Bogotá
Bogota ( Spanish: Bogotá) officially named Bogotá D.C. (D.C. for "Distrito Capital", which means "District Capital"), is the capital of Colombia, as well as the largest and most populous city in the country with a population of roughly 8.35 million in the metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the department of Cundinamarca.
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| Mayor | Luis Eduardo Garzón | ||||
| Area | 1,587 km² | ||||
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Population - Total ( 2006) - Density |
8,350,000 5,261 people/ km² |
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| Adjective | Bogotano | ||||
Geography
Bogotá is located at an altitude of 2640 m (8660 ft) above sea level on the Cordillera Oriental of the Northern Andean Mountains. The city is situated at the base of two mountains, Guadalupe and Monserrate. On the summits of these mountains, which are over 3200 m (10,500 ft) high, stand two small churches which are widely visited by tourists and locals. The population of Bogotá is currently increasing at a rate close to 5% per year, mostly due to people coming from rural areas of Colombia. The city is constantly expanding in size to meet this influx of people. Currently the urban area covers 384.3 km² and the more mountainous outlying regions extend 1222.5 km².
Several rivers, one of which, the San Francisco, passes through the city, converge near the southwestern edge of the Cundinamarca-Boyacá plateau and form the Funza River (Río Funza), also known as the Bogotá River (Río Bogotá). This river flows all the way to Tequendama Falls (Salto del Tequendama), a vertical waterfall 145 metres (475 feet) high. Currently, most of the river's water is used to power a hydroelectric project.
Bogotá's climate is mild and temperate, the average annual temperature is about 14 ° C (57 ° F), with about 1100 mm (44 inches) of rainfall.
The city is planned on a grid, with numbered carreras (avenues), from south to north, intersecting numbered calles (streets) going east-west. Among the city's squares is the Plaza de Bolívar, where many important government buildings and churches are located. Bogotá is connected by road to the Atlantic coast to the north and to the Pacific coast to the west, as well as to all other major cities in Colombia. The Pan-American Highway and the Simón Bolívar Highway both pass through the city.
The city is served by El Dorado International Airport. The TransMilenio bus rapid transit system is the most modern form of public transit serving the city. It was opened to the public in November 2000.
History
Bogotá, originally called Bacatá by the Muiscas, was the center of their civilization before the Spanish conquest, and sustained a large population. The European settlement was founded in August 6, 1538, by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and was named "Santa Fé de Bacatá" after his birthplace Santa Fé and the local name. "Bacatá" had become the modern "Bogotá" by the time it was made the capital of the vice-royalty of New Granada, and the city soon became one of the centers of Spanish colonial power and civilization in South America.
In 1810- 11 its citizens revolted against Spanish rule and set up a government of their own, but had to contend with Spanish military loyalists, who controlled the city until 1819, when Simón Bolívar captured the city after his victory at Boyacá. Bogotá was then made the capital of Gran Colombia, a federation combining the territories of modern Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. When that republic was dissolved into its constituent parts, Bogotá remained the capital of New Granada, which later became the Republic of Colombia. See History of Colombia.
In 1956, the municipality of Bogotá was joined to other neighboring municipalities forming a "Special District" ( Spanish: Distrito Especial). With the Constitution of 1991, Bogotá was confirmed as the Capital of Colombia acquiring the name "Santa Fe de Bogotá", and changing the category from Special District to "Capital District" ( Spanish: Distrito Capital).
In August 2000 the capital's name was officially changed back from "Santa Fé de Bogotá" to the more usual "Bogotá". The local government consists in a Capital District, the current chief of government is Luis Eduardo Garzón.
Flag
The Flag of Bogotá originates from the insurgency movement against the colonial authorities which began on July 20, 1810. During this insurgency, the rebels wore armbands with yellow and red bands, as these colours were the ones in the Spanish flag which was the one used as the flag for the New Kingdom of Granada.
