The Kiss

Bogota, formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogota, during the Spanish period and the capital of Colombia, and one of the largest cities in the world. Bogota is the political, economic, administrative, and industrial center of the country.

Bogota was founded as the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada on 6 August 1538 by Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada after a harsh expedition into the Andes conquering the Muisca, the indigenous inhabitants of the Altiplano.

After the Battle of Boyaca on 7 August 1819, Bogota became the capital of the independent nation of Gran Colombia. It was Simon Bolivar who rebaptized the city with the name of Bogota, as a way of honoring the Muisca people and as an emancipation act towards the Spanish crown.

The city is located in the center of Colombia, on a high plateau known as the Bogota savanna, part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. Bogota is the third-highest capital in South America and in the world, at an average of 2,640 meters (8,660 ft) above sea level.

Bogot is home to the largest number of universities and research centers in the country, and is an important cultural center, with many theaters, libraries and museums.