Bogota is also a town in New Jersey, see Bogota, New Jersey. State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... Map highlighting Bogotas location within Bergen County. ...

Downtown Bogotá from Monserrate

Bogotá (known officially in Spanish as Bogotá D.C. (Distrito Capital), formerly as Santafé de Bogotá D.C.) is a city of 7.8 million people(about 11.6 million on metropolitan area) and the capital of Colombia. It is also the capital of the Department of Cundinamarca, the "place of condors". Bogota, Colombia from Monserrate Chris Ashton September 6, 2003 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Bogota, Colombia from Monserrate Chris Ashton September 6, 2003 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... The Republic of Colombia is a country in north-western South America. ... Cundinamarca is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Most of Cundinamarca is in the Eastern Cordillera, just south of Boyacá, bordered by the Magdalena River on the west, reaching down into the Amazon River basin on the east, and bordering...

At an altitude of 8,660 feet (2640 meters) above sea level in the Cordillera Oriental of the Northern Andes Mountains, Bogotá is situated on a sloping plain at the base of two mountains, Guadalupe and Monserrate, upon whose crests, over 10,500 feet high (3200 meters), stand two small but imposing churches. Bogotá is currently receiving about 100,000 new residents per year from the troubled rural regions of Colombia and is expanding in size to meet this influx; currently the urban area covers 384.3 sq km and the mountainous rural area extends 1222.5 sq km. Note that the geology in this article currently reflects views from the first decade of the 20th century. ... Hill that dominates the downtown of Bogotá, capital city of Colombia. ...

Several small streams, one of which, the San Francisco, passes through the city, unite near the south-western extremity of the plateau and form the Rio Funza, or Bogotá, which finally plunges over the edge at Tequendama into what used to be one of Bogotá's biggest tourist attractions: a beautiful, perpendicular waterfall of about 475 feet (145 meters). Nowadays most of the water is used for an hydroelectrical project. The climate is mild and temperate, the average annual temperature being about 58°F (14°C) and rainfall about 44 inches (110 cm). For the river in Brazil, see Rio São Francisco The San Francisco River is a river in the southwest United States, the largest tributary to the Gila River. ...

The city is laid out in a grid, with numbered carreras, from south to north, intersecting numbered calles going east-west. Among the city's squares is the Plaza Bolívar, where some of the important public buildings and churches are located. Bogotá is connected by road to the Atlantic coast to the north and the Pacific coast to the west, as well as to all other major cities of Colombia. The Pan-American Highway and the Simón Bolívar Highway both pass through the city. The city is served by El Dorado International Airport. The TransMilenio transportation system is the most modern form of public transit serving the city, and is exemplary in that it manages to provide massive public transportation for a fraction of the resources generally needed to build these systems. The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the worlds largest body of water. ... The Pan-American Highway (Carretera Panamericana in Spanish) is a collective system of roads, approximately 16,000 miles (25,750 km) long, that nearly links the mainland nations of the Americas in a roughly unified stretch of highway. ... El Dorado International Airport is an airport in Engativá, Colombia, a suburb of Bogotá. The airport uses the IATA Airport Code BOG. The following airlines fly to El Dorado International Airport: ACES Aerolíneas Argentinas Aeropostal Aerorepublica Aerotaca Aires Airlines Air Canada (Starting June 16, 2004) Air France Alitalia American... Haltestelle de la Sabana in July 2004 The TransMilenio is Bogotá’s, (Colombia), Rapid Transit Bus system. ...

Bogotá has traditionally been a major center of art, culture, and learning for northern South America. Sometimes called the "Athens of South America," Bogotá is home to several universities, including National University of Colombia (1830), Los Andes University (1948), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Javeriana Pontifical University) (1622)[1] (http://www.javeriana.edu.co):, the Universidad Externado de Colombia (1886), and the University of Santo Tomás (1580). Although today the word art usually refers to the visual arts, the concept of what art is has continuously changed over centuries. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... Humanities Building at Bogotá Campus The Universidad Nacional de Colombia (National University of Colombia) is the main university of Colombia. ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Located in Bogotá, Universidad de Los Andes ( Spanish for University of the Andes) is one of the most important universities in Colombia. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Events January 1 - In the Gregorian calendar, January 1 is declared as the first day of the year, instead of March 25. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) Events January 18 _ Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ...

