Usme
Encyclopedia
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, capital city of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Usme is located in the southwestern part of Bogotá limiting to the north with the localities of San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal (Bogotá)
San Cristóbal, is the fourth locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the south-east of the city.- Borders :North: Santa Fe locality.South: The locality of Usme....
, Rafael Uribe Uribe
Rafael Uribe Uribe (Bogotá)
The Rafael Uribe Uribe is the 18th locality of the Capital District in the Colombian capital city Bogotá. It was named after the Liberal General Rafael Uribe Uribe. Historically it has NOT been predominantly a residential area with a very small commercial activity. Since the 1940s urban expansion...
and Tunjuelito
Tunjuelito
Tunjuelito is the 6th locality of the Capital District of the Colombian capital city, Bogotá. Tunjuelito is located to the south of Bogotá, bordering to the north with the localities of Bosa, Kennedy and Puente Aranda, to the east with the localities of Rafael Uribe Uribe and Usme, to the south...
, to the west with the locality of Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar (Bogotá)
Ciudad Bolívar is the 19th locality in the Capital District of the Colombian capital city Bogotá. Ciudad Bolivar is located in the southwestern part of the city. The rural area of the Ciudad Bolivar locality covers most of its area...
, to the south with the locality of Sumapaz
Sumapaz (Bogotá)
Sumapaz is the 20th locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is the largest of Bogotá's 20 localities, beginning from the north at the edge of the urban frontier and running south to the Cundinamarca border with Meta and Huila...
, and to the east with the municipalities
Municipalities of Colombia
The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,119 municipalities...
of Ubaque
Ubaque
Ubaque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
, Chipaque
Chipaque
Chipaque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
and Une
Une
Une is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
in the Department
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
.
Usme's urban area is separated from the main urban area of Bogotá, but the locality includes neighborhoods of south Bogotá.
History
The locality of Usme was founded in 1650 as "San Pedro de Usme" which became a center for the rural areas nearby dedicated to agricultural activities. These supplied food to BogotáBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. It was named after San Pedro (Saint Peter) and Usme after the name "Usminia" a female Native American. In 1911 became a municipality of Cundinamarca with the name of Usme and became known for its constant problems between landlords, tenants and peasant workers for the land. During the mid 20th century an agrarian reform finally arranged the land. The area then shifted from an agricultural production to industrial materials production mainly for construction, giving way to quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. In 1972, Usme is assigned to Bogotá's district as one of its localities.
Geography
Usme has one of Bogotá's natural parks called "Entrenubes" destined for ecotourism and preserving the local wildlife.Neighborhoods and villages
Usme has 126 neighborhoods and 17 "veredas".Of the 126 the most important area: Downtown Usme, Yomasa, El Uval, Monte Blanco, Santa Librada, Chiguaza, El Virrey, Chuniza, Puerta al Llano, Usminia, La Aurora, Marichuela, Sauces Miravalle, Santa Marta, Barranquillita, San Andres de los Altos, Costa Rica, Villa Isabel, Las Quintas, La Cabaña, Betania, Danubio Azul, La Fiscala, Chuniza, Lorenzo Alcantuz, Comuneros, La Requilina, Serranias, among others.
Transportation
Usme's main point of access is the Caracas AvenueAvenida Caracas (Bogotá)
Avenida Caracas, sometimes called Carrera 14, is an arterial road in Bogotá, Colombia that runs through the city from north to south.-Names:...
which is covered by the Transmilenio
TransMilenio
TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit system that serves Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. The system opened to the public in December 2000, covering Av. Caracas and Calle 80...
bus service in the Portal de Usme Station
Portal de Usme (TransMilenio)
Portal de Usme is one of the terminal stations in the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, opened in the year 2000.-Location:...
(Line H). The Caracas Avenue then becomes a highway which connects Bogotá and Cundinamarca Department
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
with the plains of the LLanos region
Llanos
The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....
in the Meta Department
Meta Department
Meta is a department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a grassland plain known as the Llanos. Its capital is Villavicencio...
towards its capital Villavicencio
Villavicencio
Villavicencio is a city and municipality in Colombia, capital of the Department of Meta, with 361,058 inhabitants. The city is located at 4°08S, 73°40W, 75 km southeast of the Colombian capital city of Bogotá by the Guatiquía river...
.