Bogotá is the capital of the Republic of Colombia and also capital of the department of Cundinamarca. It is administered as a Capital District, and enjoys autonomy for the management of its interests within the limits of the Constitution and the law Unlike the other districts of Colombia, Bogotá is a territorial entity of the first order, with the attributions administrative concessions that the law grants to the departments, it is constituted by 20 localities and is the political, economic, administrative, industrial, artistic, cultural, sports and tourist epicenter of the country. Bogotá was founded as the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada on August 6,1538 by the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada after a hard expedition to the Andes.
It is the third highest capital in South America, since it is at an average of 2,625 meters above sea level. It is located in the center of Colombia, in the natural region known as the Savannah of Bogotá, which is part of the Cundiboyacense high plateau, a formation located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. It has a length of 33 km from south to north, and 16 km from east to west. As a capital, it houses the highest ranking bodies of the executive, legislative and judicial branches. According to The Economist, in the economic sphere, Bogotá stands out for its economic strength associated with the size of its production, the facilities for creating companies and doing business, financial maturity, the attraction of global companies and the quality of its human capital.
It is the main market of Colombia and the Andean Region, and the first destination of foreign direct investment that arrives in Colombia. It has the highest nominal and per capita GDP in the country, contributing most of it to the national total, and It is the sixth city by size of GDP in Latin America with a nominal per capita GDP of USD 11 594 and a PPP GDP per capita of USD 20 120. It is also the largest business platform in Colombia where the majority of business ventures occur. High impact. The city's airport, El Dorado International Airport, named for the legendary El Dorado, has the largest volume of cargo transported in Latin America, and is the second largest number of people.
Universities and research centers It has a wide cultural offer represented in a large number of museums, theaters and libraries, which has given it the recognition of the "South American Athens." The city of Bogotá ranks 55th in the Global Cities Index 2018, and is considered a global city type "Alpha -" by the GaWC.