Cundinamarca Department

Etymology

The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kuntur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechuan and means "condor's nest".

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 was formed by carving up Cundinamarca. Because of this and other border changes, the present department of Cundinamarca is much smaller than the original state.

Demography and ethnography

{| class="wikitable" ! Entity !! Population (2023E)!! Area (km2) !! Area (square miles) !! Density (per km2) !! GDP (billion US$)

Municipalities with over 50,000 inhabitants

Municipal population position

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

The city of Bogotá and the municipalities of Soacha, La Calera, Cota, Chía, Madrid, Funza, Mosquera, Fusagasugá, Facatativá and Zipaquirá form a single metropolitan area.

Important cities

Cundinamarca is made up of 116 municipalities, six of which recorded a population of over 100,000 and could be considered as cities: Soacha, Fusagasugá, Girardot, Facatativá, Zipaquirá and Chia, while Bogotá District is in the category of capital.

• Metropolitan Area of Bogotá: 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 Bogotá: Chía, La Calera and Tocancipá.
• Girardot: In the far southwest and bordering Department of Tolima, is the capital of the Upper Magdalena Province. Its main economic activity is trade, as a result of a major tourist dynamics and its proximity to major agricultural areas of Tolima. It has a college and important trade fairs and events.
• Fusagasugá is located between Bogotá and Girardot, and it is an hour of each city. The capital city of the Province of Sumapaz, it is an important focus of agricultural marketing and regional services, standing out as an educational city with a large university and 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, for which it is known as the garden city of Colombia.
• Zipaquirá: Despite being part of the metropolitan area of Bogotá, it has managed to position itself as one of the most important centers of Colombia's salt mining industry. Its economy is focused on commerce and services.

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 (Bogotá), which simultaneously acts as capital of the Republic, capital of the Department and a separately administered 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

Tourism

• Chingaza National Natural Park
• La Chorrera Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world
• Cucunubá, wool capital of Colombia
• Lake Guatavita
• Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
• Sumapaz Páramo
• Tequendama Falls
• Tominé Reservoir

Sports

The department is home to the basketball team Cóndores de Cundinamarca, which plays its home games in the Coliseo de la Luna in Chía.

References

References

1. "Departamento: Datos generales: Límites". Gobernación del Cundinamarca.
2. Kline, Harvey F.. (2012). "Historical Dictionary of Colombia". Scarecrow Press.
3. "DANE".
4. "Producto Interno Bruto por departamento".
5. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab".
6. OMn573a Consulta el 24 May 2015.
7. Diccionario de la Lengua Española. http://dle.rae.es/?id=OT28kUW Consulta el 24 May 2015.
8. Acosta, Joaquín. (1848). "Extensión y limites del territorio de los Chibchas ó Muíscas". Biblioteca Virtual de la Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango.
9. "Colombia: Departments & Major Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information".
10. "Reloj de Población". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadísitica.
11. (12 May 2011). "Projections 1985-2020". DANE.