{{Redirect|Mitu|other uses}} {{Infobox settlement |official_name = Mitú |type = City and municipality |nickname = |motto = |image_skyline = |image_caption = Aerial view of Mitú |image_flag = Flag of Mitú (Vaupés).svg |image_shield = Escudo de Mitú.svg |image_map = Colombia - Vaupés - Mitú.svg |mapsize = 250px |map_caption = Location of the town and municipality of Mitú in the Department of Vaupés. |pushpin_map=Colombia |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_type1 = Region |subdivision_type2 = Department |subdivision_name = {{flag|Colombia}} |subdivision_name1 = Amazonía |subdivision_name2 = Vaupés |leader_title = Mayor |leader_name = Carlos Iván Ramiro Meléndez Moreno (L)<ref>[http://www.registraduria.gov.co/reselec2007_esc/1028/x.html {{in lang|es}} Colombian Registry of the Civil State: 2007 election results - Vaupés]{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |established_title = Founded |established_date = 1936 |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 =16.422 |area_land_km2 = |area_water_km2 = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_metro_km2 = |population_as_of = 2018<ref>{{Cite web| title=Información capital | language=es | trans-title=Capital information | url=https://www.dane.gov.co/files/varios/informacion-capital-DANE-2019.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229221149/https://www.dane.gov.co/files/varios/informacion-capital-DANE-2019.pdf | archive-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> |population_note = |population_total = 29850 |population_metro = |population_urban = |population_density_km2 = auto |population_demonym = Mituense |timezone = |utc_offset = -5 |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = {{coord|1|11|54|N|70|10|24|W|region:CO_type:city|display=inline,title}} |elevation_m = 183 |area_code = 57 + 8 |blank_name = Climate |blank_info = Af |website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20070719164429/http://www.mitu-vaupes.gov.co/sitio.shtml Official website] {{in lang|es}} |footnotes = }}
'''Mitú''' ({{IPA|es|miˈtu}}) is the capital town of the department of Vaupés in Colombia.<ref>[http://pwp.etb.net.co/fdrojas/Ciudades/Mitu.htm {{in lang|es}} Empresa telefonica de Bogota; Mitú] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120730092932/http://pwp.etb.net.co/fdrojas/Ciudades/Mitu.htm |date=2012-07-30 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071021110639/http://ssiglims.igac.gov.co/ssigl/datosLimites/97-ORD-4-1997d-Mit%FA-Yavarat%E9.txt Instituto Geografico Agustin Codazzi; Creation of Mitu]</ref> It is a small town located in South eastern Colombia in the Amazon Basin. Founded in 1936, Mitú lies next to the Vaupés River at 180 meters above sea level. It is where the core of the services (transport and trade) are provided to the Vaupés Department.
The Vaupés River serves as connecting link between Mitú and nearby hamlets on the riverbanks, but there are no roads connecting the town to rest of the country. Accessible only by airplane and the river, Mitú is the most isolated capital in Colombia.
==History== The founding of Mitú can be traced to the rivalry between Brazilians and Colombians exploiting rubber in the basins and ranges of the upper Guainía and Apaporis rivers. By 1903 there was an intense activity exploiting rubber in the area around the Vaupés river using the local Indians, of the ethnic groups tucano and carijonas, as slaves.
Mitú was erected as a modest hamlet in October 1936 by Miguel Cuervo Araoz. The town served as a meeting point between different indigenous communities, in addition to being a center of rubber tree exploitation, fur trade and missionary center. Its main activity was the rubber trade for food, clothing and fuel. After being for a time a township, in 1963 Mitú became the capital of the Vaupés Commissary (Comisaria). In 1974, it was made a municipality and in 1991 it became the capital of the new created department.
