Bogotá (Colombia)

Bogotá—officially named Bogotá, D.C. (D.C. for “Distrito Capital”, which means “Capital District”), also called Santa Fe de Bogotá—is the capital of Colombia, as well as the largest and by far the most populous city in the country with 7,321,831 inhabitants (2005 census). Bogotá and Soacha, the capital’s largest suburb, have an estimated population of 7,881,156

• Bogotá hosts the Iberoamerican Theater Festival, the biggest theater festival in the world, every two years.
• Bogotá is also known as the Athens of Latin America, given the locals’ penchant for education and manners.
• In 2007, Bogotá will be the Book Capital of the World.
• The city also celebrates the International Book Fair, one of the three major book fairs of the Spanish-speaking Americas.
• The tallest building in the city is the Colpatria Tower.
• The former motto of the city was “2600 metres closer to the stars” (in reference to its altitude above sea level).
• The city has institutionalized a day without cars on the streets, called “El Día sin Carro” (The day without cars). It takes place every first Thursday of February. See Car Free Days and United Nations Car Free Days.
• Bogotá has the highest quality as well as the most expensive potable water in Latin America.
• The Capital District as a whole has the largest economy in Colombia and ranks eighth in Latin America.
• The Gold Museum has the biggest gold handicraft collection in the world.
• Bogotá has one of the most extensive dedicated Bike Paths Network of any city in the world, with a total of 300km.
• Bogotanos claim to speak the purest form of Spanish in the world, due to their lack of accent.