Bogotá savanna

Bogotá savanna
Plateau
The Bogotá savanna near the city of Bogotá
Country  Colombia
State Cundinamarca
Part of Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Cities Bogotá, Soacha, Chía, Facatativá, Zipaquirá
River Bogotá
Coordinates 4°45′0″N 74°10′30″W / 4.75000°N 74.17500°W / 4.75000; -74.17500Coordinates: 4°45′0″N 74°10′30″W / 4.75000°N 74.17500°W / 4.75000; -74.17500
Capital Bogotá
 - elevation 2,640 m (8,661 ft)
Area 4,500 km2 (1,737 sq mi)
Population 9,348,588 (2015-16)
Density 2,077/km2 (5,379/sq mi)
Geology Cenozoic-Holocene
Orogeny Eastern Ranges, Andes
Timezone Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)
Topography and outline of the Bogotá savanna

The Bogotá savanna is a high plateau located in the center of Colombia in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. It is the southern part of a larger plateau called Altiplano Cundiboyacense that rises to an average altitude of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) above sea level.

This plateau is crossed from north to south by the Bogotá River, which at the southwestern edge of the plateau forms the Tequendama Falls (Salto del Tequendama). Other rivers, tributaries of the Bogotá river, form smaller valleys with very fertile soils dedicated to agriculture and cattle-breeding.

Etymology

The Bogotá savanna is named after Bogotá, which is derived from Muysccubun Bacatá, which means "(Enclosure) outside of the farm fields".[1]

Climate

The average temperature of the plateau is 14 °C, but this can fluctuate between 0 °C and 24 °C. The dry and rainy seasons alternate frequently during the year. The dry months are December, January, February and March. During the rainy months the temperature tends to be more stable with variations between 9 °C and 20 °C. June, July and August are the months that present the largest variations of temperature, and during the morning frost is regular, which has a negative impact on agriculture. Hail or ice storms are also common.[2][3]

Hydrology

The Bogotá River separating Cota, Cundinamarca (top) from Bogotá
The Bogotá River is the main river of the Bogotá savanna

There is a system of swamps (humedales) that regulate the soil moisture acting like sponges for the rain waters. The most important wetlands are: La Conejera, El Burro, Jaboque, Santa María del Lago, Tibabuyes, Córdoba and Guaymaral.[4]

Rivers

Lakes

Natural

Artificial

Waterfalls

History

The earliest confirmed inhabitation of present-day Colombia was on the Bogotá savanna with sites El Abra, Tequendama and Tibitó, where semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers lived in caves and rock shelters. One of the first evidences of settlement in open area space was Aguazuque, whose oldest dated remains are analysed to be 5000 years old. This prehistorical preceramic period was followed by the Herrera Period, commonly defined from 800 BCE to 800 AD.

At the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors the region was inhabited by the Muisca who lived in hundreds of villages scattered across the plateau. These villages were individually ruled by caciques who at the same time paid tribute to the zipa, ruler of Bacatá. After the defeat of the Muisca rulers, Bogotá was founded and the Spanish colonizers engaged in the construction of Spanish-style towns to replace all the indigenous villages and in the process of assimilation and religious convert of the Muisca. The majority of those villages kept their indigenous names, but some were slightly modified in time, like Suacha which became Soacha, Hyntiba becoming Fontibón and Bacatá becoming Bogotá.

Timeline of inhabitation

Timeline of inhabitation of the Bogotá savanna, Colombia
Tequendama Aguazuque Piedras del Tunjo Archaeological Park BD Bacatá Lake Herrera Tibitó El Abra History of Colombia Spanish Empire Spanish conquest of the Muisca Muisca people Herrera Period Bochica Muisca mummification Andean preceramic Muisca agriculture Hunter-gatherer

Altiplano


Muisca Confederation

Cities

The capital of Colombia, Bogotá, here seen at night from Monserrate, is the main city on the Bogotá savanna. The flatland is clearly visible
All but the southernmost locality Sumapaz of Bogotá is located on the Bogotá savanna
Topography of Cundinamarca
Subdivision of Cundinamarca in provinces
The northwestern part of Guavio Province locates on the Bogotá savanna
The Bogotá savanna stretches to the western tip of Almeidas Province
Indigenous Muisca fishermen in Funza
Litho by Ramón Torres Méndez
Pottery producing Muisca in Tocancipá
Litho by Ramón Torres Méndez
Hills of Sesquilé
The climber's paradise Rocas de Suesca form the northern boundary of the Bogotá savanna

