View source for Soacha

{{Infobox settlement
| official_name          = Soacha
| settlement_type        = [[Municipalities of Colombia|Municipality]] 
| image_skyline          = Soacha 2024 4.jpg
| image_caption          = Bike path in Soacha
| image_flag             = Flag of Soacha (Cundinamarca).svg
| flag_size              = 100px
| image_shield           = Escudo de Soacha.svg
| shield_size            = 100px
| nickname               =
| motto                  = {{langx|la|Sol omnibus lucet}}<br>{{small|(''The sun shines equally over everyone'')}}
| image_map              = Colombia - Cundinamarca - Soacha.svg
| map_caption            = Location of Soacha in Cundinamarca
| pushpin_map            = Colombia
| coordinates            = {{coord|04|35|14|N|74|13|17|W|region:CO|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = {{flag|Colombia}}
| subdivision_type1      = [[Departments of Colombia|Department]]
| subdivision_name1      = {{flagicon image|Flag of Cundinamarca.svg}} [[Cundinamarca Department|Cundinamarca]]
| subdivision_type2      = [[Cundinamarca Department#Provinces|Province]]
| subdivision_name2      = [[Soacha Province|Soacha]]
| established_title      = Founded
| established_date       = 15 August 1600
| founder                = Luis Enríquez
| government_type        = [[Municipality]]
| leader_title           = Mayor
| leader_name            = Juan Carlos Saldarriaga Gaviria<br><small>(2016-2019)</small>
| area_total_km2         = 187.4
| area_urban_km2         = 31.48
| elevation_m            = 2565
| elevation_ft           = 
| population_total       = 660179
| population_footnotes   = <ref>[http://www.citypopulation.de/en/colombia/cundinamarca/25754__soacha/ Citypopulation.de] Population of Soacha municipality with localities</ref>
| population_as_of       = 2018 census
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban       = 655025
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| population_demonym     = Suachuno
| area_code              = 57 + 1
| website                = [http://www.soacha-cundinamarca.gov.co/index.shtml Official website]
| footnotes =
}}

'''Soacha''' is an autonomous municipality of the [[Departments of Colombia|department]] of [[Cundinamarca Department|Cundinamarca]] in [[Colombia]], and part of the [[Metropolitan Area of Bogotá]]. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working-class families. Soacha borders [[Bojacá]] and [[Mosquera]] to the north, [[Sibaté]] and [[Pasca]] to the south, to the east the capital Bogotá and to the west [[Granada, Cundinamarca|Granada]] and [[San Antonio del Tequendama]].

== Demographics ==
With a population of 778,400 (2023 projection),<ref>[http://www.citypopulation.de/en/colombia/cities/ Citypopulation.de] Population of the major cities in Colombia</ref> it is the biggest city in Cundinamarca and one of the biggest in Colombia.

== Etymology ==
The name Soacha is derived from the [[Chibcha language|Chibcha]] words ''Súa'', name of Sun god [[Sué]], and ''chá'' which means "man"; "Man of the Sun". The original name ''Suecha'' has been changed to Soacha over time.<ref name=websiteSoacha>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.soacha-cundinamarca.gov.co/index.shtml Official website Soacha]</ref>

== History ==
Soacha was inhabited first by indigenous groups during the [[Herrera Period]] and later became an important village in the [[Muisca Confederation]], the former country of the [[Muisca people|Muisca]] before the arrival of the [[Spanish conquest of the Muisca|Spanish]] [[conquistador]]s. The ''[[zipa]]'' of Bacatá (now known as Bogotá) ruled over Soacha.

Modern Soacha was founded on 15 August 1600. It gained national notoriety after the [[President of Colombia|presidential candidate]] [[Luis Carlos Galán]] was assassinated on August 18, 1989, while visiting the city during his presidential campaign.

Also during 1989, the bombing of [[Avianca Flight 203]] happened in Soacha, killing everyone on-board plus three Soacha residents. The bombing was planned by [[Cartel de Medellin]] leader [[Pablo Escobar]], who intended to murder presidential candidate [[César Gaviria]], who was supposed to be on board. Gaviria had decided not to fly and instead went on to become President of Colombia.
 
In 2008, the [['false positives' scandal]] broke when 22 men from Soacha who had been recruited for work were found dead several hundreds of miles away. They had been killed by the military and presented to authorities as guerrilla fighters (insurgents) killed in battle, in order to increase action head counts. Similar cases have since appeared all over the country.<ref name=lat>{{cite news|title=In Colombia, 6 sentenced in 'false positives' death scheme|date=June 14, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2012-jun-14-la-fg-colombia-false-positives-20120614-story.html}}</ref>

=== Modern development ===
Ciudad Verde is a development project for the lower middle class (''estrato 3'') residents of Soacha with housing, parks and playgrounds. The project started in 2010 and is scheduled to be finished at the end of 2016.

== Food ==
Soacha has a specific neighborhood name Soacha Parque and it is the most important place that most of the people that go to Bogota have to go. In Soacha Parque their specialty are different kind of traditional desserts, some of them are [[Almojábana|almojabanas]] and [[buñuelo]]s, they are some kind of bread. Also, Soacha is famous because of the [[Dulce de leche|arequipe]] that is dulce de leche but arequipe is home version.

