"Armenia" Armenia by morgr

Armenia is both the capital and largest city of Colombias second smallest department, Quindio. It is located inthe southern parts of the Zona Cafetera, Colombias coffee growing region.

While the city itself is somewhat short on attractions, there is enough in the surrounding areas to keep one busy for a few days. These include the Parque Nacional Del Cafe, the Botanical Gardens & Mariposaria, Salento & Cocora Valley, as well as several other parks and nature reserves in the area.

A bridge in the botanical gardens.

Although all of this area of the country has high seismic activity, (it is said that an earthquake of 6-7 magnitude on the Richter Scale will hit the area every 20 years) I think that Armenia is the city that reflects this the most. There are no historic buildings in the city, due to the city constantely being destroyed by earthquakes. There have been two earthquakes as recent as 1995 and 1999. The 1999 earthquake, which messured 6.2 on the Richter Scale, destroyed one third of the city centre, left several thousand dead and upwards of 200,000 homeless.

While everything (in the centre anyways) has been rebuilt and no crumbled buildings remain, the reconstruction has been of a largely modern and rather bland and monotnous style.