In addition to the Museo del Oro, which holds the world's largest collection of pre-Columbian gold, there is also the National Museum of Colombia which contains a large collection of pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial artifacts and Colombian art. Bogotá has many other history and art museums, among them the Children's Museum of Bogotá, museum of science and technology ("Maloka"), a museum of natural history, the Bogotá Planetarium, La Casa de la Moneda (Bogotá Mint) to which an important collection of modernist art was recently donated, The Botero Museum and several modern art galleries. The Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), established in Bogota, Colombia by the Banco de la Republica, contains one of the hemispheres largest collections of pre-Columbian artifacts of gold and other materials. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6, d Density, Hardness 19300 kg/m3, 2. ... Entrance to the Childrens Museum of Bogotá The Childrens Museum of Bogotá (Fundación Museo de los Niños) is a privately managed museum foundation in Bogotá, Colombias capital city, established in 1986 and aimed at teaching children about science, technology, culture and arts. ...

History

Flag of Bogotá

Symbol of Bogotá

Bogotá, called Bacatá by the indigenous Chibcha, was the center of their civilization before the Spanish conquest, and sustained a large population. The European settlement was founded in 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. See History of Colombia. Flag of Bogota File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Flag of Bogota File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Symbol of Bogotá File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Symbol of Bogotá File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Chibchan languages are a language family indigenous to Colombia and Central America. ... Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under Spanish rule between the 15th and 17th centuries. ... Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. ... New Granada was the name given to a group of colonial provinces in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1819 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios ( July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830) was a South American revolutionary leader. ... Boyacá is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Boyacá is centrally located within Colombia, almost entirely within the mountains of Eastern Cordillera, although the western end of the department extends to the Magdalena River at the town of Puerto Boyac... Map showing Gran Colombia The Republic of Gran Colombia, or Greater Colombia, was a short-lived republic in South America consisting of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. ... This is the history of Colombia. ...

In 1956, the municipality of Bogotá was joined to other neighboring municipalities forming a "Special District" (Spanish: Distrito Especial). With the Constitution of 1991, Bogotá was confirmed as the Capital of Colombia adquiring the name "Santa Fe de Bogotá", and changing the category from Special District to "Capital District" (Spanish: Distrito Capital) This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ...

In August 2000 the capital's name was officially changed back from "Santa Fé de Bogotá" to the more usual "Bogotá". The local government consists in a Capital District, the current chief of government is Luis Eduardo Garzón. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Luis Eduardo Garzón (born February 11, 1951 in Bogotá) is currently Bogotá´s Mayor (2004-2007), a leftwing Colombian political activist and a former union leader. ...

Flag

The Flag of Bogotá originates from the insurgency movement against the colonial authorities which began on July 20, 1810. During this insurgency, the rebels wore armbands with yellow and red bands, as these colours were the ones in the Spanish flag which was the one used as the flag for the New Kingdom of Granada. July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The flag of Spain in its current form was adopted on December 19, 1981. ...

In October 9, 1952, exactly 142 years after these events, decree 555 of 1952 (available at [2] (http://calsegen01.alcaldiabogota.gov.co:7772/sisjur/normas/Norma1.jsp?i=3274)) officially and definitively adopted the patriotic armband as the flag of Bogotá. October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in Leap years). ... 1952 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

The flag itself is divided vertically in two, the top half being yellow and the bottom half being red. The yellow colour denotes the virtues of justice, clemency and being benign, 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 colour denotes the virtue of charity, as well as the qualities of bravery, nobility, values, audacity, victory, honour and furour.

Symbol

The Coat of Arms of the city of Bogotá was ceded by emperor Charles V (Charles I of Spain) to the New Kingdom of Granada, as evidenced by the Royal Decree given in Valladolid, Spain on December 3, 1548. It contains a black eagle in the center, which symbolises steadfastness. The eagle is crowned with gold and holds a red pomegranate inside a golden background. The border contains olive branches with nine golden pomegranates in 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. The name Charles V is used to refer to numerous persons in history: Kings: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also Charles I of Spain) Charles V of France Charles V of Naples Charles V of Sweden This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might... This article deals with the Spanish city. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Mary I of Scotland sent to France Births Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher, astronomer, occultist, and heretic, (burned at the stake) 1600 Cornelis Ketel, Dutch painter Carel van Mander, Dutch painter and poet (d. ... Species L. Balf. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ...

