Department of Cundinamarca (Departamento de Cundinamarca,Spanish pronunciation:[kundinaˈmaɾka]) is one of thedepartments of Colombia. Its area covers 22,623 square kilometres (8,735 sq mi) (not including the Capital District) and it has a population of 2,919,060 as of 2018 (3,445,300, DANE 2023 projections). It was created on August 5, 1886, under the constitutional terms presented on the same year. Cundinamarca is located in the center of Colombia.
Cundinamarca's capital city isBogotá, the capital of Colombia. This is a special case among Colombian departments, sinceBogotá is not legally a part of Cundinamarca, yet it is the only department that has its capital designated by theConstitution (if the capital were to be ever moved, it would take a constitutional reform to do so, instead of a simple ordinance passed by the Cundinamarca Assembly). Incensuses, the populations for Bogotá and Cundinamarca are tabulated separately; otherwise, Cundinamarca's population would total over 11 million.
Most of Cundinamarca is on theEastern Cordillera (Cordillera Oriental), just south ofBoyacá, bordered by theMagdalena River on the west, reaching down into theOrinoco Riverbasin on the east, and bordering onTolima to the south. The capital district ofBogotá is nearly completely surrounded by Cundinamarca territory and was formed by carving up Cundinamarca. Because of this and other border changes, the present department of Cundinamarca is much smaller than the original state.
Cundinamarca is made up of 116 municipalities, six of which recorded a population of over 100,000 and could be considered as cities: Soacha, Fusagasugá, Girardot, Facatativá, Zipaquirá and Chia, while Bogotá District is in the category of capital.
Metropolitan Area of Bogotá: Comprises the towns of Soacha, Facatativá, Chia, Madrid, Funza, and Mosquera, among others. Its activities are centered in the industrial sector. Estate activity is important especially in the suburbs closer to Bogotá: Chía, La Calera andTocancipá.
Girardot: In the far southwest and bordering Department ofTolima, is the capital of theUpper Magdalena Province. Its main economic activity is trade, as a result of a major tourist dynamics and its proximity to major agricultural areas of Tolima. It has a college and important trade fairs and events.
Fusagasugá is located between Bogotá and Girardot, and it is an hour of each city. The capital city of the Province ofSumapaz, it is an important focus of agricultural marketing and regional services, standing out as an educational city with a large university and an increasing population trend. Its economy is mainly focused on trade and agricultural marketing, with a significant production of ornamental plants and flowers for export, for which it is known as the garden city of Colombia.
Zipaquirá: Despite being part of the metropolitan area of Bogotá, it has managed to position itself as one of the most important centers of Colombia'ssalt mining industry. Its economy is focused on commerce and services.
Other major towns are Ubaté due to high livestock and dairy production. Guaduas, is an important cultural center. Chocontá and Fred are agricultural centers.
Cundinamarca has 15 provinces and the Capital District (Bogotá), which simultaneously acts as capital of the Republic, capital of the Department and a separately administered District (or Department) in itself.
^Acosta, Joaquín (1848)."Extensión y limites del territorio de los Chibchas ó Muíscas".Compendio Histórico-Descubrimiento y colonización de la Nueva Granada en el siglo décimo-sexto (in Spanish). Biblioteca Virtual de la Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango. Archived fromthe original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved18 April 2012.
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