Bogota

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - DECEMBER 10, 2009: A view of the city seen from Monserrate Hill . Bogota is located on the west of the Savannah of Bogota (Sabana de Bogota), 2640 meters (8661 ft) above sea level. Although it is located in what is popularly called the "sabana", literally meaning "savannah", the geographical site is actually a high plateau in the Andes mountains. The extended region is also known as "Altiplano Cundiboyacense" which literally means "high plateau of Cundinamarca and Boyaca". The 'sabana' is bordered to the east by the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes mountain range. Surrounding hills, which limit city growth, run from south to north, parallel to the Guadalupe and Monserrate mountains. The western city limit is the Bogota River. Bogota, formerly called Santa Fe de Bogota, is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with an estimated 7,304,384 inhabitants as of 2009. Bogota is also the largest city in Colombia, and its altitude (2,640 metres) makes it the third-highest capital city in the world, after La Paz and Quito. With its many universities and libraries, Bogota has become known as "The Athens of South America". Bogota's constant growth and attempt to establish itself as one of the world's most important cities has not been unnoticed. In 2008, the World Cities Study Group and Network from the United Kingdom included the city in a list of World Cities ranked by their economical, political and cultural developments. Bogota is ranked as a World City in the same category as other global metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, Washington, Los Angeles, Dubai and Berlin, and above others such as Philadelphia, Boston, Miami or Montreal. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)