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°WCoordinates: 4°45′0″N 74°10′30″W / 4.75000°N 74.17500°W
Capital	Bogotá
- elevation	2,640 m (8,661 ft)
Area	4,500 km^2 (1,737 sq mi)
Population	9,348,588 (2015-16)
Density	2,077/km^2 (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

• Bogotá River - 375 kilometres (14,800,000 in)
  • Bojacá River
  • Fucha River
  • Funza River
  • Tunjuelito River

Lakes

Natural

• Lake Guatavita - overlooking the northeastern part of the savanna
• Lake Herrera

Artificial

• Tominé Reservoir - northeast, biggest waterbody on the Bogotá savanna - 690 cubic megametres (2.4×10²² cu ft)
• Neusa Reservoir - north - 102 cubic megametres (3.6×10²¹ cu ft)
• El Muña Reservoir - south - 42 cubic megametres (1.5×10²¹ cu ft)
• Lake Herrera (since 1973)^[5]

Waterfalls

• Tequendama Falls - southwestern limit

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
	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

Soacha Province

Western Savanna Province

The Central Savanna Province

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 (km^2)	Inhabitants[note 1]	Remarks	Map
Bogotá		1587	7,980,001^16	Named after Bacatá[note 2] Capital of Colombia Biggest city at altitudes above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft)
Usaquén	2650	65.31	449,621^16
Chapinero	2640	38.15	122,507^07
Santa Fe	2640	45.17	96,241^07
San Cristóbal	2640	49.09	404,350^07
Usme	2700	119.04	314,431^07
Tunjuelito	2600	9.91	182,532^07
Bosa	2600	23.93	637,283^15
Kennedy	2700	38.59	979,914^07
Fontibón	2600	33.28	317,179^07
Engativá	2600	35.88	824,337^07
Suba	2700	100.56	1,161,500^16
Barrios Unidos	2600	11.9	230,066^07
Teusaquillo	2600	14.19	139,298^07
Los Mártires	2600	6.51	94,944^07
Antonio Nariño	2600	4.88	119,565^07
Puente Aranda	2600	17.31	250,715^07
La Candelaria	2640	2.06	22,115^07
Rafael Uribe Uribe	2600	13.83	378.780^07
Ciudad Bolívar	2700	130	593,937^07
Soacha	2565	184.45	522,442^16	Preceramic site Tequendama Herrera site Muisca ceramics production Petrographs found
Sibaté	2700	125.6	38,412^15	Petrographs found El Muña Reservoir
Mosquera	2516	107	82,750^15	Lake Herrera Petrographs found
Bojacá	2598	109	11,254^15	Lake Herrera Petrographs found
Chía	2564	80	129,652^16	Moon Temple Herrera site Petrographs found
Cota	2566	55	24,916^15	Petrographs found Muisca community
Cajicá	2558	50.4	56,875^15	Located in the funnel of the northern savanna
Facatativá	2586	158	134,522^15	Piedras del Tunjo
Funza	2548	70	75,350^15	Muisca market town
Madrid	2554	120.5	77,627^15	Lake Herrera Petrographs found
El Rosal	2685	86.48	17,254^15
Zipacón	2550	70	5570^15	Agriculture Place of meditation for the zipa Petrographs found
Subachoque	2663	211.53	16,117^15	Petrographs found
Tabio	2569	74.5	27,033^15	Hot springs used by the Muisca
Tenjo	2587	108	18,387^15	Petrographs found
Zipaquirá	2650	197	124,376^15	El Abra Muisca salt mines Important market town Petrographs and petroglyphs found
Nemocón	2585	98.1	13,488^15	Muisca salt mines Preceramic site Checua Petrographs found
Cogua	2600	113	22,361^15	Muisca ceramics production Petrographs found Neusa Reservoir
Tocancipá	2605	73.51	31,975^15	Preceramic site Tibitó Muisca ceramics production Important market town Petrographs found
Gachancipá	2568	44	14,442^15	Muisca mummy found Muisca ceramics production
Guasca	2710	346	14,759^15	Siecha Lakes Muisca ceramics production Petrographs found
Guatavita	2680	247.3	6898^15	Muisca ceramics production Main goldworking town Petrographs found Tominé Reservoir
Sopó	2650	111.5	26,769^15	Herrera site
Sesquilé	2595	141	13,936^15	Lake Guatavita Minor Muisca salt mines
Suesca	2584	177	17,318^15	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

1. (Spanish) Etymology Bacatá - Banco de la República
2. "Climate: Bogotá - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
3. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Bogota, Colombia". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
4. (Spanish) Descripción General de los Humedales de Bogotá
5. (Spanish) Lake Herrera largest water reserve of the Bogotá savanna
6. Cities on the Bogotá savanna Archived November 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.