Comisaría Especial del Putumayo.
• 1968: Intendencia Especial del Putumayo.
• 1991: Putumayo Department.

Municipalities

Municipalities	Map
Colón Mocoa Orito Puerto Asís Puerto Caicedo Puerto Guzmán Puerto Leguízamo San Francisco San Miguel Santiago Sibundoy Valle del Guamez Villagarzón