Chía, Cundinamarca

Chía
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Moon City
Location of the town and municipality of Chia in Cundinamarca Department.
Chía Location of the town and municipality of Chia in Cundinamarca Department.
Coordinates:
Country	Colombia
Department	Cundinamarca
Province	Central Savanna
Foundation	Pre-Columbian
Government
• Mayor	Guillermo Romero Varela
Area
• City	80 km2 (30 sq mi)
• Urban	76 km2 (29 sq mi)
Elevation	2,564 m (8,412 ft)
Population (2012)
• City	200,000
• Density	1,080/km2 (2,798/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Chios
Website	Official website (Spanish)

Chía is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, located to the north of Bogotá on the main road to Zipaquira. Its history dates back to the pre-Columbian era. The name comes from the Chibchan language and means "moon" or "month".

Due to its proximity to Bogotá (2.7 km), Chía has effectively become a dormitory suburb of the capital. It is also home of the Universidad de la Sabana.

History

Chía was a Muisca settlement in the pre-Columbian era, and an important ceremonial center of worship to the moon deity Chia goddess. In 1537 the Spanish, under the command of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, took possession of the town.

In 1781, during the Revolt of the Comuneros, the march of the insurgents towards Bogotá stopped near Chía in order to cross the Bogotá River, in what is now known as the Bridge of the Commoners (Spanish: Puente del Común). At that site the viceroy signed a series of concessions to the rebels. However, once the rebel group had dispersed, the viceroy declared the concessions invalid for having been signed "under pressure". It is widely believed that eventually Bogota will merge with Chia, if the city continues expanding (as it happened with Bosa and Soacha).

Borders

• North with Cajicá and Sopó
• South: Localities of Usaquen and Suba, Bogotá
• West with Tabio and Tenjo
• Southwest: Cota
• East with Sopó

Other facts

Government Flag of Chía

• Market Day: Sunday
• Distance from Bogotá: 11.0 km
• Median temperature: 14 °C
• Demonym: Chiense or Chiano
• DANE Code: 25175

Sites of interest

• Marroquín Castle
• Hacienda Yerbabuena
• Commoners Bridge
• Chía Mall (Centro-Chía)
• Andrés Carne de Res
• Iglesia la Valvanera

Sports facilities

Olympic village, Chia

• Sports unit "Rio Frio"
• Olympic village
• BMX Track "Iván de Jesús Barrientos"

Schools&Universities

• Colegio Montemorel
• Universidad de Cundinamarca (Universidad Pública)
• Universidad la Sabana
• Colegio GICEI
• Colegio Santa María del Rio
• colegio mayor de los andes

External links

• (Spanish) Official site of the Chía city council
• (Spanish) : FOTW: Flag and Coat of Arms of Chia