GIRARDOT

river port, Cundinamarca department, central Colombia, at the confluence of the upper Magdalena (there bridged) and Bogot rivers, opposite Flandes. The site, once a canoe outpost named Pastor Montero, was donated for the creation of San Miguel parish in 1844. Under a provincial ordinance (1852) this became a district that was named after Atanasio Girardot, hero of the Battle of Brbula (1813). Coffee and hides are the main commodities shipped in riverboats; the city has an airport. Pop. (1973) 60,882.