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Bogotá, officially named Bogotá
D.C. (D.C. for "Capital District"),
is the capital of Colombia, as well as the
largest and most populous city in the
country with a population of roughly 7.8
million people (about 8.5 million in the
metropolitan area); since October 29th,
1971, Bogotá has been Miami’s Sister City.
Bogotá is located at an altitude of 2640 m
(8660 ft) above sea level on the Cordillera
Oriental of the Northern Andean Mountains.
The city is situated at the base of two
mountains, Guadalupe and Monserrate. On the
summits of these mountains, which are over
3200 m (10,500 ft) high, stand two small
churches which are widely visited by
tourists and locals. The population of
Bogotá is currently increasing at a rate
close to 5% per year, mostly due to people
coming from rural areas of Colombia. The
city is constantly expanding in size to meet
this influx of people. Currently
The European settlement of Bogotá was
founded in August 6, 1538, by Gonzalo
Jiménez de Quesada and was named "Santa Fé
de Bacatá" after his birthplace Santa Fé and
the local name. "Bacatá" had become the
modern "Bogotá" by the time it was made the
capital of the viceroyalty of New Granada,
and the city soon became one of the centers
of Spanish colonial power and civilization
in South America.
In 1810-11 its citizens revolted against
Spanish rule and set up a government of
their own, but had to contend with Spanish
military loyalists, who controlled the city
until 1819, when Simón Bolívar captured the
city after his victory at Boyacá. Bogotá was
then made the capital of Gran Colombia, a
federation combining the territories of
modern Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and
Ecuador. When that republic was dissolved
into its constituent parts, Bogotá remained
the capital of New Granada, which later
became the Republic of Colombia.
In 1956, the municipality of Bogotá was
joined to other neighboring municipalities
forming a "Special District." With the
Constitution of 1991, Bogotá was confirmed
as the Capital of Colombia acquiring the
name "Santa Fe de Bogotá", and changing the
category from Special District to "Capital
District." In August 2000 the capital's name
was officially changed back from "Santa Fé
de Bogotá" to the more usual "Bogotá".
Bogotá is Colombia's largest economic
center, followed by Medellín, Cali, and
Bucaramanga—residents refer to it as
Colombia's "first city". Most companies in
Colombia have their headquarters in Bogotá,
as it is home to most foreign companies
doing business in Colombia as well as
Colombia's main stock market. After mining,
the three largest sectors of Colombia and
Bogotá's economy are the export of coffee,
emeralds, and flowers.
One of the largest drivers of the Colombian
economy, Colombian coffee is prized for
being some of the world's finest. Colombia
is the world's largest producer of smooth
coffee and the second overall coffee
exporter. Although it is not grown in
Bogotá, the offices of most coffee producing
and exporting firms reside in Bogotá.
The emerald trade is a huge business in
Bogotá. In downtown Bogotá, millions of
dollars in domestically produced rough and
cut emeralds are bought and sold daily.
Colombia is also one of the world's largest
flower exporters. As a matter of fact, as
much as 55% of all flowers sold in the
United States are imported from Colombia.
Colombia is the 3rd largest trading partner
for the South Florida Customs District (6th
for all of Florida), bilateral trade totaled
$3.5 billion in 2004, representing an 8.4%
percent increase from 2003. This figure
accounts for $1.8 billion exports and $1.7
billion in imports. Communication and data
processing machinery are South Florida’s top
exports to Colombia while gold and flowers
are the top imports. |
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© 2005 City of Miami
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