Soacha
| Suacha | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
|
Motto: Latin: Sol omnibus lucet (The sun shines equally over everyone) | |||
 Location of the town and municipality of Soacha in Cundinamarca Department. | |||
  Suacha Location of the town and municipality of Soacha in Cundinamarca Department. | |||
| Coordinates: 04°35′14″N 74°13′17″W / 4.58722°N 74.22139°W | |||
| Country |
 Colombia | ||
| Region | Andean Region | ||
| Department |
 Cundinamarca | ||
| Province | Soacha | ||
| Established | December 31, 1600 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Municipality | ||
| • Mayor | Juan Carlos Nemocón | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 184.45 km2 (71.22 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 2,566 m (8,419 ft) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| • City | 398,295 | ||
| • Density | 2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 393,006 | ||
| Demonym | Suachuna | ||
| Area code(s) | 57 + 1 | ||
| Website | Official website (Spanish) | ||
Soacha is a city in Colombia on the southern edge of Bogotá, the country's capital. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working-class families.
Demographics
With a population of 398,295 inhabitants (2005 census), it is also Bogota's most populous suburb.
History
Soacha was founded on August 8 in 1600. It gained national notoriety after the presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated on August 18, 1989 while visiting the city during his presidential campaign.
In 2008, the 'false positives' scandal broke when 22 men from Soacha who had been recruited for work were found dead several hundreds of miles away. They had been killed by the military and presented to authorities as guerrilla fighters (insurgents) killed in battle, in order to increase action head counts. Similar cases have since appeared all over the country.[1]
References
- ↑ "In Colombia, 6 sentenced in 'false positives' death scheme". Los Angeles Times. June 14, 2012.
Coordinates: 04°35′N 74°13′W / 4.583°N 74.217°W