|
Bogota—officially named Bogota, 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
Originally called Bacatá by the Muiscas, it was the center of their civilization before the Spanish explorers colonized the area, and it sustained a large population. The European settlement was founded in August 6, 1538, by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and was named "Santa Fé de Bacatá" after his birthplace Santa Fé and the local name. "Bacatá" had become the modern "Bogotá" by the time it was made the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada, which was then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and later of the Viceroyalty of New Granada
| 