Anthem

Main article: Anthem of Bogotá The lyrics to the anthem of Bogotá, the capital of the Republic of Colombia, were written by Pedro Medina Avendaño. ...

The lyrics to the anthem of Bogotá were written by Pedro Medina Avendaño, the melody was composed by Roberto Pineda Duque. The song was officially declared the anthem of Bogotá by decree 1000 of July 31, 1974, by then Mayor of Bogotá, Aníbal Fernandez de Soto. July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Economy

Bogotá is Colombia's largest economic center, followed by Medellin, 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 Bogota'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 biggest flower exporters. For example, as much as 55% of all flowers sold in the United States are imported from Colombia. In Bogotá, greenhouses up to 5 miles long are kept stocked with flowers year round, which are then transported to the United States, Europe and Japan. Medellín is the capital city of Antioquia, a province in Colombia ( South America). ... Santiago de Cali, the citys complete name, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca, department in Colombia. ... Bucaramanga is the capital of the department of Santander, Colombia. ... Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ... For other things of this name, see Emerald (disambiguation). ... Wildflowers A flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms (flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). ... For other things of this name, see Emerald (disambiguation). ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... A greenhouse in Saint Paul, Minnesota. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377,835 km² 0. ...

Culture and modern life

Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro

This is the most important theatre festival in Latin America and Spain. The actress Fanny Mickey has been the director since its foundation. It takes place in Bogota every two years and lasts 17 days. Some of the best theatre groups from different countries participate in the development of the festival and their performances make this a unique event. Moreover, there is one honoured country invited. On opening day, a parade can be seen all the way down 7th Avenue. There are some free plays and are usually performed in Plaza de Bolivar, Parque el Tunal, Parque Nacional and in around 20 more parks. The main theatres that are open to the public during the festival are Colon, Colsubsidio, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, La Castellana, Nacional de la 71, Libre de Chapinero, William Shakespeare, Gimnasio Moderno, Leonardus and La Casa del Teatro Nacional. The complete schedule, the procedure to get the tickets and further information about the festival can be found in the internet address www.festivaldeteatro.com.co This site has an English version.

Music Festivals (all genres year round)

Historically, Bogotá has been one of the cultural centers in South América. Regarding music, Bogotá has one different activity for different kind of public, with different likes.

Music Festivals are presented in parks. These "Al parque" festivals present different kind of performances including rock, hip hop, jazz, opera, ranchera and classical music. Venues for these activities are: Simon Bolivar park, Tunal park, Media Torta square, Olaya park, Renacimiento park, National Park among others. Jazz is a musical art form characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. ...

These activities are performed in open air and mainly, they are for free. The most important ones are: rock al parque and opera al parque in August, jazz al parque in september, hip hop al parque in November. There are also one ranchera al parque and a Colombian Music Festival.

The performancers are both renowned and new groups or bands. These activities are promoted by "Ministerio de Cultura", or the Ministry of Culture, through the division of "Instituto Distrital de Cultura y Turismo."

Salon Nacional de Artistas

(national art exhibition)

Art Galleries

Literary Magazines and Publications

Bogota's Half-Marathon

Bogota is recognized internationally because of its cultural events, and the biggest sport event is the international half marathon. Every year, between June and Agust, the Bogota Mayor´s office organize a massive running competition with more than 200 million pesos in prizes , where both native and foreigners can compete. And everyone can see the race just in front of them because this race is done in the streets of the city.To make it possible, the Bogota Mayor's office and other sponsoring firms are in charge of hire the adecuaded people to organize and cover the whole event to make audence feel comfortable.

The total route is about 21 km. It begins on "Plaza de Bolivar" and cross the center of the city ending in "Simon Bolivar Park". Every participant has his or her own runner kit that includes a handbook, a uniform with its respective number, water, etc. Moreover, every participant that arrives to the finishing line receives a medal.

