Bogotá savanna (Sabana de Bogotá) | |
Montane savanna | |
The Bogotá savanna near the city of Bogotá
|
|
Country | Colombia |
---|---|
State | Cundinamarca |
Region | Andean region |
Part of | Altiplano Cundiboyacense |
Borders on | East: Eastern Hills South: Sumapaz mountains North: Hills of Tausa and Suesca West: Western hills |
Cities | Bogotá, Soacha, Chía, Facatativá, Zipaquirá |
River | Bogotá Teusacá Torca Juan Amarillo Fucha Tunjuelo |
Elevation | 2,550 m (8,366 ft) |
Coordinates | 4°45′0″N 74°10′30″W / 4.75000°N 74.17500°WCoordinates: 4°45′0″N 74°10′30″W / 4.75000°N 74.17500°W |
Capital | Bogotá |
Area | 4,251.6 km2 (1,642 sq mi) |
Population | 9,348,588 (2015-16) |
Density | 2,199/km2 (5,695/sq mi) |
Geology | Mesozoic-Holocene |
Orogeny | Andean |
Discovered by | Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada |
- date | March 1537 |
Timezone | Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5) |
Topography and outline of the Bogotá savanna
|
|
The Bogotá savanna is a montane savanna, located in the southwestern part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the center of Colombia. The Bogotá savanna has an extent of 4,251.6 square kilometres (1,641.6 sq mi) and an average altitude of 2,550 metres (8,370 ft). The savanna is situated in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes.
The Bogotá savanna is crossed from northeast to southwest by the 375 kilometres (233 mi) long Bogotá River, which at the southwestern edge of the plateau forms the Tequendama Falls (Salto del Tequendama). Other rivers, such as the Subachoque, Bojacá, Fucha, Soacha and Tunjuelo Rivers, tributaries of the Bogotá River, form smaller valleys with very fertile soils dedicated to agriculture and cattle-breeding.
Before the Spanish conquest of the Bogotá savanna, the area was inhabited by the indigenous Muisca, who formed a loose confederation of various caciques, named the Muisca Confederation. The Bogotá savanna, known as Bacatá, was ruled by the zipa. The people specialised in agriculture, the mining of emeralds, trade and especially the extraction of rock salt from rocks in Zipaquirá, Nemocón, Tausa and other areas on the Bogotá savanna. The salt extraction, a task exclusively of the Muisca women, gave the Muisca the name "The Salt People".