In October 9, 1952, exactly 142 years after these events, decree 555 of 1952 (available at [1]) officially and definitively adopted the patriotic armband as the flag of Bogotá.
The flag itself is divided vertically in two, the top half being yellow and the bottom half being red. The yellow colour denotes the virtues of justice, clemency, benevolence, the so-called "mundane qualities" (defined as nobility, excellence, richness, generosity, splendour, health, steadfastness, joy and prosperity), long life, eternity, power and constancy. The red colour denotes the virtue of charity, as well as the qualities of bravery, nobility, values, audacity, victory, honour and furor.
Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms of the city of Bogotá was ceded by emperor Charles V (Charles I of Spain) to the New Kingdom of Granada, in the Royal Decree given in Valladolid, Spain on December 3, 1548. It contains a black eagle in the center, which symbolises steadfastness. The eagle is also a symbol of the Habsburgs which was the ruling family of the Austrian empire which included Spain at the time. The eagle is crowned with gold and holds a red pomegranate inside a golden background. The border contains olive branches with nine golden pomegranates in a blue background. The two red pomegranates symbolize audacity, and the nine golden ones represent the nine states which constituted the New Kingdom of Granada at the time. In 1932 the coat of arms was officially recognized and adopted as the Symbol of Bogotá.
Anthem
Main article: Anthem of Bogotá The lyrics to the anthem of Bogotá were written by Pedro Medina Avendaño, the melody was composed by Roberto Pineda Duque. The song was officially declared the anthem of Bogotá by decree 1000 of July 31, 1974, by then Mayor of Bogotá, Aníbal Fernandez de Soto.
Economy
Bogotá is Colombia's largest economic center, followed by Cali, Medellín, and Bucaramanga—residents refer to it as Colombia's "first city". Most companies in Colombia have their headquarters in Bogotá, as it is home to most foreign companies doing business in Colombia as well as Colombia's main stock market. After mining, the three largest sectors of Colombia and Bogotá's economy are the export of coffee, emeralds, and flowers.
One of the largest drivers of the Colombian economy, Colombian coffee is prized for being some of the world's finest. Colombia is the world's largest producer of smooth coffee and the second overall coffee exporter. Although it is not grown in Bogotá, the offices of most coffee producing and exporting firms reside in Bogotá.
The emerald trade is a huge business in Bogotá. In downtown Bogotá, millions of dollars in domestically produced rough and cut emeralds are bought and sold daily.
Colombia is also one of the world's largest flower exporters. As a matter of fact, as much as 55% of all flowers sold in the United States are imported from Colombia.
Transportation
Bogotá is a modern city with a modern transportation system. It includes airlines, buses, taxis, the Transmilenio, and even a train that serves as transportation for the outskirts of the city.
Buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are two bus systems: traditional system and "Transmilenio". The traditional system runs a variety of bus types, operated by several enterprises , and operating on normal streets and avenues:
- bus, large buses.
- buseta, smaller buses.
- microbus or colectivo, vans.
The buses are divided in two categories: "ejecutivo", which is supposed to be a deluxe service and is not supposed to carry passengers outside their seats, and "corriente" or normal service. Bus fares range from COP 1000 to 1200 (as of May 2005).
In addition, Bogotá has different types of taxis. Yellow taxis (cars) are much more common. People often use them in order to go faster despite their higher fees. Bogotá also has white taxis, used mostly for hotels and El Dorado airport services.
Bogota's principal airport is El Dorado International Airport, it operates different national airlines ( Avianca, Aerorepública, West Caribbean, Intercontinental and Satena), and international airlines (such as Iberia, American Airlines, Varig, Copa, Continental, Delta, Air Canada, Taca)
Many people take the tourist train with their family for fun, especially on Sundays. On weekends, the train runs from Bogotá to Zipaquirá and Nemocón, towns near to Bogotá.
