Facatativá

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Facatativá is a city in the Cundinamarca department, located about 20 miles northwest of Bogotá, Colombia. The city is known for its archeological park, called Piedras de Tunja (Tunja Stones), with its large rock formations that were once the bottom of a lake.

Facatativá's main industry is the plantation and growing of flowers. The land and weather is a perfect zone to the growing of roses which are mostly exported to the United States and Japan, having its peak of consumption during St. Valentine's Day. Besides the growing of flowers the city has some chemical and manufacturing industries as well.

The people are mainly a mixture of Spanish and Amerindian, having the mestizo race as the most common people, with at least a 15% of unmixed whites.

The city was founded by the Spaniard conquistador Diego Gomez de Mena on July 3, 1600.

The name is of Indian origin which means Fort at the end of the plains. The city was almost destroyed by an earthquake on February 9, 1967. The city was rebuilt under the administration of Bishop Raul Zambrano Camader. A town bears his name.

[edit] Facts on Facatativá

• Population: 90,266
• Elevation: 2,586 meters above sea level
• Founder: Diego Gomez de Mena
• Year of Foundation: 1600
• Municipal Market's day: Tuesdays
• Distance to Bogotá: 42 km (28 miles)
• Mayor: Alvaro Bernal Parra (in office until August 2007)
• Mayor's office address:Crs 3 #5-68
• City code: 571

[edit] Telecommunications

Two major central urban stations with Microwave, digital and analogic capabilities. Colombia's biggest transmitting relay antenna is located at the peak of the Manjui's Hill at 5 miles from Facatativá.

[edit] Military

Communications Battalion, Police and Anti-narcotics squads. Cavalry School and major Police headquarters for the protection of the Colombian Petroleums research facilities located there.