Chingaza Natural National Park
| Chingaza National Natural Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Road in Chingaza National Park
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| Location | Colombia |
| Coordinates | 4°28′N 73°44′W / 4.467°N 73.733°WCoordinates: 4°28′N 73°44′W / 4.467°N 73.733°W |
| Area | 76,600 hectares (189,000 acres) |
| Established | 1977 |
| Governing body | SINAP |
| Official name | Sistema Lacustre de Chingaza |
| Designated | June 25, 2008 |
Chingaza National Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Chingaza) is located in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, northeast of Bogotá, Colombia in the departments of Cundinamarca and Meta. The elevation in the park, to the east of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, ranges from 800 metres (2,600 ft) to 4,020 metres (13,190 ft), and the temperature ranges from 4 to 21.5 °C (39.2 to 70.7 °F). The park extends over the Cundinamarca municipalities La Calera, Fómeque, Guasca and San Juanito (Meta).
The name Chingaza comes from Chibcha and means "middle of the width".
99% of the park area is located in the Orinoco River basin in the upper basins of the Black and White, Guatiquía, Guacavía, Gazaunta, Gazamumo, Humea and Guavio rivers. 1% of its area is in the Magdalena River basin, where the San Lorenzo Creek, La Calera River tributary, and Teusacá, Siecha, Bogotá, and Tominé rivers drain.
Chingaza has about 40 natural glacial lakes. The largest lake is Lake Chingaza, located in the southwestern part of the park at an altitude of 3,250 metres (10,660 ft). One of the most representative and culturally significant bodies of water are the Siecha Lakes, a group of three lakes in the municipality of Guasca. Chuza Reservoir is also located within the Chingaza Park in the basin of a tributary of the River Chuza Guatiquía. This reservoir is the center of the Bogotá Water Company's Chingaza System. Chingaza contributes 80% of the city's high quality drinking water.
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Wikipedia