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Colombia
General Ham Radio
In the beginning Other Creating Better Organizations Teamwork
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About Bogota
Bogotá, Distrito Capital, formerly called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with an estimated 7,304,384 inhabitants (2009 census). Bogotá and its metropolitan area, which includes municipalities such as Chía, Cota, Soacha, Cajicá and La Calera, had an estimated population of 8,566,926. In terms of land area, Bogotá is the largest city in Colombia, and its altitude - 2,640 meters - makes it the third-highest capital city in the world, after La Paz and Quito. With its many universities and libraries, Bogotá has become known as "The Athens of South America".
Bogotá was originally called "Bacatá" - which
means "planted fields" - by the Muiscas. It was
the center of their civilization before Spanish explorers colonized the
area, and it sustained a large population. The European settlement was
founded on 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 New
Kingdom of Granada, which was then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and
later of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. 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 internal divisions and the temporary return to power of Spanish military loyalists who regained control of the city in 1816. In 1819 Simón Bolívar liberated Bogotá 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 Gran Colombia was broken up, Bogotá remained the capital of New Granada, which later became the Republic of Colombia.
In 1956 the municipality annexed neighboring municipalities forming a "Special District" (Distrito Especial). The Constitution of 1991 confirmed Bogotá as the Capital of Colombia, gave it the name - Santafé de Bogotá - and changed the category from Special District to "Capital District" (Distrito Capital). Finally, in August 2000 the official name was changed back to simply - Bogotá.
Location
Bogotá is located on the west side of the Savannah of Bogotá (Sabana de Bogotá),
2640 meters (8660’) above sea level. Although it
is located in what is popularly called the "sabana", literally meaning
"savannah", the geographical site is actually a
high plateau in the Andes mountains. The extended
region is also known as "Altiplano Cundiboyacense" which means
"high plateau of Cundinamarca and Boyacá".
The Bogotá River crosses the "sabana", forming Tequendama Falls (Salto de
Tequendama) to the south. Tributary rivers have formed valleys with flourishing
villages, whose economy is based on agriculture, livestock raising and
artisanal production.
The "sabana" is bordered to the east by the
Eastern Cordillera of the Andes
mountain range. Surrounding hills, which limit city growth, run from south
to north, parallel to the Guadalupe and Monserrate mountains. The western
city limit is the Bogotá River. The Sumapaz Paramo (moorland) borders the
south, and to the north Bogotá extends over the plateau up to the towns of
Chia and Sopó.
Bogota has a subtropical highland
climate. The average temperature on the "sabana" is 14.0°
C (57°F), varying from 3 to 25° C (37 to
77° F). Dry and rainy seasons alternate throughout
the year. The driest months are December, January, February and March. The
warmest month is March, with a maximum of 19.7°
C (67.5° F). The coolest nights occur in
January, with an average of 5.4° C (41.7°
F) in the city; temperatures can fall below freezing in the nearby
towns causing frost and fog in early morning, with the lowest recorded
temperature within the city being -7.2° C (19.0°
F) in February 2007.
The highest officially recorded temperature is 24.9°
C (77° F), reached in January 1992 and March 1995.
Climatic conditions are irregular and variable due to the El Niño and La
Niña climatic phenomena which occur in and around the Pacific basin and
which cause pronounced climatic change. This makes the city's weather
unpredictable; sunny mornings can turn out into a severe-storm afternoon,
something commonly referred as "Sol de Lluvia" - literally, "Rainy Sun".
Climate data for Bogota 1972-1990)
Urban layout and nomenclature
Bogotá has 20 localities, or districts, forming an extensive network of neighborhoods. Areas of higher economic status tend to be located to the north and north-east, close to the foothills of the Eastern Cordillera. Poorer neighborhoods are located to the south and south-east, many of them squatter areas. The middle classes usually inhabit the central, western and north-western sections of the city.
