Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, is officially called as Bogota D.C. with "D.C." meaning "Distrito Capital". Because the city and its metropolitan areas have a population of more 8 million, it is considered as the third highest major city in the world next to the metropolitan cities of La Paz and Quito. Due to its universities and extensive libraries, the city is also known as the Athens of South America.

Bogota was originally called as Bacatá to mean "planted fields". It is quite near the very center of the country and is located 2,640 meters above sea level. There are only two seasons - dry and rainy - in the city and the rest of the country.

Popular tourist attractions include the Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park, the Bogota Botanical Garden, Parque Nacional or National Park, Maloka (interactive science museum), Mundo Adventura (amusement park), and Salitre Mágico (amusement park). Tourists and residents also take the weekend sightseeing train called Tourist train.