Cogua

Place in Cundinamarca, Colombia

Flag

Seal

Nickname:

current city of pure water

Location of the town and municipality of Cogua in the Cundinamarca Department.

5°3′19″N 74°1′17″W / 5.05528°N 74.02139°W / 5.05528; -74.02139Country

ColombiaDepartamentoCundinamarcaProvinceCentral Savanna ProvinceFounded23 August 1604Founded byLorenzo de TerronesGovernment

• MayorWilliam Dario Forero Forero
(2016-2019)Area

• City113 km² (44 sq mi) • Urban

14 km² (5 sq mi)Elevation

2,600 m (8,500 ft)Population

(2015)

• City22,361 • Density200/km² (510/sq mi) • Urban

7,736DemonymCoguanTime zoneUTC-5Area code1WebsiteOfficial websiteCenso DANE 2005

Cogua (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkoɣwa]) is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. It is situated on northern part of the Bogotá savanna with the urban centre at an altitude of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) at 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the capital Bogotá. Cogua borders Tausa in the north, Nemocón in the east, Pacho in the west and Zipaquirá in the south.^[1]

Etymology

The name Cogua is derived from Chibcha and means "Support of the hill".^[1]

History

Cogua in the times before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by the Muisca who lived on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and had established an advanced civilization. Cogua is located between two important sources of salt in the Muisca economy; Zipaquirá and Nemocón.

Modern Cogua was founded on August 23, 1604 by Lorenzo de Terrones.^[1]