Caldas () is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7,291 km². Caldas is also part of the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis region along with the Risaralda and Quindio departments.
Subdivisions
Municipalities
Aguadas
Anserma
Aranzazu
Belalcázar
Chinchiná
Filadelfia
La Dorada
La Merced
Manizales
Manzanares
Marmato
Marquetalia
Marulanda
Neira
Norcasia
Pácora
Palestina
Pensilvania
Riosucio
Risaralda
Salamina
Samaná
San José
Supía
Victoria
Villamaría
Viterbo
Districts
Caldas has 6 districts.
Dams
In Caldas is the Miel I Dam.
Demography
The population of Caldas is 984,128 (2013), half of whom live in Manizales. The racial composition is: White / Mestizo (93.16%) Amerindian or Indigenous (4.29%) Black or Afro-Colombian (2.54%)
The local inhabitants of Caldas are known as caldenses. Of the five main regional groups in Colombia, the predominant group in Caldas are known as paisa, referring to those living in the Paisa region, which covers most of Antioquia, as well as the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío.