History
Bogota was originally called "Bacata" (which means planted fields) by the Muiscas. It was the center of their civilization before the Spanish explorers colonized the area, and it sustained a large population. The European settlement was founded in August 6, 1538 by Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada and was named "Santa Fe de Bacata" after his birthplace Santa Fe and the local name. "Bacata" had become the modern "Bogota" by the time it was made the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada, which was then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, a
nd later of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. 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 internal divisions and the temporary return to power of Spanish military loyalists who retook the city in 1816. In 1819 Simon Bolivar recaptured it after his victory at Boyaca. Bogota was then made the capital of Gran Colombia, a federation combining the territories of modern Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. When Gran Colombia was broken up, Bogota remained the capital of New Granada, which later became the Republic of Colombia. See History of Colombia.
In 1956 the municipality was joined to other neighboring municipalities forming a "Special District" .
The Constitution of 1991 confirmed Bogot
a as the Capital of Colombia, gave it the name "Santa Fe de Bogota", and changed the category from Special District to "Capital District" ('''').In August 2000 the name was officially changed back to simply "Bogota". The local government consists of a Capital District. Samuel Moreno Rojas was elected Mayor of Bogota for the period 2008-2011.
Flag
The flag originates from the insurgency movement against the colonial authorities which began on July 20, 1810, during which the rebels wore armbands with yellow and red bands, as these colours were those of the Spanish flag used as the flag for the New Kingdom of Granada.
In October 9, 1952, exactly 142 years after these events, decree 555 of 1952 officially adopted the patriotic armband as the flag of Bogota. The flag of Cundinamarca follows the same pattern, plus a light blue tile which represents the Virgin Mary's cape.
The flag itself is a yellow band above a red one. The yellow denotes the gold from the earth, as well as the virtues of justice, clemency, benevolence, the so-called "mundane qualities" , long life, eternity, power and constancy. The red denotes the virtue of charity, as well as the qualities of bravery, nobility, values, audacity, victory, honour and furor, Colombians call it the blood of their people.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of the city was granted by emperor Charles V (Charles I of Spain) to the New Kingdom of Granada, by 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 Spanish empire 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 Bogota.
Anthem
The words to the anthem of Bogota were written by Pedro Medina Avendano to music by Roberto Pineda Duque. The song was officially declared the anthem by decree 1000 of July 31, 1974, by then Mayor of Bogota, Anibal Fernandez de Soto.
Population and area
Divisions
Location
Bogota is located in the centre of the country, on the east of the Savannah of Bogota (Sabana de Bogota), 2640 meters (8661 feet) above sea level. Although "sabana", as it is popularly called, is literally "savannah", the geographical site is actually a high plateau in the Andes mountains. The extended region is also known as "Altiplano Cundiboyacense" which literally means "high plateau of Cundinamarca and Boyaca"
The Bogota River crosses the 'sabana' forming Tequendama Falls to the south. Tributary rivers form valleys with flourishing villages, whose economy is based on agriculture, livestock raising and artisanal production.
The 'sabana' is bordered to the east by the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes mountain range. Surrounding hills, which limit city growth, run from south to north, parallel to the Guadalupe and Monserrate mountains. The western city limit is the Bogota River. The Sumapaz paramo (moorland) borders the south and to the north Bogota extends over the mentioned plateau up to the towns of Chia and Sopo.
Climate
The average temperature on the 'sabana' is 14.0C (57F), varying from -8C (18F) to 28C (82F). Dry and rainy seasons alternate throughout the year. The driest months are December, January, February and March; the rainiest are April, May, September, October and November. June and July are usually rainy periods and August is sunny with high winds.
Frost usually occurs in dry season. During this period, the temperature falls below -4C (24F)at night and ascend to 25C (77 F) in the day. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -8C (17F) inside the city and -10C (14F) in the nearby towns of the savanna. The highest temperarure ever recorded was 28C (78F).
Climatic conditions are irregular and quite variable due to the El Nino and La Nina climatic phenomena, which occur in and around the Pacific basin and are responsible for very pronounced climatic changes.