Transmilenio
Transmilenio is a system of modern articulated buses that operate on exclusive roads and smaller buses (feeders) that operate in residential areas bus stops bringing passengers to the main system. Transmilenio's main routes are: Caracas Avenue, 80th Street, Avenue of the Americas, Northern Highway (Autopista Norte), Jimenez Avenue and the 30th Avenue (also refered to as Norte Quito Sur or N.Q.S. for short). The routes of Suba Avenue and the southern leg of 30th Avenue route are expected to be complete in 2006. The third phase of the system will cover the 7th Avenue, the 10th Avenue and the 26th Street (or Avenida El Dorado). The system is expected to cover the entire city by 2016.
Bike Paths Network
Bogotá's Bike Paths, also called ciclorrutas, are one of the most extensive dedicated Bike Path Networks of any city in the world with a total extension of 303 km. It extends from the north of the the city, 170th Street, to the south, 27th Street, and from Monserrate on the east, to the Bogotá River on the west. The CicloRuta was started by the Antanas Mockus administration (1995-1998) and then extensively complemented during the administration of Mayor Enrique Peñalosa.
Goods and Services
Bogotá is the hub of Colombian business. It has a busy banking and insurance sector and a Stock Exchange. Engineering firms provide services for many regions of Colombia and Central America. Bogota houses central governmental institutions and military headquarters. It carries the weight of telecommunications and has the biggest industrial facilities in the country.
Some services are public and others are private. The public services are, for example, energy, sewer and phones. Energy and sewer bills are stratified based on the location of owner's residence. Thus, the wealthier sections of society help subsidize the energy bills of the poorer sections of society. Telephone service is provided by both "Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá" (ETB), a city-owned company, "Capitel", owned by Colombia Telecomunicaciones and "EPMBogotá", owned by the Medellín public services' company (Empresas Públicas de Medellín - EPM) . Coin or card-operated payphones are also available, along with cell phone providers. There are (as of May 2005) three main operators of wireless phones: Movistar (owned by Spanish firm Telefónica), Comcel (owned by Telmex) and Ola (co-owned by ETB and EPM).
Sports
Bogotá's best known and most popular football ( soccer ) clubs are the Millonarios and Independiente Santa Fe. Excluding football ( soccer ), however, Bogota (like the rest of Colombia) lacks internationally renowned professional teams for other sports. However, sports like volleyball, basketball and skateboarding are common in Bogota's parks and streets.
Number one in roller speed skating Colombia proved the dominating nation in roller speed skating at the 2005 World Games in Duisburg with three gold, four silver and four bronze medals. The Colombians won the nations’ ranking followed by France (3-2-0) and New Zealand (2-3-0). In the final 10,000m events, Colombian Silvia Nino won the title in 17min50.84sec with her compatriot Cecilia Margaria Baena Guzman (17min51.01sec) in second and Korean 5,000m champion Hye Mi Kim (17min51.11sec) in third place.
Formula 1 Montoya began racing at the age of 5, inspired by his father who was also a racing driver. Juan-Pablo claimed his first national karting championship aged just six, and went on to win numerous Colombian championships over the next decade. At 17, he moved to compete in the US as well as racing in the Formula Renault series in Europe, where he took pole for his first race and won half of the races in his debut season. 1996 saw Juan Pablo racing in British F3, where he began to really make a name for himself. He claimed one pole, five fastest laps and three wins during the season, and began to look towards F3000 for the following year. He managed to not only get a drive, but became runner-up at the end of his first year in the series. He went one better in 1998, winning the F3000 championship as well as getting his first taste of F1 as test driver for Williams.
Montoya made the switch to CART with Frank Williams' blessing in 1999 after losing out on an F1 race seat with the team, who signed up Alex Zanardi instead. Driving for Chip Gannasi Racing, Montoya's debut season put him in the history books. After winning only his third race, the Colombian went on to claim six more, winning not only the Championship but also the Rookie of the Year award. He remained in the US-based series the following season before switching to Formula One in 2001 to race for Williams. Great fanfare and even greater expectations accompanied his entrance into the pinnacle of motorsport. And it didn't take long before the Colombian proved that the hype was justified. Only three races into his F1 career, he pulled off an overtaking manoeuvre on Michael Schumacher that put him in charge of the Brazilian GP - and he did it with two wheels on the grass.
