Cúcuta

Capital of Norte de Santander department, northeast Colombia, 16 km/10 mi from the Venezuelan frontier; population (2005) 556,400. It is the gateway to Venezuela, with which it is linked by road, rail, and air, and handles most of the trade between the two countries. Coffee and tobacco are grown in the region, and cattle are raised; exports include coffee and hides. The River Pamplonita flows through the city. There is a cathedral, and a university (founded 1962).

Cúcuta was founded in 1734. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1875 and rebuilt in its former style. It was a focal point of the independence movement, and was captured by Bolívar in 1813. At nearby El Rosario de Cúcuta the meeting of the first Constituent Congress took place in 1821.