Urban layout and nomenclature
The urban layout dates back to Colonial times, and is a square layout adopted from Spain. The current street layout has calles which run perpendicular to the hills heading east-west with numbering increasing towards the north, and towards the south from calle 1, and carreras which run parallel to the hills in the south-north direction with numbering increasing east and west from carrera 1. New urban sectors incorporate diagonal similar to streets and transversal similar to carreras. Streets are numbered.
It has over one thousand neighborhoods or divisions forming the developed urban network. Neighborhoods of higher economic status are primarily located to the north and north-east. Poorer neighborhoods are located to the south and south-east, many of them squatter areas. The middle classes usually inhabit the central, western and north-western sections of the city.
Demographics
The largest and most populous city in Colombia, Bogota has 7,881,156 inhabitants in its metropolitan area (2005 census).
As with Colombia as a whole, the vast bulk of the city's population consists of mestizos (those of mixed Amerindian and white European descent) and those of white European descent. However, there is a lesser number of residents of African descent than in the country as whole given the city's distance from coastal areas such as Cartagena, where the descendants of African slaves have traditionally resided.
Crime
In the 1990s, Bogota was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world. At one point it had a homicide rate of 80 per 100,000 people. Since then, however, Bogota has gone to great lengths to change its crime rate and its image. The change was the result of a participatory and integrated security policy that was first adopted in 1995. Because of its success, this security policy has continued to be implemented ever since. In 2005, Bogota had a murder rate of 23 persons per 100,000 inhabitants, a 71% drop from what it had 10 years ago. Interestingly, by the way of comparison, the city today has a lower murder rate than Washington, D.C., Caracas, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Panama City, Detroit, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro.
The situation in Bogota seems to be greatly improved in terms of security and public safety from five years ago, and the atmosphere is much more relaxed", said Marshall Louis, a spokesman for the United States Embassy.
Government
Bogota is the capital of the Republic of Colombia, and houses the national legislature, the Supreme Court of Justice, and the center of the executive administration as well as the residence of the President of the Republic. The Principal Mayor and District Council both elected by popular vote are responsible for city administration.
The city divided into 20 localities: Usaquen, Chapinero, Santa Fe, San Cristobal, Usme, Tunjuelito, Bosa, Kennedy, Fontibon, Engativa, Suba, Barrios Unidos, Teusaquillo, Los Martires, Antonio Narino, Puente Aranda, La Candelaria, Rafael Uribe Uribe, Ciudad Bolivar, Sumapaz.
Each of the 20 localities is governed by an administrative board elected by popular vote, made up of no less than seven members, as determined by the District Council. The Principal Mayor designates local mayors from a trio proposed by the respective administrative board.
Economy
Bogota is Colombia's largest economic center, followed by Medellin, Cali, and Barranquilla. Most companies in Colombia have their headquarters in Bogota , and it is home to most foreign companies doing businesses in Colombia and neighbouring countries as well as Colombia's main stock market. Bogota is a major center for import and export of goods for Colombia and the Andean Community in Latin America.
Manufacturing, commerce and trade
Bogota is the center of Colombian business. It has a busy banking, insurance sector, and a Stock exchange. Engineering firms provide services for many regions of Colombia and Central America. Bogota houses the central governmental institutions and military headquarters. It is the centre of the telecommunications network and has the biggest industrial facilities in the country.
Some services are public and others are private. The public services include 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 Bogota" (ETB), a city-owned company, and "Capitel", owned by Colombia Telecomunicaciones and "EPM Bogota", owned in turn by the Medellin public services company (Empresas Publicas de Medellin - EPM) . Coin or card-operated payphones are also available, along with cell phone providers. There are (as of May 2007) three main operators of wireless phones: Movistar (owned by Spanish firm Telefonica), Comcel (owned by Telmex) and Tigo .