The urban layout in the center of the city is based on the focal point of a square or plaza, typical of Spanish-founded settlements, but the layout gradually becomes more modern in outlying neighborhoods. The current types of roads are classified as calles (streets), which run perpendicular to the hills, with street numbers increasing towards the north, and also towards the south (with the suffix "Sur") from Calle 1 on. Carreras run parallel to the hills, with numbering increasing as one travels east or west of Carrera 1 (with the suffix "Este" for roads east of Carrera 1). Other types of roads more common in newer parts of the city may be termed "Eje" (Axis), "Diagonal" or "Transversal".
The numbering system for street addresses recently changed, and numbers are assigned according to street rank from main avenues to smaller avenues and local streets.
Demographics
The largest and most populous city in Colombia, Bogotá had 8,566,926 inhabitants in its metropolitan area (2009 census), with a population density of approximately 3912 inhabitants per square kilometer. In 2009 it was estimated that the city houses about 7,362,520 inhabitants in the metropolitan area, while only 15,810 people are located in rural areas of Capital District. 47.5% of the population are male and 52.5% women.
99.5% of households have electricity service, while 98.7% have water and 87.9% have telephone service. However, 32.6% of citizens were in poverty (living on less than US$2 a day) in 2005.
In Bogotá, as in the rest of the country, the acceleration of the urbanization process is not only due to industrialization, but also because of complex political and social reasons such as poverty and violence, which led to migration from rural to urban areas. This has led to an exponential growth in population in urban areas and belts of misery in their surroundings. A dramatic example of this is the number of displaced people in Bogotá. According to the Consultancy for Human Rights (Codhes), in the period 1999-2005 more than 260,000 people migrated to Bogotá as a result of being displaced - about 3.8% of Bogotá's total population.
The majority of this displaced population lives in the Ciudad Bolívar, Kennedy, Usme, and Bosa sections in the south of the city.
The composition of the city's population includes people of mestizo origin (those of mixed Amerindian and white European descent), in addition to white European descent, mostly of Spaniard, Italian, French, German, and other European ancestry. Bogotá has a very large Middle Eastern population, made up mostly of Lebanese and Syrian immigrants. The population of Colombians of African descent in Bogotá is smaller than in cities along the coast, such as Cartagena, where Colombians of African descent have historically resided.
Crime
This success was the result of a participatory and integrated security policy, "Communidad Segura", first adopted in 1995 and which continues to be enforced strongly by government at all levels, but notably by the current mayor of Bogota, Samuel Moreno (photo at right).
The Economy
Bogotá is the main economic and industrial center of Colombia. In 2008 the
city ranked as the fourth most influential financial center in Latin
America. In the period 2003-2006, its commercial activity grew 10.3% annually,
accounting for 25.3% of national GDP. However, the unemployment rate
reached 11.3% with a 31.6 percent rate of under-employment. The city is one
of the largest industrial centers in Latin America. Nationally, the
import of capital goods has been spurred by the government, benefiting the
city of Bogotá in particular. This is due in part to its geographical
location making the city a strategic point in terms of logistics, since
the transportation of goods to other parts of the country from Bogotá is relatively fast.
This also facilitates the supply of raw materials for industry in the city,
by virtue of its proximity to agricultural regions like the eastern plains. Many
multinational companies have established their regional operations here
during the last decades. The distance from sea ports however, reduces
Bogotá's competitive advantage for the export of industrial products. Thus,
the services industry (including telecommunications) has risen sharply in market
share versus heavy industry.
Headquarters of the Colombian stock exchange
Bogotá is a major tourist destination, an industry which has seen huge
growth at the national level in recent years. Another high growth sector of
the economy has been construction, which has made a significant contribution
to Colombia's economic resurgence.
Bogotá's main trading partner continues to be the United States, followed by
the European Union. Bogotá regional exports include agricultural products
(30%), chemicals (10%) and textiles (7%); imports have included
transportation materials (17%), non-electrical machineryl (17%) and
electrical machinery (14%).
In 2008, the World Cities Study Group (GaWC) from the United Kingdom ranked Bogotá as a beta level city, one of their highest rankings. Beta level cities are instrumental in linking their region or state into the world economy.