In this marathon we can find different categories, there are not any kind of discrimination. We can find special categories according to the ages of the participants such as junior, open, veteran and plus categories. Besides, there is another special category for disabled people . Also, all the categories are divided between men and women.

In the reward process, the prizes will be distributed according to the different positions and categories. The prizes are both in money and in presents. The results are published in the internet with the respective race time of each participant and the respective position.

The registration process is supervised by the Mayor´s office and by the National Police that also cooperates with the security. People can register by buying a the registration form or by asking for information on-line, and it must be done five months before the race.The registration can be both individual and in groups. The registration cost is between $12,000 and $14,000. This event has a official hotel for foreigners: The International Tequendama Hotel.

Ciclovia

Every Sunday and holiday the main streets of Bogota are blocked off for Ciclovia. From 7 am to 2 pm, walkers and bicyclists take over the streets. At the same time, stages are set up in city parks. Aerobics instructors, yoga teachers and musicans lead people through various performances. Ciclovia is an event held in cities in Colombia. ... Aerobics is an effective physical exercise which is often done to music. ... Hatha Yoga posture Yôga, meaning union or yoking in Sanskrit, is the primary focus of Hinduisms diverse darshans or points of view. Yôga is a science of the body, the mind, the consciousness and the soul. ...

Toros (bullfights)

Barrios y ciudadelas (districts)

La Candelaria

La Candelaria is an amazing neighborhood to visit because the most important events in Bogotá have been here. Also, it is considered a cultural and historical center in this city.

La Candelaria is the place where Bogotá was founded. It is located on the east of the Plaza de Bolivar. One amazing site to visit is the Chorro the Quevedo. Bogotá was originally established in this neighborhood by the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada in 1538. It was after he fought against the Chibcha Indians an important Colombian tribe.

Walking through La Candelaria, you can admire its houses which have big well-decorated balconies, red tile roofs and black big iron door knobs. They also have metal and wooden doors and windows. This is the only neighborhood in Bogotá whose streets have names and several of its routes have cobblestone streets.

La Candelaria has several universities, libraries, museums, theaters, galleries, cathedrals and churches to visit. Moreover, the principal government buildings of our country are in this neighborhood. For instance, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Universidad de La Salle, Universidad del Rosario, Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango, Casa de la Moneda, Museo Militar, Museo de Arte Colonial, Museo de Trajes Regionales de Colombia, Teatro Colón, Catedral Primada de Bogotá, Iglesia de San Ignacio and Palacio de San Carlos.

Community Centers, Malls and Plazas

In this city, malls are places that you can visit in order to do shopping and to have fun. Centro chía, Plaza de las Américas, Unicentro and Centro Andino: These are the biggest malls in Bogotá. Unicentro and Centro Andino are the most famous and are visited by tourists. Unicentro is located in the north of Bogotá. There, you will find a famous supermarket called "Ley" and Cine Colombia.Centro Andino is located in one of the most visited parts of Bogotá. This is The "Zona Rosa".Andino has Cinemark, also a supermarket called Fedco. Moreover, about five blocks from Centro Andino, you will find Atlantis Plaza. This mall is moder, it is kind of small,but very comfortable. It has a big place to have breakfast, have lunch and have dinner. You will find, nike, diesel, video Games and Cinemark. Atlantis Plaza and Centro Andino are usually visited by famous people, usually people from T.V. It is because of the" Zona Rosa". You go to the malls, and next to them,you can find very nice bars to drink and dance. Anyway, all malls in Bogotá are very nice.There are more of them like Metrópolis, Portal de la 80, Unicentro occidente, Salitre Plaza and Bima. Anyway, in all of them you will find what you need.

Transportation

Bogotá, the Colombia´s capital, is a modern city with a variety means of transportation. It has buses, taxis, airliners, chivas and a train.

Buses are the most commonly used; there are three kind of them. "Ejecutivos", those are big and the cheapest ones; "Colectivos", medium size, are the most expensive; and "Microbuses" being the smallest and as expensive as "Colectivos".