Bogota also receives money from exports like beautiful flowers and emeralds. In downtown Bogota, millions of dollars in domestically produced rough and cut emeralds are bought and sold daily. Other important industries include financial services, especially banking. Bogota is headquarters to major commercial banks, and to the Banco de la Republica, Colombia's central bank. Bogota is also a printing and publishing centre. The city is a major convention destination with many major convention centres: Centro Ferial de Convenciones Corferias, Centro de Convenciones y Eventos Cafam, Centro de Convenciones Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, among others. Because of its status as site of the country's capital, it is home to a number of government agencies, which represent another major component of the city's economy.
The city's industrial base include staples of the Colombian economy such as GM Colmotores, Compania Colombiana Automotriz, and Ecopetrol.
Transportation
Bogota has a modern transportation system. It includes an international airport, bus lines, taxis, the TransMilenio rapid transit system, and 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: the traditional system and the trasmilenio. The traditional system runs a variety of bus types, operated by several companies on normal streets and avenues:
bus; large buses.
buseta; medium size buses.
microbus or colectivo; vans or minivans.
The buses are divided into two categories: "ejecutivo", which is supposed to be a deluxe service and is not supposed to carry standing passengers, and "corriente" or normal service. Bus fares range, as of March 2006, from COP 900 to 1250 (US$ .40 aprox.)
Yellow taxis are everywhere in Bogota. They are required to use meters ; check the placard attached to the passenger seat to confirm your fare when done. Add COP2,900 for trips to the airport, 1,400 from 8pm-6am, and 2,000 if you made a phone call to dispatch the taxi. Tips are not customary for Colombian taxi drivers, but a small tip is appreciated for good service. It is advisable to always call for a taxi at night, and for isolated spots. It is best to carry plenty of small bills to make exact change, as Bogota taxi drivers frequently do not carry much change. If you have trouble, memorize the six digit license plate (and preferably the driver's name on the fare placard), so you can report him to the taxi company or to the police.
White taxis are used mostly as shuttles by hotels, or by companies to transport customers and personnel. Hotel taxis are generally regarded as quite safe, so their fares are higher than in regular yellow taxis. They do not use meters, so negotiate the price beforehand.
Airports
Bogota's principal airport is El Dorado International Airport, west of the city's downtown, at the end of Av. el Dorado. Several domestic airlines , and international airlines operate from El Dorado. Note that there is a separate terminal, the Puente Aereo, for Avianca's domestic flights. El Dorado is one of the largest and most expansive airports in Latin America. Due to its central location in Colombia and in Latin America, it is a natural hub for domestic and international airlines.
There are official counters for set taxi fares from El Dorado, to the right as you leave international arrivals, and to the left as you leave domestic arrivals. Buses and colectivos are straight ahead as you leave the airport, about 50m from the terminal building.
El Dorado is heavily congested, as it handles more passengers than its optimal capacity. Work on a major expansion of El Dorado airport started in September 2007. When completed, this will expand capacity from the current 8 million passengers a year to 16 million.
A secondary airport, Catam, serves as a base for Military and Police Aviation, also Guaymaral Airport, for private aviation activities.
Bus terminals
Bogota is a hub for domestic and international bus routes. The Bogota terminal serves routes to most cities and towns in Colombia and is the largest in the country. There is international service to Ecuador and Venezuela.
TransMilenio
TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit network combining modern articulated buses that operate on dedicated bus roads (busways) and smaller buses (feeders) that operate in residential areas, bringing passengers to the main grid. TransMilenio's main routes are: Caracas Avenue, 80th Street, Avenue of the Americas, Northern Highway (Autopista Norte), Jimenez Avenue, and 30th Avenue (also referred to as Norte Quito Sur or N.Q.S. for short). The Suba Avenue routes and the southern leg of the 30th Avenue route were opened in April 2006. The third phase of the system will cover 7th Avenue, 10th Avenue, and 26th Street (or Avenida El Dorado). The system is expected to cover the entire city by 2030.