Tourism and accommadation
Despite the bad reputation Colombia bore in the 1980s and early 1990s,
tourism in Bogotá has increased steadily due to aggressive publicity
campaigns and improvement in both infrastructure and safety. Their goal
quite simply is to make Bogotá a sustainable tourist destination.
Important landmarks and tourist stops in Bogotá include the José Celestino
Mutis botanical garden, La Quinta de Bolivar (Museum of Independance), the national observatory, the
Planetarium, Maloka (Science and Technology theme park), the Colpatria observation point, the observation point
at La Calera, the monument of the American flags, and La Candelaria (the
cities historical district). The city has numerous nature parks and
amusement parks such as Salitre Magico, Mundo Aventura and Camelot.
Shopping malls
There is no shortage of shopping centers in Bogota; among the many favourites are:
Infrastructure
Bogotá
has four specialty TV channels: Canal Capital,
CityTV (carbon copy of CityTV in Toronto), Canal 13 and Tele-amiga,
plus five national channels: Caracol, RCN, Canal Uno (privately run), plus
Señales Institucionales and Señal Colombia (publically run). It also has
multiple satellite television service from DirecTV and Telefonica. Cable TV
distribution is provided mostly by Telmex (formerly TV
Cable and Superview Cablecentro), as well as Venezuelan Super Cable and
satellite dish companies which offer hundreds of international channels and
several exclusive channels for Bogotá.
In the capital, all of the major radio networks in the country are available, in both AM and FM; 70% of FM stations broadcast in stereo.
Newspapers, include El Tiempo, El Espectador, La Voz Proletaria, Portafolio, El Nuevo Siglo, La Republica, El Periodico and El Espacio; Bogotá Positiva is a free weekly.
Telecommunications services are provided by three main carriers: Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá (ETB), Telefónica and Telmex.
Below is the list of services:
- telephone:
ETB, Telmex, and Telecom (owned by Telefónica)
Energy:
Electrical power
is provided by Empresa de Energía de Bogotá through its operating company
Codensa.
Water and sewer: Full water and sewer services are provided by Empresa de Acueducto de Bogotá.
Socio-economical stratums and billing for utilities is stratified, based on the location of owner's residence and income, with the intended purpose that wealthier parts of society subsidize the energy bills of the less wealthy.
Bogota is divided into six socio-economic estratos (stratums):
- Estrato 1 (lowest)
- Estrato 2 (low)
- Estrato 3 (mid-low)
- Estrato 4 (mid-high)
- Estrato 5 (high)
- Estrato 6 (highest)
Transportation
TransMilenio station
The TransMilenio rapid transit system, created during Mayor Enrique Peñalosa's term, is a form of rapid transit bus service which has been deployed to compensate for the lack of a subway or rail system.
Routes for Suba Avenue and Autopista Sur, the southern leg of the 30th Avenue, were opened in April 2006, and the third phase of the system will cover Carrera Septima, Carrera Decima and Calle 26 - Avenida El Dorad. The TransMilenio system is scheduled to cover the entire city by 2030. Although it carries commuters to virtually every corner of the city, it is less expensive than other public transport, however fare increases are subject to increases in petroleum prices. As of July 2009 the price of a ticket was 1500 pesos (about 75 cents US), a single fare allowing unlimited transfers until the passenger leaves the system. Note: passengers can travel on feeder routes free of charge.
Airports
Bogotá's main airport, El Dorado International, is located west of the
city's downtown at the end of Avenue El Dorado. Due to its central location
in Colombia and in Latin America, El Dorado is a hub for domestic as well as
international airlines.
El Dorado is heavily congested, as it handles more passengers than its originally designed capacity. A major expansion of the airport started in September 2007 and when complete, capacity will have been expanded from the current 8 million to 25 million passengers a year.
A secondary air terminal in El Dorado - Catam, serves Military and Police Aviation. This is in addition to Guaymaral Airport, just north of the city, which is primarily for private aviation activity.
