META

department, in eastern Colombia, bounded north by the Ro Meta and south by the Ro Guaviare. Created in 1959, it covers an area of 33,064 sq mi (85,635 sq km) and consists of lowlands, except for the Serrana (mountains) de La Macarena in the southwest and the Andean Cordillera (mountains) Oriental in the west. Agriculture is concentrated on the lower mountain slopes, where grains, oilseeds, coffee, and other crops are cultivated. The cattle industry is well developed, and mineral deposits include coal and salt. Industrial and commercial activity is centred on Villavicencio (q.v.), the departmental capital, whose chief industries are a brewery, a distillery, saddleries, soap factories, and coffee-roasting plants. A highway descends from Bogot to Villavicencio; one branch then leads east-northeast along the Ro Meta, and another runs southeast through the department. Air and river travel predominate in eastern Meta. Pop. (1981 est.) 388,917.