In addition, Bogotá has different sort of taxis. Bicycle ones are for two people only for traveling to near places. Yellow taxis are much more common. People often use them in order to go faster despite the high price people should pay for. And finally Bogota has white taxis, which are used just for hotels and Eldorado airport´s services.

This airport, know as "Aeropuerto Internacional Eldorado" operates different national airlainers (Avianca, Aerorepublica, West Caribean, Intercontinental and Satena), and international airliners (Iberia, American Airlines, Varig, Copa, Continental, etc...)

On the other hand, Bogotá has other different means of transportation. The train is an example. In spite of being very expensive, people have utilized it to have a good time with the family, especially on Sundays. It works on weekends from Bogotá to Zipaquirá, a town near to Bogotá.

Chivas is another mean of transportation. People use them specially for special occassions. They pay for a Chiva in order to take a small trip by the city. Its parking lot is located near the irport .

Finally, Bogotá has the well known “Trasmilenio”. It is faster than te other buses, due to have its own roadway. The Transmilenio´s main streets are: Caracas Avenue, 80th Street, Americas Street, North free way, Suba Avenue, Jimenez Avenue and the 30th Street in which the Transmilenio Station is in progress right now. This system is complemented with "Alimentadores buses". They let people have the easiest access to the "portales" so that passengers can get a Transmilenio, but first passenger should buy some cards in order to use the Transmilenio, they decide buying one way or round trip card.

The Transmilenio system serves the Caracas Avenue, 80 Street and Los Comuneros Avenue. It is expanding to include Quito City Avenue and Suba Avenue at the end of 2005, covering roughly a third of the city. The system will cover the entire city in 2016. It is the biggest bus expressway system in the world and one of the few urban transportation systems to be able to support its operation through fare collection, though the infraestructure is subsidized by the governmente. Haltestelle de la Sabana in July 2004 The TransMilenio is Bogotá’s, (Colombia), Rapid Transit Bus system. ...

Goods and Services

Bogotá is the hub of bussiness for Colombia. It has a busy banking and insurance sector and a Stock Exchange, provides engineering for many regions of Colombia and Central America, houses the central government institutions and military headquarters of Colombia, carries the weight of telecommunications and has the biggest industrial facilities in the country.

Bogotá has extensive goods and services.

Some goods are flower and emeral market; fashion and beverages industry, such as beer, juice and soda; building products like cement and bricks. You can visit http://www.hoovers.com/bavaria-s.a./--ID__95185--/freeuk-co-factsheet.xhtml and find so much information about Bavaria´s group in Bogotá.

Some services are public and others are private. The publics services are for example energy, sewer and phones. For paying energy and sewer Bogotá are clasify for stratus according to the place where you live. If the stratus increase the cost increase too. So, highest stratus subsidize the lowest. You can get phones line for your house or company from the "Empresa de teléfonos de Bogotá," a state-owned company, or you can do it from another private enterprise. There are also public phones on strees. Some of them are using with cards and others are using with coins. For those phones that you have to use with cards, cards you can get in drugstores or markets. But there is also another system to use if you need making a call and thoseplaces are called "cabinas telefónicas". In those you can call wherever you want as if you were at home, then according to the time you pay. Another common aspect in Bogotá is that many people have mobile phone. So, You can go to stores called "Movistar, Comcel or Ola", the companies specialize in this services, and get information about how you can get a mobile phone. Visit http://www.telefonica.com.sv/movistar/servicios/cdma_colombia.html , http://www.comcel.com.co/ or http://www.ola.com.co/

Parks

Bogotá has one of the biggest Parks in the world, the Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park, center of a recreational hub that includes the Botanical Gardens, the headquarters of Coldeportes (the national sports authority), the modern Virgilio Barco library, and several auxiliary parks.

The funky parks in Bogotá

Bogotà is such a big city in Colombia that has many green places to enjoy. Places like parks that are public and private. They are specially created for the environmental equilibrium. There are hundreds of people who visit them to enjoy the forest and to share with their families. The purpose of ecological program parks in Bogotà is to be able to preserve the marvelous nature.