Colleges and universities
There are a large number of learning institutions, both public and private (106 registered higher education institutions in 2002). Bogotá has several prominent universities: Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad Nacional, Universidad Distrital de Bogotá, Universidad de la Sabana, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Universidad del Rosario, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Universidad Sergio Arboleda, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, and Universidad Santo Tomas de Aquino.
The campus of Universidad Nacional, located in Teusaquillo, is the largest campus in Colombia and one of the largest in Latin America. The La Candelaria neighbourhood is home to the largest concentration of private universities in Latin America.
In Colombia, primary and secondary school education goes from
pre-kindergarten to grade eleven, that being the high school senior year.
Education in Colombia is not obligatory as in other countries, but the
government has implemented educational assistance nationwide to help low
income families get their children enrolled in school.
Culture
Bogota has many cultural venues including 58 museums, 62 art galleries, 33
library networks, 45 stage theatres, 75 sports and related attraction parks,
and over 150 national monuments. Many of these are renowned globally such
as:
Bogotá has worked hard in recent years to position itself as leader in cultural offerings in South America, and is increasingly being recognized worldwide as the regional hub for the development of the arts. In 2007 Bogotá was awarded the title Cultural Capital of Ibero-America by the UCCI (Union of Capital Cities in Ibero-America) and is the only city to have received that award twice (first awarded in 1991).
Architecture
"Republican Architecture" was the style that prevailed between 1830 and 1930. Although there were attempts to consolidate a modern architectural language, the only examples seen are University City and White City at the National University of Colombia (built from 1936 to 1939). This work was developed by German architect James Daly, although architects with traditionalist trends participated in the design of campus buildings. We also see in Bogotá architecture trends such as art deco, expressionism and organic architecture. This last trend was typified by Bogotá architects in the second half of the twentieth century such as Rogelio Salmona.
In 2006, in recognition of "efforts towards social inclusion, education, housing and public space, particularly through innovations in transportation", Bogotá won The Golden Lion Award at the Tenth International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture.
Although renowned for its beautiful preservation of colonial architecture, there are also examples of significant contemporary architecture in the downtown and at the north of the city.
Libraries and archives
In 2007 Bogotá was named World Book Capital by UNESCO, the first Latin American city to receive this recognition, and the second one in the Americas after Montreal. An outstanding program, the library network and other organizations are working to promote books and reading in the city. Several specific initiatives for the World Book Capital program have been undertaken with the commitment of groups engaged in the book sector, both from the public and private sector.
The city is home to the Biblored, an institution which administers 16 small and four large public libraries (Biblioteca Virgilio Barco, Biblioteca El Tintal, Biblioteca El Tunal and Biblioteca Julio Mario Santodomingo). It also includes six branches of the Library Network of the Family Compensation Fund Colsubsidio, and libraries and documentation centers attached to institutions like the Museo Nacional de Colombia (specializing in old books, catalogs and art), Museo de Arte Moderno in Bogota, the Alliance Francaise, and the Centro Colombo Americano.
Another set of libraries is the new collaborative initiative between the state, city and international agencies. Examples include the Gabriel García Marquez Cultural Center custom designed by the Fondo de Cultura Economica in Mexico, and the Spanish Cultural Center, which will begin construction with public funds and funding from the Government of Spain in downtown Bogotá.
The National Library of Colombia (1777) under the Ministry of Culture and the Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango (1958) under Banco de la Republica, are the two largest public libraries in the city. The first is the repository of more than two million volumes, with an important collection of ancient books. The latter has almost two million volumes, is 45 thousand square meters in size, and hosts 10 thousand visitors a day. Bank of the Republic also supports the Alfonso Palacio Rudas Library north of the city, which has about 50 thousand volumes. Other large public libraries are the Library of Congress in Colombia (100 thousand volumes), the Instituto Caro y Cuervo (nearly 200 thousand volumes, and the largest Latin American library in Philology and Linguistics), the Library of the Academy of History, the Library of the Academy of Language, the Library of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH), and many university libraries.