In November 1998, an estimated 1,500 FARC guerrilla members of the Eastern Bloc of the FARC-EP tried to take over the town by force, against 120 National Police members and one Colombian National Army Battalion in the Siege of Mitú.<ref name="El Tiempo.com Especial 10 Años">[http://www.eltiempo.com/media/produccion/tomasGuerrilleras/ El Tiempo.com Especial 10 Años]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1998-11-05 |title=MÁS DE $1.600 MILLONES ENTRE TOMAS, RETOMAS Y DESPEJE |url=https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-814569 |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=El Tiempo |language=spanish}}</ref> The Colombian Air Force and Army Aviation supported ground forces with air raids. The guerilla members seized the airport, and they blew up a communications tower.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=1998-11-05 |title=Colombian Troops Oust Rebels From State Capital |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/05/world/colombian-troops-oust-rebels-from-state-capital.html |access-date=2023-01-08 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Mitú was left partially destroyed and some estimated 150 policemen and soldiers died, along with 10 civilians and over 800 guerrilla members.<ref name="El Tiempo.com Especial 10 Años"/> In their escape FARC took hostages as human shields including some 40 to 45 members of the Colombian Military.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-03-19 |title=Mitú fue el infierno |url=https://www.elespectador.com/colombia/mas-regiones/mitu-fue-el-infierno-article-87232/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=ELESPECTADOR.COM |language=spanish}}</ref>
On June 13, two of the hostages captured in Mitú in 1998, National Police Col. (now Gen.) Luis Mendieta and National Police Col. Enrique Murillo were freed by the Colombian army in a rescue operation named Operation Chameleon, located in Calamar, Guaviare. The following day, two other police officers were found and freed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 14, 2010 |title=4th hostage found in Colombian jungle |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna37689283 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108193136/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna37689283 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 8, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>
==Climate== Mitú has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen ''Af'') and is hot, humid and wet throughout the year. {{Weather box |width = auto |location = Mitú |metric first = Yes |single line = yes |Jan record high C = 34.0 |Feb record high C = 34.6 |Mar record high C = 34.5 |Apr record high C = 33.8 |May record high C = 32.8 |Jun record high C = 32.1 |Jul record high C = 32.1 |Aug record high C = 32.6 |Sep record high C = 33.7 |Oct record high C = 33.5 |Nov record high C = 34.1 |Dec record high C = 33.2 |Jan high C = 31.3 |Feb high C = 31.5 |Mar high C = 32.0 |Apr high C = 31.2 |May high C = 29.2 |Jun high C = 29.5 |Jul high C = 29.2 |Aug high C = 30.1 |Sep high C = 30.8 |Oct high C = 30.6 |Nov high C = 31.0 |Dec high C = 30.9 |year high C = |Jan mean C= 26.4 |Feb mean C= 26.3 |Mar mean C= 26.5 |Apr mean C= 26.4 |May mean C= 25.6 |Jun mean C= 25.2 |Jul mean C= 25.1 |Aug mean C= 25.7 |Sep mean C= 25.9 |Oct mean C= 26.3 |Nov mean C= 25.9 |Dec mean C= 26.3 |year mean C= |Jan low C = 20.1 |Feb low C = 20.2 |Mar low C = 21.3 |Apr low C = 21.1 |May low C = 21.3 |Jun low C = 21.5 |Jul low C = 19.9 |Aug low C = 20.5 |Sep low C = 20.8 |Oct low C = 21.0 |Nov low C = 21.1 |Dec low C = 19.9 |year low C = |Jan record low C = 17.4 |Feb record low C = 17.2 |Mar record low C = 19.2 |Apr record low C = 17.8 |May record low C = 19.6 |Jun record low C = 19.0 |Jul record low C = 16.5 |Aug record low C = 16.8 |Sep record low C = 16.1 |Oct record low C = 18.0 |Nov record low C = 19.0 |Dec record low C = 16.6 |year record low C = |rain colour=green |Jan rain mm = 257.1 |Feb rain mm = 209.5 |Mar rain mm = 228.8 |Apr rain mm = 331.2 |May rain mm = 381.5 |Jun rain mm = 373.6 |Jul rain mm = 385.4 |Aug rain mm = 301.2 |Sep rain mm = 241.0 |Oct rain mm = 234.0 |Nov rain mm = 219.0 |Dec rain mm = 193.3 |unit rain days= |Jan rain days = 13 |Feb rain days = 13 |Mar rain days = 15 |Apr rain days = 19 |May rain days = 22 |Jun rain days = 21 |Jul rain days = 23 |Aug rain days = 20 |Sep rain days = 16 |Oct rain days = 15 |Nov rain days = 17 |Dec rain days = 16 |Jan sun = 139.2 |Feb sun = 106.7 |Mar sun = 125.1 |Apr sun = 113.1 |May sun = 106.4 |Jun sun = 100.6 |Jul sun = 110.2 |Aug sun = 129.8 |Sep sun = 131.5 |Oct sun = 127.9 |Nov sun = 121.8 |Dec sun = 120.4 |source 1 = Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales<ref name="IDEAM">{{cite web |url= http://bart.ideam.gov.co/cliciu/mitu/tabla.htm |title= Climate of Mitu-Table of Values |publisher= Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales |language= Spanish |access-date= September 6, 2012 |archive-date= March 11, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160311104402/http://bart.ideam.gov.co/cliciu/mitu/tabla.htm |url-status= dead }}</ref> |date=September 2012 }}
==References and notes==
{{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20070719164429/http://www.mitu-vaupes.gov.co/sitio.shtml Mitu official website] *{{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20081121031018/http://siatac.siac.net.co/ Territorial-Environmental Information System of Colombian Amazon SIAT-AC website]
{{Municipalities vaupes department}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitu}} Category:Municipalities of Vaupés Department Category:Capitals of Colombian departments Category:Road-inaccessible communities of Colombia