The main cities of the Bogotá savanna, in addition to the capital city of Bogotá, are: Mosquera, Soacha, Madrid, Funza, Facatativá, Subachoque, El Rosal, Tabio, Tenjo, Cota, Chía, Cajicá, Zipaquirá, Nemocón, Sopó, Tocancipá, Gachancipá, Sesquilé, Suesca, Chocontá and Guatavita.[6]

List of municipalities

Municipality
Locality
Altitude
urban centre (m)
Surface area
(km2)
Inhabitants[note 1] Remarks Map
Bogotá 1587 7,980,00116 Named after Bacatá[note 2]
Capital of Colombia
Biggest city at altitudes
above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft)
Usaquén 2650 65.31 449,62116
Chapinero 2640 38.15 122,50707
Santa Fe 2640 45.17 96,24107
San Cristóbal 2640 49.09 404,35007
Usme 2700 119.04 314,43107
Tunjuelito 2600 9.91 182,53207
Bosa 2600 23.93 637,28315
Kennedy 2700 38.59 979,91407
Fontibón 2600 33.28 317,17907
Engativá 2600 35.88 824,33707
Suba 2700 100.56 1,161,50016
Barrios Unidos 2600 11.9 230,06607
Teusaquillo 2600 14.19 139,29807
Los Mártires 2600 6.51 94,94407
Antonio Nariño 2600 4.88 119,56507
Puente Aranda 2600 17.31 250,71507
La Candelaria 2640 2.06 22,11507
Rafael Uribe Uribe 2600 13.83 378.78007
Ciudad Bolívar 2700 130 593,93707
Soacha 2565 184.45 522,44216 Preceramic site Tequendama
Herrera site
Muisca ceramics production
Petrographs found
Sibaté 2700 125.6 38,41215 Petrographs found
El Muña Reservoir
Mosquera 2516 107 82,75015 Lake Herrera
Petrographs found
Bojacá 2598 109 11,25415 Lake Herrera
Petrographs found
Chía 2564 80 129,65216 Moon Temple
Herrera site
Petrographs found
Cota 2566 55 24,91615 Petrographs found
Muisca community
Cajicá 2558 50.4 56,87515 Located in the funnel of the northern savanna
Facatativá 2586 158 134,52215 Piedras del Tunjo
Funza 2548 70 75,35015 Muisca market town
Madrid 2554 120.5 77,62715 Lake Herrera
Petrographs found
El Rosal 2685 86.48 17,25415
Zipacón 2550 70 557015 Agriculture
Place of meditation for the zipa
Petrographs found
Subachoque 2663 211.53 16,11715 Petrographs found
Tabio 2569 74.5 27,03315 Hot springs used by the Muisca
Tenjo 2587 108 18,38715 Petrographs found
Zipaquirá 2650 197 124,37615 El Abra
Muisca salt mines
Important market town
Petrographs and petroglyphs found
Nemocón 2585 98.1 13,48815 Muisca salt mines
Preceramic site Checua
Petrographs found
Cogua 2600 113 22,36115 Muisca ceramics production
Petrographs found
Neusa Reservoir
Tocancipá 2605 73.51 31,97515 Preceramic site Tibitó
Muisca ceramics production
Important market town
Petrographs found
Gachancipá 2568 44 14,44215 Muisca mummy found
Muisca ceramics production
Guasca 2710 346 14,75915 Siecha Lakes
Muisca ceramics production
Petrographs found
Guatavita 2680 247.3 689815 Muisca ceramics production
Main goldworking town
Petrographs found
Tominé Reservoir
Sopó 2650 111.5 26,76915 Herrera site
Sesquilé 2595 141 13,93615 Lake Guatavita
Minor Muisca salt mines
Suesca 2584 177 17,31815 150 Muisca mummies found
Lake Suesca
Muisca ceramics production
Important market town
Petrographs found

Panoramas

Panorama of the Tena Valley to the southwest of the Bogotá savanna, near San Antonio del Tequendama
Bogotá on the savanna
Zipaquirá
School in Cota
The northwestern part of the ancient Lake Humboldt is artificially represented in the Neusa Reservoir
Tominé Reservoir
Cerros de Suba
La Conejera wetland

See also

Andes
Andean region
Eastern Ranges
Altiplano Cundiboyacense
neighbouring Tenza Valley, Ocetá, Sumapaz Páramo
Bogotá Savannah Railway
Train for the vicinities of the city of Bogotá
Thomas van der Hammen

Notes

  1. 07; 2007, 15; 2015, 16; 2016
  2. Bacatá refers to the southern part of the Bogotá savanna, ruled by the zipa based in Funza, but with various frequently visited other settlements, visibles in the names Nemocón (Nemequene), Zipacón, Zipaquirá, Tocancipá, Gachancipá

References

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