Bogotá is home to historical records housed in the General National Archive, a collection of about 60 million documents, one of the largest repositories of primary historical sources in Latin America. Bogotá is also home to the Musical Archive of the Cathedral of Bogota (with thousands of books and choral songs from the colonial period), the Archdiocesan Archive, the Archive of the Conciliar Seminary of Bogotá, the Archive History National University of Colombia and the Archive of the Mint in Bogotá supported by the Bank of the Republic.
Museums and galleries
The Botero Museum has 123 works of Fernando Botero and 87 works by international artists. The Museum of Modern Art in Bogota has a spectacular collection of graphic arts, industrial design and photography. The Museum of Colonial Art is home to an important collection of colonial art from Colombia. Fundación Gilberto Alzate Avendaño hosts activities related to the performing arts and displays temporary exhibits of art in its halls and galleries.
Among scientific museums are the Archeological Museum, Casa del Marqués de San Jorge, which has about 30 thousand pieces of pre-Colombian art, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales (UN), one of the four largest museums of natural sciences in Latin America, and the Geological Museum, which has a collection specializing in Geology and Paleontology.
Bogotá has historical museums like the Casa Museo Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, the Museum of Independence (the Quinta de Bolivar), and the Casa Museo Francisco José de Caldas, as well as the headquarters of Maloka and the Children's Museum of Bogota. New museums include the Art Deco and the Museum of Bogotá.
Bogotá has its own film festival, the Bogotá Film Festival, and many theatres, showing both contemporary films and art cinema.
The main cultural center of the city is the La Candelaria, historic center of the city, with a concentration of universities and museums. In 2007 Bogota was designated the Ibero-American cultural Capital of Iberoamerica.
Sports
Other major sporting venues are the covered Coliseum El Campin, the aquatic complex of Parque Simón Bolívar, the Sports Palace, and the El Salitre Sports venue which includes the Velódromo Luis Carlos Galán (which hosted the 1995 UCI Track Cycling World Championships) and El Salitre Diamond (ball park).
Bogotá hosted the first Bolivarian Games held in 1938. The city also hosted the National Games in 2004, a sub-venue of the Bolivarian Pan American Games, winning the championship. In addition, the city is on the route of the "Tour de Colombia".
Religion
Historically, the city has had a tradition of attachment to Roman Catholicism, although the 1991 Constitution has facilitated the presence of Protestant movements and other religious groups in the population.
Proof of this religious tradition is the number of churches built in the historic city center. The city has been seat of the Archdiocese of Bogotá since March 22, 1564; the seat of the archdiocese is the Cathedral of Colombia.
The city also has a Muslim mosque located in the area of Chapinero, a Jewish synagogue located on Avenida Pepe Sierra (Calle 116), an Orthodox church located in Chapinero, and a Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on the Calle 127. There are four Buddhist centers located in the north of the city, and there are Protestant churches in various parts of the city.
Gastronomy
A broad array of restaurants can be visited in Bogotá where typical and international food can be enjoyed. The G Zone, La Candelaria and the International Centre are some of the main sectors where a number of international restaurants are located. Typical Bogotá dishes include Ajiaco, a delightful soup prepared with - chicken, a variety of potatoes, a corn cobb, and guascas (a spice), usually served with milk, capers and curaba cream.
Tamale with chocolate is nother traditional dish. Colombian tamal is a paste made with rice, meat or chicken, chickpea, carrot, and spices, wrapped in banana leaves and steam cooked.
Figs with arequipe, strawberries with cream, postre de natas and cuajada con melao are some of the main desserts offered in the city. Canelazo is a hot drink from the Altiplano prepared with agua de panela, cinnamon and aguardiente.
Parks and recreation
There are many parks - many with facilities for concerts, plays, movies, storytellers and other activities.
