The Republic of Colombia borders the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Yet its capital, Bogotá, was long cut off from the rest of the world. Until air service began in 1920, a trip to Bogotá from the port of Barranquilla took seven or more days. The town was founded in 1538 by Spanish conquistadores who fought the hostile Chibcha Indians in the uplands. Bogotá became the capital of Spanish New Granada. After the colony won its freedom in 1819, it became the capital of the republic. The city grew slowly because Bogotanos wished to preserve their old culture. They cherished their churches, convents, and homes built in ornate Spanish colonial style and the National University, founded in 1573. They also prided themselves on speaking the purest Spanish in the New World. Bogotá is an important commercial center in Colombia. Its manufactures are mainly textiles, drugs, beverages, foods, and other goods for local use. It lies only 4° 36' north of the equator, but its altitude of 8,560 feet (2,610 meters) gives it constant springlike weather. (See also Colombia.) Population (1992 estimate), 4,921,642. |