Athens Olympic Games The winner of the Bronze Medal in the Women's 53kg was Mabel Mosquera from Colombia The winner of the Bronze Medal was Maria Luisa Calle Williams from Colombia
Parks
Bogotá has one of the largest urban parks of the world, the Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park, center of a recreational area that includes the Botanical Gardens of Bogotá, the headquarters of Coldeportes (the national sports authority), and the recently finished Virgilio Barco Library.
There are many parks in Bogotá and most of them have facilities for concerts, plays, movies, storytellers and other activities. "El Tunal" park, for instance, is a big park which is regularly used to stage free concerts (such as the annual Rock al Parque, a free festival in which new and popular latin rock bands play for free). The park is also frequented in the month of August and used for kite flying, a national tradition.
Another public park is The National Park, which is one of the biggest in Bogotá. The park has many trees and green spaces, as well as ponds, games for children, many foot and bicycle paths, and venues for entertainment such as public screenings of movies and concerts and events organized by the Council of Bogotá. It is located between two main streets, the Circunvalar Avenue and the 7th Avenue.
The Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico) is a private park. It has greenhouses where plants from all Colombian climates are exhibited. The park has a waterfall and labs for studying plants and flowers. It also has public services such as a library and a tourist information desk.
There are many other parks around the city of Bogotá. Each neighborhood has its own park. Some of these parks are private and others are public. Some private parks demand that people from the neighborhood have a card to be able to get into the park. Public parks are for everybody. Some of them have watchmen. These parks also have sporting venues, which provide sports programs for children and adults, such as volleyball, basketball, taekwondo, football, and other sports.
The most active park (in both leisure activity, promotion of high-end products and nightlife) is the "Parque de la 93" located between the 93rd and 93Ath street, between Carreras 12th and 13th. Several of the top restaurants and bars in the city are located in this park or in the "Zona T" (T-zone) in the 82nd street. Recently, restaurant activity has begun in the "Zona G" (69th and 70th Streets, in the Los Rosales zone) and La Macarena.
Bogotá has not only natural parks but also amusement parks like Mundo Aventura and Salitre Mágico Park. There is a special rate to get into these parks and people have to buy tickets to be able to play mechanical games. Mundo Aventura park has mechanical games such as sky-coaster, roller coaster, hammer, and other adult amusements. For children there are some mechanical games like little roller coaster, carousel, turtles, and so on. In this park, people can find both amusements and nature, with animals such as goats for children to feed. Besides, there is a "Cerdodromo", which is a place where pigs make races.
The other amusement park is "Salitre Mágico", which is one of the entertainment centers for children and adults. The are many mechanical games like pirate ship, apocalypse, 3 roller coasters and other games. The park is next to the Simón Bolívar park, which is a well known place in Bogotá (used also for concerts through the year).
For relaxing and finding peace from the stress of city life, the Parque del Chicó, with trees, gardens, artificial creeks and ponds, and a colonial style house converted into a museum, is worth a visit.
Near the city, to the north, the Jaime Duque park offers a cultural encounter for visiting families. It has rides, a giant Colombia map, exhibitions and a zoo. A big hand holding the world symbolizes God, and an actual-size reproduction of the Taj Mahal provides a picture collection with reproductions of famous paintings. However, its attendance has declined, and the park now is more famous for its raves and parties with renowned DJ's.
Trivia
- The highest building in the city is the Colpatria Tower
- The motto of the city is "2600 metres closer to the stars" (in reference its altitude above sea level).
- A crater on the moon is named after famous bogotanian astronomer Julio Garavito.
- The city has institutionalized a day without cars on the streets, called "El Día sin Carro" (The Day without Car). It takes place every first Thursday of February.