- Simon Bolivar Metropolitan Park is a large park used regularly to stage free concerts (such as the annual Rock al Pargue, a festival in which new and popular Latin rock bands play (free of charge). This park is a favourite to fly kites during kite season.
- Parque Nacional has a forest and plenty of green spaces, ponds, games for children, foot and bicycle paths, and venues for entertainment such as public screenings of movies and concerts and events organized by the Council of Bogotá and is located between the Circunvalar Avenue and the 7th Avenue.
- Jardín Botánico de Bogotá
- Museo de los Niño (Children's Museum of Bogotá) is a science, technology and art interactive museum, especially for ages 2 to 19.
- Parque de la 93, located between Calle 93 and Callle 93A, and between Carrera 12 and Carrera 13, has day-time leisure activities as well as nightlife. Several top restaurants and bars in the city are in this park.
There are restaurants and bars in the vicinity of a T-shaped pedestrian strip dubbed "La T" at the corner of Calle 82 and Carrera 12. More recently, restaurant activity has begun in the "Zona G" (Gourmet Zone) in and around Calle 67 and Calle 70, and other locations including Usaquen in the north-east and La Macarena (downtown).
Mundo Aventura is an amusement park, with an entry charge and charges for the different attractions. It has rides for adults and children, a petting zoo, and the "cerdodromo", where pigs race.
"Salitre Mágico" is another amusement park with rides and attractions and is situated near Simón Bolívar park where concerts are held throughout the year.
Parque del Chicó has many species of trees, gardens, creeks and ponds, and a colonial style house converted into a museum.
To the north, Parque Jaime Duque has rides, a giant map of Colombia, popular exhibits, a zoo, and a big hand holding the world, symbolizing God. There is a reproduction of the Taj Mahal with a collection of reproductions of famous paintings. The park is also used for large concerts, mainly electronic music ones.
Maloka is an interactive museum of sciences.
The "Tren de la Sabana" is a sightseeing train
(complete with a steam locomotive), popular with Bogotá residents, which
runs north on weekends to outlying towns Zipaquirá, Cajicá and Nemocón, along the lines of the
former Bogotá Savannah Railway. The route to Zipaquirá
- famous
for its salt cathedral - is 53 km long; another line goes north
for 47 km and ends at Briceño.
Symbols
The Colombian flag originated with the insurgency movement against the colonial authorities which began on July 20, 1810, during which the rebels wore yellow and red armbands, since these colours were those of the Spanish flag which was used as the flag of the New Kingdom of Granada.
On October 9, 1952, exactly 142 years after the insurgency, decree 555 in 1952 officially adopted the patriotic armband as the flag of Bogotá. The flag of Cundinamarca follows the same pattern, with the addition of a light blue tile which represents the Virgin Mary's cape.
The flag itself is a yellow band above a red one. The yellow denotes the gold from the earth, as well as the virtues of justice, clemency, benevolence, the so-called "mundane qualities" - defined as nobility, excellence, richness, generosity, splendour, health, steadfastness, joy and prosperity, long life, eternity, power and constancy. The red denotes the virtue of charity, as well as the qualities of bravery, nobility, values, audacity, victory, honour and furor (Colombians say the red is for the blood of their countryman).
The coat of arms of Bogotá was granted by emperor Charles V (Charles I of Spain) to the New Kingdom of Granada, by royal decree given in Valladolid, Spain on December 3, 1548. It contains a black eagle in the center, symbolizing steadfastness. The eagle is also a symbol of the Habsburgs, which was the ruling family of the Spanish empire at the time. The eagle is crowned with gold and holds a red pomegranate inside a golden background. The border contains olive branches with nine golden pomegranates on a blue background. The two red pomegranates symbolize audacity, and the nine golden ones represent the nine states which constituted the New Kingdom of Granada at the time. In 1932 the coat of arms was officially recognized and adopted as the symbol of Bogotá.
Bogotá's anthem lyrics were written by Pedro Medina Avendaño; the melody was composed by Roberto Pineda Duque. The song was officially declared the anthem by decree 1000 on July 31, 1974, by then Mayor of Bogotá, Aníbal Fernandez de Soto.
