CUNDINAMARCA

departamento, central Colombia, in the Andean Cordillera Oriental, bounded west by the Magdalena River. Much of its 9,347 square miles (24,210 square km) consists of intermontane basins, from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m) above sea level, which have a temperate to cool climate. Their fertile but poorly drained soils support herds of blooded European dairy cattle and produce fruits and cereals. Part of Cundinamarca lies in the hot, dry Ro Magdalena Valley; the densely populated slopes between these two regions are especially celebrated for their coffee plantations. The department has extensive bituminous coal reserves; it is estimated that about half of the country's total coal reserves lie within a 120-mi (190-km) radius of Bogot. Cundinamarca was a centre of the Chibcha empire. Bogot, founded in 1538, was from the start the most important city in the Viceroyalty of New Granada, later to become Colombia. It has remained the economic, cultural, and political capital of Colombia despite its inaccessible interior location. In 1955 it was separated from Cundinamarca as a special district for administrative purposes, though it remains the department capital. Tourist attractions include the Salto (falls) de Tequendama, 300 ft high, on the Ro Bogot and Laguna (lake) de Guatavit, celebrated for the legend of Eldorado, or the golden man, which eventually evolved to mean an entire area of great wealth. Pop. (1981 est.) 1,224,456.