Although the Transmilenio rapid bus service is considered efficient and carries commuters to numerous corners of the city, it more expensive than any public transport except taxis, and fares increase with petroleum fuel prices. As of December 2007 the price of a ticket was 1400 COP. Transmilenio does not yet cover some main routes, and buses are overcrowded.
TransMilenio has an interactive guide www.surumbo.com to offer the most efficient ways to use the buses, with maps and information on routes, stations and nearby places.
Bike paths network
Bogota's network of bike paths, called ciclorutas, is 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 city, 170th Street, to the south, 27th Street, and from Monserrate on the east to the Bogota River on the west. The cicloruta was started by the 1995–1998 Antanas Mockus administration, and considerably extended during the administration of Mayor Enrique Penalosa. Since the construction of the ciclorutas bicycle use in the city has increased 5-fold: it is estimated that 300,000 - 400,000 bicycle trips are made every day, largely in southern, poorer, areas.
Tourist train
On weekends a sightseeing train, popular with Bogota residents, runs to outlying towns Zipaquira and Nemocon. The route to Zipaquira (famous for its salt cathedral) is 53 km long. Another line goes towards the north for 47 km and ends at Briceno.
Colleges and universities
Bogota has a scholarly tradition that dates back to 1580 when the first university was founded by the religious Order of Santo Domingo. The oldest university of Bogota is Universidad Santo Tomas opened on July 13, 1580. The second oldest is Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, founded on July 9, 1623 by the Jesuits. In December 31, 1651 the still-extant School of Our Lady of Rosary was founded by Fray Cristobal de Torres.
The largest university of Colombia, the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, was created in September 22, 1867. A study by Universia found it to be the Colombian university producing the largest number of scientific papers published in peer-refereed publications in 2005, and the 142nd most prolific in Latin America.
In 1886, the Externado of Colombia University was founded.
Founded in 1948 and now with more than 14,000 students, the private Universidad de los Andes is considered one of the major universities in Colombia.
Bogota has more schools, colleges, and universities than any other city in Colombia.
Parks and recreation
There are many parks, many with facilities for concerts, plays, movies, storytellers and other activities.
"Simon Bolivar Metropolitan Park" is a large park regularly used to stage free concerts . Kites are flown in the park.
The public Parque Nacional (National Park)has many trees and green spaces, 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 Bogota. It is located between two main streets, the Circunvalar Avenue and the 7th Avenue.
The Bogota Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanico de Bogota).
"Parque de la 93" is located between 93rd and 93Ath street, and 12th and 13th avenue, and has day-time leisure activities and nightlife. Several of the top restaurants and bars in the city are in this park.
There are restaurants and bars in the vicinity of a T-shaped pedestrian strip dubbed "La T" (The T) at the corner of 82nd street and Cra.12. More recently, restaurant activity has begun in the "Zona G" (Gourmet Zone) in and around 67th and 70th Streets and other locations including Usaquen in the north-east and La Macarena (center east).
Mundo Aventura is an amusement park, with an entry charge and charges for the different attractions. It has rides for adults and children, a petting zoo, and the "cerdodromo", where pigs race.
"Salitre Magico" is another amusement park with rides and attractions. The park is near the well-known Simon Bolivar park, where concerts are held throughout the year.
Parque del Chico has trees, gardens, artificial creeks and ponds, and a colonial style house converted into a museum.
To the north Parque Jaime Duque has rides, a giant map of Colombia, popular exhibits, a zoo, and a big hand holding the world symbolizing God. There is a reproduction of the Taj Mahal in the park with a collection of reproductions of famous paintings.
Maloka is an interactive museum of sciences.
There are many other parks in Bogota. Each neighborhood has its own park. Some of these parks are private, for local residents only, and others are public. Some parks are watched over by park-keepers. Sporting events are sometimes held in parks.
Links
Bogota's Carnival
Bogota's Bike Paths Network
Bolivar Square
Children's Museum of Bogota
Rock al parque
Feria Internacional del libro
http://www.bogota.gov.co/portel/libreria/php/01.27.html
ViDeOs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=x46fm7m3EiM&feature=related
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