Panoramic view of Bogotá
Plaza Bolivar at Christmas
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| Breaking down the wall of indifference |
The
street
arrangement of Bogotá is based on the Cartesian coordinate system. North is to
the right.
After
being considered in the mid-90s one of the most violent cities in the world, Bogotá
has gone to great lengths to improve its crime rate and its image with
increasing success. While in 1993 there were 4352
homicides, a rate of 81 per 100,000 pop, by 2007, this had been
In
2005, consumer goods led industrial production, followed by intermediate and
capital goods. Of the almost 250,000 companies operating in Bogotá, 78% are
linked to service activities, contributing 76% to employment and 79% of
regional GDP.
The highest concentration of heavy industry manufacturing in Bogotá is in
Puente Aranda, Fontibón, Kennedy, Mártires, and Barrios Unidos Engativá.
Important businesses include the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile,
publishing and metal working industries. Also in 2005, the sectors with the
highest labour productivity were Tunjuelito, followed by Teusaquillo and
Chapinero.
In
Bogotá, there is a wide variety of accommodation ranging from backpacker
lodges and five star hotels. The hotels in the historical center of La
Candelaria and its surrounding areas cater to lovers of culture and the
arts. The hotels located near Ciudad Salitre are intended for visitors who
make short stops in Bogotá or who need to be close to El Dorado
International Airport. Hotels located in the north of the city cater mainly
to business visitors, or those travelers seek the ultimate in shopping or
dining pleasure.
Bogotá's
huge growth has placed a strain on its roads and highways and within the past
decade significant efforts to upgrade the infrastructure have been
undertaken. Private cars, despite representing less than 27% of total, are a
major reason for traffic congestion, and are in addition to taxis, buses and
commercial vehicles. Buses remain the main means of mass transit. There are
two bus systems: the traditional bus system, and the 
TransMilenio
service, combines articulated buses which operate on dedicated bus roadways
(busways) and smaller buses (feeders) that operate in residential areas,
bringing passengers to the main grid. Main routes include: Caracas Avenue,
Autopista Norte, 80th Street, Americas Avenue, Jiménez Avenue, and 30th
Avenue (also referred to as Norte Quito Sur
or N.Q.S. for short). 
Despite
the city's chronic congestion, many of the ideas enacted during Mayor Peñalosa's
years are regarded worldwide as cost-effective, efficient and
Known as the
"Athens of South America", Bogotá has an extensive educational
system of both primary and secondary schools and colleges and universities.
However, due to the constant migration into the nation's capital,
access to free education offered by the State is often
insufficient.
The
urban morphology and typology of colonial buildings in Bogotá have been
maintained since the late nineteenth century, long after the independence of
Colombia (1810). This persistence of the colonial setting is still visible,
particularly in La Candelaria, the historical center of Bogotá. Also
maintained
are the two story colonial houses, with courtyards, gabled roofs,
ceramic tiles and balconies. In some cases, these balconies were enclosed by
beautiful stained glass during the Republican period, a distinguishing feature of the
architecture of the sector.
The
city boasts 58 museums and over 70 art galleries. The National Museum of
Colombia has acquisitions divided into four collections: art, history,
archeology and ethnography. 
Besides
the Ibero-American Theater Festival, the city has forty-five theaters; the
principal ones being the Colon Theater, the National Theater with its two
venues, the traditional TPB Hall, the Theater of La Candelaria, the Carmarin
Theater of Carmen (over 400 years old and formerly a convent), the Colsubsidio,
and a symbol of the city, the renovated Teatro Jorge Eliecer Gaitan (the
highest capacity theatre currently in South America), León de Greiff Auditorium
(home of the Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra), and the Open Air Theater "La
Media Torta", where musical events are also held.
Soccer
has been declared a 
As in the rest of Colombia, the value of family unity is
very important in
Bogota society, and is especially prominent in religious celebrations and
at special times of the year.