Public parks are free places. Some of them are used to make different activities, such as concerts, plays, free movies, storytellers and other activities. "El Túnal" park, for instance, is a big park of the city that many times is used for making concerts. This park does not have any mechanical game for children; however, it is the most visited in August to fly kite. This kind of activity is so common in the park, because this park does not have so many trees than the others do in Bogotá. Besides, it has a very big green field.

Another public park is The National Park. It is one of the biggest in Bogotá. The park provides beautiful woods, a pond with some ducks, mechanical games for the children entertainment. In the middle of the park there are lots of trees. Among the forest there is a small river. This park has a special place for free art movies. In this place, either children or adults can go. The park has more than ten roads, where people can walk, run and ride a bike. In the park people can take their pets. In some parks it is forbidden. The park is located between the two main streets. The Circunbalar Street and the 7th Street.

El Jardín Botánico is a private park. Thousands of people go to visit it in order to enjoy environmental field. This is a research study center, which focuses on the "Flora Andina y la Sabana de Bogotá." It provides woods and hothouse with different plants with different weathers. The park has a waterfall and labs for making plants and flowers studies. Besides, this place gives public services such as library, toilets and a tourist information desk. There are many other public parks around the Bogotá-city. Parks in the neirbohood. It is necessary that each neirbohood has its own park. Some of these parks are private and others are public. Some private parks demand that people from the neighborhood have an own card to be able to get in the park. It is not allowed to take animals to the park. Public parks are for everybody. Some of them has watchmen and are totally covered. These parks has a poly deportivo, which provides sport programs for children and adults. Programs such as valleyball, basketball, taekondo, football soccer, and other sports.

The Florida Park is other public place. There are animals such as ducks, horses. This park is very broad. There is a big lake and you can have a trip by boat. Most of the time people visit it on Sundays because you can share with your families and cook there. There are suitable places to cook with carbon. The park has a place where you can rent a horse to have a trip inside the park. On sundays, even on Saturdays there are motorcycles events. Many people go not only to see them but also to to have fun or to do different activities. In this place there is a parking lot. It is not necessary leave the cars outside the park.

Bogotá has not only natural parks but also amusement parks like Mundo Aventura and Salitre Mágico Park. Those parks are private; however, everyone can go. There is a special rate to get into these parks and people have to buy tickets to be able to play mechanical games. Mundo Aventura park has mechanical games such as skycoaster, ruler coaster, hammer, and other adults games. For children there are some mechanical games like little ruler coaster, carrusel, turtles, and so on. In this park, people can find amusement and a natural place, which is called Panaca. In this place there are different animals such as goats. Children can feed them. Besides, there is a "Cerdodromo", which is a place where pigs make races.

The other amusement park is "Salitre Mágico", which is one of the entertainment center for children and adults. The are many mechanical games like pirate ship, apocalypsis, ruler coaster and others games. The park is next to the Simon Bolivar park, which is a well known place in Bogotá.

Security

Bogotá is one of the safest cities in the continent.

Reference

• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. Please update as needed.

The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica ( 1911) in many ways represents the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ...

External links

• Alcaldia de Bogotá (http://www.bogota.gov.co/) - Official web site for the City of Bogotá (Spanish)
• Museo del Oro (The Gold Museum) (http://www.banrep.gov.co/museo/home4_eng.htm)
• Bogotá from the air (http://www.villegaseditores.com/loslibros/9588156211/index.html) - On-line book with aerial photographs of Bogotá (Spanish)
• Museos de Bogotá (http://www.villegaseditores.com/loslibros/9589138519/index.html) - On-line book with a description of every major museum in the city (Spanish)
• El Tiempo  (http://www.eltiempo.com/) - Online edition of one of the main newspapers in Bogota (Spanish)
• El Espectador (http://www.elespectador.com/) - Online edition of one of the main newspapers in Bogota (Spanish)
• Los Andes University (http://www.uniandes.edu.co/) (Spanish)
• Javeriana Pontificial University (http://www.javeriana.edu.co/) (Spanish)
• National University of Colombia (http://www.unal.edu.co/) (Spanish)
• Havard Gazette Archives (http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/03.11/01-mockus.html) Article about Antanas Mockus' many inspired strategies to change Bogota (English)