Teusacá River

Teusacá River
Location of the Teusacá River in Colombia
Native name	Río Teusacá
Etymology	Muysccubun: Teusacá
Country	Colombia
Department	Cundinamarca
Municipalities	Bogotá, La Calera, Guasca, Sopó, Cajicá
Localities	Santa Fe
Basin features
Main source	Eastern Hills Alto Los Tunjos 3,560 m (11,680 ft) 4°33′47.3″N 74°01′43.3″W / 4.563139°N 74.028694°W / 4.563139; -74.028694Coordinates: 4°33′47.3″N 74°01′43.3″W / 4.563139°N 74.028694°W / 4.563139; -74.028694
River mouth	Bogotá River Cajicá 2,554 m (8,379 ft) 4°56′39.2″N 74°00′09.2″W / 4.944222°N 74.002556°W / 4.944222; -74.002556
River system	Bogotá River  Magdalena Basin   Caribbean Sea
Basin size	358.17 km2 (138.29 sq mi)
Landmarks	PNN Chingaza
Waterbodies	San Rafael Reservoir
Physical characteristics
Length	69 km (43 mi)
Discharge	Minimum rate: 1.4 m3/s (49 cu ft/s) Average rate: 2.2 m3/s (78 cu ft/s) Maximum rate: 4.0 m3/s (140 cu ft/s)

The Teusacá River is a river in the Eastern Hills of Bogotá and on the Bogotá savanna. It is a left tributary of the Bogotá River, Colombia. The river of 69 kilometres (43 mi) long originates at an altitude of 3,560 metres (11,680 ft) at the Alto Los Tunjos, Santa Fe, and flows northward through the municipalities La Calera, Guasca, Sopó, to flow into the Bogotá River in Cajicá at an altitude of 2,554 metres (8,379 ft). The upper part of the Teusacá River basin has a páramo ecosystem with the páramos of Chingaza, El Verjón and Cruz Verde surrounding the river. The San Rafael Reservoir in La Calera, important water source for the Colombian capital, is sourced by the Teusacá River.

Teusacá is derived from Muysccubun, the indigenous language of the Muisca, who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense before the Spanish conquest. Teusacá was the name of a settlement in the Muisca Confederation, possibly in the Teusacá basin between Guasca and Usaquén.

The 69 kilometres (43 mi) long Teusacá River originates at an altitude of 3,560 metres (11,680 ft) on the Alto Los Tunjos, El Verjón Páramo, in the locality Santa Fe in the Eastern Hills of Bogotá and flows northward to La Calera. In this municipality the San Rafael Reservoir, important water source of Bogotá, is located in the Teusacá River basin. The Teusacá River continues northward through Guasca and flows to the northwest in Sopó and . North of the urban centre of Cajicá, the Teusacá River flows into the Bogotá River at an altitude of 2,552 metres (8,373 ft). Tiny parts of Chía and Ubaque are part of the Teusacá River basin that has a total area of 358.17 square kilometres (138.29 sq mi). The precipitation in the basin varies from 500 to 1,600 millimetres (20 to 63 in) per year.