| Barbacoas | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality and town |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Colombia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Colombia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Department |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nariño Department |
| Subdivision Type2: | Subregion |
| Subdivision Name2: | Telembí Subregion |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Adams Rincón |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 6 April 1600 |
| Founder: | Francisco de Praga y Zuniga |
| Area Total Km2: | 2324 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 4 |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 38708 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 16588 |
| Coordinates: | 1.6717°N -78.1397°W |
| Timezone: | Colombia Standard Time |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 36 |
Barbacoas is a town and municipality in Nariño Department, Colombia.[1] The urban centre of Barbacoas is located at an altitude of 36m (118feet) and the municipality borders Magüí Payán in the north, Magüí Payán, Cumbitara, Los Andes, La Llanada, Samaniego and Ricaurte in the east, Ricaurte and Ecuador in the south and Tumaco and Roberto Payán in the west.[2]
In the times before the Spanish conquest, Barbacoas was inhabited by the Barbacoa, Telembí and Iscuande tribes. Already in those ages, the town was an important source of gold for the indigenous people.[2]
Modern Barbacoas was founded on April 6, 1600, by Francisco de Praga y Zuniga.[2]
Barbacoas is an important mining town in Nariño, producing gold, silver, platinum and coal.[3] [4] [5] [6] Other economical activity is agriculture, with rice, avocadoes, plantains, sugarcane and fruits as bananas and citrus fruits. Other fruits cultivated are ciruelo, guayaba, papaya, pineapples, guanábana, borojó, guayabilla, lulo, anón, guaba, maracuyá, guayaba brasilera, zapallo, coconut, cacao and other agricultural products as arracacha, camote, ñame, achiote, chillangua, tomatoes, peppers, palmito, chillarán, and oregano.[2]
The town is infamous for its 2011 "crossed legs" strike, where women in the town foreswore sexual activity pending action on the promised paved road to their town.[7] [8] [9] [10]
Barbacoas has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) with very heavy rainfall year-round.
