Cundinamarca Department

For the one from 1820 see Cundinamarca Department (1820).

For the one from 1824 see Cundinamarca Department (1824).

Cundinamarca Department Departamento de Cundinamarca
—  Department  —
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Cundinamarca Corazón de Colombia (Spanish: Cundinamarca, Heart of Colombia)
Anthem: Himno de Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca and Bogotá D.C. are shown in red
Coordinates: 4°36′N 74°5′W / 4.6°N 74.083°W / 4.6; -74.083Coordinates: 4°36′N 74°5′W / 4.6°N 74.083°W / 4.6; -74.083
Country	Colombia
Region	Andean Region
Established	June 15, 1857
Capital	Bogotá
Government
- Governor	Andrés Gonzales (Colombian Liberal Party)
Area
- Total	24,210 km2 (9,347.5 sq mi)
Area rank	17
Population (2005)[1]
- Total	2,228,478
- Rank	4
- Density	92/km2 (238.4/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-CUN
Provinces	15
Municipalities
Website	www.cundinamarca.gov.co

Cundinamarca Department (Departamento de Cundinamarca - Spanish pronunciation: [kundinaˈmarka]) is one of the departments of Colombia. Its area covers 24.210 sq. km and has a population of 2,280,037. It was created on August, 5 of 1886 under the constitutional terms presented on the same year. Cundinamarca is located in the center of Colombia and its capital is Bogotá.

Origin of the name

The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands.

Geography

Most of Cundinamarca is on the Eastern Cordillera (Cordillera Oriental), just south of Boyacá, bordered by the Magdalena River on the west, reaching down into the Orinoco River basin on the east, and bordering on Tolima to the south. The capital district of Bogotá is nearly completely surrounded by Cundinamarca territory, and indeed was formed by carving up Cundinamarca; between this and other divisions, the present department of Cundinamarca is much smaller than the original state.

The capital of Cundinamarca is Bogotá. This is a special case among Colombian departments, since Bogotá is not legally a part of Cundinamarca, yet it is the only department that has its capital designated by the Constitution (meaning that if the capital was to be ever moved, it would take a constitutional reform to do so, instead of a simple ordinance passed by the Cundinamarca Assembly). Also, in censuses, the populations for Bogotá and Cundinamarca are tabulated separately; otherwise, Cundinamarca's population would total 9.5 million.

Chisaca Lake at Sumapaz Paramo

Entity	Population	Area (km²)	Density
Cundinamarca (excluding D.C.)	2,349,578	22,623	104
Bogotá D.C.	7,117,984	1,587	4,485
Cundinamarca plus Bogotá	9,467,562	24,210	391

Demography and Ethnography

Municipalities with over 50.000 inhabitants

Position of Municipal Population

• 1st Bogotá 6.776.009
• 2nd Soacha 398.295
• 3rd Fusagasugá 107.259
• 4th Facatativá 106.067
• 5th Zipaquirá 100.038
• 6th Chía 97.444
• 7th Girardot 95.496
• 8th Mosquera 63.584
• 9th Madrid 61.599
• 10th Funza 60.571

According to the latest census conducted in 2005, 2,280,037 people live in Cundinamarca, excluding 6,776,009 of the capital, Bogotá. The racial makeup is:

• Mestizos and Whites (96.28-33%) - Mestizos are mixed European-Amerindian blood, but whites are about 40% of the population.

The Bogotá Metropolitan area has a history of European (not limited to Spanish) and other Latin American immigration. There are large ethnic communities of Basques, Dutch, French, Germans, Italians, Portuguese and Syrians along with other Arabs (esp. Lebanese and Palestinians). The White Europeans tend to live in middle class and wealthy suburbs of Bogotá.

• Blacks or Afro-Colombians (3.33-37%)
• Indigenous/Amerindians (0.31-34%) - Very low percentage.
• Roma (Gitanos or Gypsies) (0.01%).
• East Asians (0.01%)- often of Chinese descent. About 25,000 Chinese-Colombians live in the department.

The city of Bogotá and the municipalities of Soacha, La Calera, Cota, Chia, Madrid, Funza, Mosquera, and Fusagasugá Facatativá Zipaquirá and form a single metropolitan area, in fact, being the most populous of the department with 8 million inhabitants and average density of 7,400 inhabitants per km ², one of the highest in the world.

Important Cities

Cundinamarca is made up of 126 municipalities, seven of which recorded a population of over 100,000 and could be considered as cities, which are: Bogotá, Soacha, Fusagasugá, Girardot, Facatativá, Zipaquirá and Chia, while Bogota District is in the category of Capital.

Bogotá D. C. : It is the largest city, populated and cosmopolitan of Cundinamarca and Colombia. Its economy is polisectorial, is the cultural, commercial, institutional and administrative Colombia's largest and one of the largest in Latin America. The Capital District is divided into 20 localities and population for 2005 is 6,776,009 inhabitants according to the DANE. The City has a metropolitan area that among others includes the municipalities of Soacha, Facatativá Chia and reaching a population of 7,881,156 people.

Girardot: In the far south-west and bordering Department of Tolima, is the capital of the Province of Alto Magdalena. Its main economic activity is centered in the trade as a result of a major tourist dynamics and its proximity to major agricultural areas of Tolima, it also has a college and important trade fairs and events.

Fusagasugá: Located in the Bogota-Girardot is an hour of each city. Capital of the Province of Sumapaz. It is an important focus of agricultural marketing and regional services, also standing as a city educator and a great university, with an increasing population trend. Its economy is mainly focused on trade and agricultural marketing, with a significant production of ornamental plants and flowers for export, so it is known as the garden city of Colombia.

Zipaquirá: Despite being part of the metropolitan area of Bogotá has managed to position itself as one of the most important centers of Colombia saline. Its economy is focused on mining and tourism.

Bogota Metropolitan Area: Comprises the towns of Soacha, Facatativá, Chia, Madrid, Funza, and Mosquera, among others. Its activities are centered in the industrial sector. Estate activity is important especially in the suburbs closer to Bogota : Chia, La Calera and Tocancipá.

Other major towns are Ubaté due to high livestock and dairy production. Guaduas, is an important cultural center. Chocontá and Fred are agricultural centers.

Provinces

Cundinamarca has 15 provinces and the Capital District of Bogotá (Bogotá D.C.), which simultaneously acts as capital of the Republic, capital of the Department and a District (or Department) in itself.

1. Almeidas
2. Upper Magdalena (Alto Magdalena)
3. Lower Magdalena (Bajo Magdalena)
4. Gualivá
5. Guavio
6. Central Magdalena (Magdalena Centro)
7. Medina
8. Eastern (Oriente)
9. Rionegro
10. Central Savanna (Sabana Centro)
11. Western Savanna (Sabana Occidente)
12. Soacha
13. Sumapaz
14. Tequendama
15. Ubaté

References

1. ^ http://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2005/regiones/cundinamarca/cundinamarca.pdf Population Statistics by DANE

External links

• Cundinamarca travel guide from Wikitravel

See also

• Postage stamps of Cundinamarca