Boyacá Department

Boyacá is one of the thirty-two departments of Colombia. It sits in the middle of the country, mostly in the mountains of the Eastern Cordillera, close to Venezuela. Boyacá touches several other departments. To the north is Santander, to the east are Arauca and Casanare, to the south is Cundinamarca, and to the west is Antioquia. The capital city of Boyacá is Tunja.

Boyacá is known as "The Land of Freedom" because key fights for Colombia's independence from Spain happened there. The first fight was on July 25, 1819, and the last big fight, the Battle of Boyacá, was on August 7, 1819.

The department has three universities. They are the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC), the Universidad de Boyacá (UNIBOYACA), and the Saint Thomas Aquinas University.

Etymology

The name "Boyacá" comes from the Chibcha language. In their language, "Bojacá" means "Near the cacique" or "Region of the royal mantle". This shows the area's special meaning long ago.

History

The land we now call Boyacá was home to the Muisca people before Europeans arrived. They farmed and mined gold and emeralds.

The first Europeans here were Spanish explorers led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. They took control of the land and made the Muisca people work for them. In 1539, another Spanish explorer, Gonzalo Suárez Rendón, founded the city of Tunja. It became an important center for the Spanish.

In the 1800s, Boyacá saw many battles between groups fighting for independence from Spain and those who stayed loyal to the Spanish king. Important battles were the Battle of Boyacá and the Battle of Vargas Swamp in 1819. These battles helped lead to independence. Over time, the area changed governments and borders many times, finally becoming the Boyacá Department we know today.

Geography

Boyacá is in the central part of Colombia, in the Andean Region. It is mostly on the Cordillera Oriental mountain range and covers 23,189 km². Boyacá borders several areas: to the north it meets Santander and Norte de Santander, to the east it touches Arauca and Casanare, to the south it borders Cundinamarca and a bit of Meta, and to the west it reaches Antioquia and Caldas.

The land of Boyacá has parts of the Middle Magdalena valley along the Magdalena River, high mountains like the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, wide flat areas, and some eastern plains called the Llanos. Important features include the Range of the Zorro, Serrania de las Quinchas, and several high plateaus.

Boyacá has many rivers such as the Chicamocha River and Arauca River, plus tributaries that flow into larger rivers like the Magdalena and Meta. The department also has beautiful lakes including Lake Tota, Lake Sochagota, and Lake Fúquene, along with the Chivor Reservoir.

Río Surba

National parks

Main article: List of national parks of Colombia

Two special places, El Cocuy and Pisba National Parks, are in the northeast part of Boyacá. Pisba National Park is also in the department of Arauca. In the center of Boyacá is Lake Iguaque, an important area for plants and animals. The Ocetá Páramo, one of the most beautiful high mountain plains in the world, is in the northeast of Boyacá.

Climate

The central highland area has two rainy seasons: one from April to June and another from October to November, with about 1,000 millimetres (39 inches) of rain each year. The other months are usually drier, but some rain may still fall.

Provinces and municipalities

Boyacá Department has 13 provinces and two special districts. It also has 123 municipalities. The area includes 123 corregimientos and 185 police inspectorates, along with many towns and small villages.

Municipalities are grouped into 45 notary circuits with 53 notaries public. The main registry is in the department's capital, Tunja, with 13 smaller registries in the region.

See also: List of municipalities in Boyacá and Municipalities of Colombia