Bucaramanga

Bucaramanga (Spanish pronunciation: [bukaɾaˈmaŋɡa]) Also known as the city of Bucaramanga is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and is the ninth most populous city in the country, with a population of 613,400 (2023 projection). Bucaramanga has over 160 parks scattered throughout the city and has been given the nickname "La Ciudad de Los Parques" ("The City of Parks") and "La Ciudad Bonita de Colombia" ("Colombia's Beautiful City"). Bucaramanga has grown rapidly since the 1960s, mostly into neighbouring locations within the metropolitan area. Floridablanca, Girón and Piedecuesta are inextricably linked geographically and commercially with Bucaramanga, and now all form together the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area with a population of 1,304,288, Being one of the largest in Colombia, only surpassed by Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and Cartagena. The city is the base of the Colombian Petroleum Institute (ICP), the research branch of the state oil company Ecopetrol.