Bogotá

Bogotá is the capital and largest city of Colombia.

It functions as a unique territorial entity known as the Capital District. This status gives it the same administrative power as the departments of Colombia. The city is the primary hub for politics, economics, and culture in northern South America. It serves as the center for science, medicine, and education. Bogotá is also a major aeronautical center for the entire region.

The city sits on a high plateau called the Bogotá savanna.

This plateau is part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. It is located within the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes mountains. The geography of the area was shaped by a Pleistocene lake called Lake Humboldt. This lake existed until approximately 30,000 years BP. Because of its high altitude, Bogotá has a consistently cool climate. It is actually the third highest capital city in the world.

Long before the Spanish arrived, the Muisca people inhabited this region. They were part of a great civilization in the Americas. The Muisca lived in a loose society called the Muisca Confederation. This group consisted of various chiefs, known as caciques, living in small settlements. These settlements were often called bohíos and held a maximum of 100 people. The Muisca were known as the "Salt People" because they produced salt from brines. This task was performed exclusively by Muisca women.

They also traded gold, cotton, and tropical fruits at markets every four days.

The history of the city changed during the Spanish conquest in the 1530s. A conquistador named Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada led a difficult expedition into the Andes. He arrived in Muisca territory in March 1537. The Muisca leader at the time was a zipa named Tisquesusa. After the conquest, Quesada established a military camp in 1538. He founded the city on 6 August 1538.

He originally named it Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza. The Spanish crown later renamed it Santafé in 1540.

Political shifts continued through the 19th century. After the Battle of Boyacá on 7 August 1819, Bogotá became the capital of Gran Colombia. Simón Bolívar later renamed the city Bogotá. He did this to honor the Muisca people and to signal independence from the Spanish crown. Today, the city is the seat of the Colombian government. It houses the Office of the President and the Congress of Colombia. The judicial branch also operates here through the Supreme Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court.

Bogotá is an immense economic engine for Colombia. The city covers an area of 1,587 square kilometers.

It is the financial and commercial heart of the country. The city has the highest nominal GDP in Colombia. In fact, it is responsible for 24.7% of the nation's total GDP. It is a leading destination for foreign direct investment in Latin America. The city also hosts the most important financial market in the Andean natural region.

The city is a major center for transport and learning. El Dorado International Airport is located here.

It is named after the mythical El Dorado. This airport handles the largest cargo volume in Latin America. It also ranks third in the number of passengers. For culture, Bogotá offers many resources. It has the largest number of universities and research centers in Colombia. There are more than 1,000 libraries, including the National Library.

The city's streets follow a specific pattern.

They use a Cartesian coordinate system to organize the many localities.