There is the largest logistics center in the coffee world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.expansion.com/latinoamerica/2018/06/09/5b1bb526e2704ec1428b4574.html|title = Colombia inaugura el mayor complejo logístico e industrial de café del mundo|date = 9 June 2018}}</ref>

== Born in Soacha ==
* [[Luz Marina Bernal]] (born 1960), peace and human rights activist, founder of the {{ill|Mothers of Soacha|es|Madres de Soacha}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oxfamintermon.org/es/que-hacemos/proyectos/avanzadoras/luz-marina |title=Luz Marina Bernal, la memoria de Colombia |trans-title=Luz Marina Bernal, the Memory of Colombia |publisher=[[Oxfam Intermón]] |language=es |access-date=14 January 2019}}</ref>
* [[Walter Pedraza]], professional cyclist

== Arts and Culture ==

=== Films ===
Netflix Triple Frontier [https://www.netflix.com/title/80192187]

==Climate==

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Soacha (San Jorge Gja), elevation {{convert|2900|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1981–2010)
|Jan high C = 	16.6
|Feb high C = 	17.0
|Mar high C = 	16.7
|Apr high C = 	16.1
|May high C = 	16.4
|Jun high C = 	15.8
|Jul high C = 	15.3
|Aug high C = 	15.6
|Sep high C = 	16.1
|Oct high C = 	16.1
|Nov high C = 	16.1
|Dec high C = 	16.4
| year high C = 	16.1
|Jan mean C = 	11.7
|Feb mean C = 	11.8
|Mar mean C = 	11.9
|Apr mean C = 	12.0
|May mean C = 	11.9
|Jun mean C = 	11.7
|Jul mean C = 	11.4
|Aug mean C = 	11.5
|Sep mean C = 	11.7
|Oct mean C = 	11.7
|Nov mean C = 	11.8
|Dec mean C = 	11.8
| year mean C = 	11.7
|Jan low C = 	6.3
|Feb low C = 	6.7
|Mar low C = 	7.0
|Apr low C = 	7.6
|May low C = 	7.5
|Jun low C = 	7.2
|Jul low C = 	7.1
|Aug low C = 	7.2
|Sep low C = 	6.8
|Oct low C = 	7.0
|Nov low C = 	7.0
|Dec low C = 	6.7
| year low C = 	7.0
|precipitation colour = green	
|Jan precipitation mm = 	23.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 	38.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 	61.8
|Apr precipitation mm = 	93.8
|May precipitation mm = 	98.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 	70.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 	63.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 	48.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 	52.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 	98.2
|Nov precipitation mm = 	86.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 	42.8
|year precipitation mm = 	778
| Jan precipitation days = 	7
| Feb precipitation days = 	9
| Mar precipitation days = 	12
| Apr precipitation days = 	16
| May precipitation days = 	19
| Jun precipitation days = 	19
| Jul precipitation days = 	21
| Aug precipitation days = 	18
| Sep precipitation days = 	13
| Oct precipitation days = 	17
| Nov precipitation days = 	15
| Dec precipitation days =	10
| year precipitation days =	171
|Jan sun = 	167.4
|Feb sun = 	144.0
|Mar sun = 	133.3
|Apr sun = 	117.0
|May sun = 	133.3
|Jun sun = 	144.0
|Jul sun = 	164.3
|Aug sun = 	164.3
|Sep sun = 	150.0
|Oct sun = 	130.2
|Nov sun = 	123.0
|Dec sun = 	155.0
|year sun = 	
|Jand sun = 	5.4
|Febd sun = 	5.1
|Mard sun = 	4.3
|Aprd sun = 	3.9
|Mayd sun = 	4.3
|Jund sun = 	4.8
|Juld sun = 	5.3
|Augd sun = 	5.3
|Sepd sun = 	5.0
|Octd sun = 	4.2
|Novd sun = 	4.1
|Decd sun = 	5.0
|yeard sun =	
|source 1 = [[Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Colombia)|Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales]]<ref name=IDEAM1>{{cite web
|url=http://www.ideam.gov.co/documents/21021/553571/Promedios+Climatol%C3%B3gicos++1981+-+2010.xlsx/f28d0b07-1208-4a46-8ccf-bddd70fb4128 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815025712/http://www.ideam.gov.co/documents/21021/553571/Promedios%2BClimatol%C3%B3gicos%2B%2B1981%2B-%2B2010.xlsx/f28d0b07-1208-4a46-8ccf-bddd70fb4128 
|archive-date=15 August 2016 
|title=Promedios Climatológicos 1981–2010 
|publisher=Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales 
|language=es 
|access-date= 17 June 2024
|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

== Gallery ==
{{left|<gallery mode=packed heights=150px>
File:Conjunto Portal del Nogal Soacha.jpg|Houses in Soacha
File:Parque Rincón de Santa Fé, Soacha.jpg|Rincón de Santa Fe park
File:Estadio Luis Carlos Galán-Soacha.JPG|Luis Carlos Galán Stadium
</gallery>
<gallery mode=packed heights=150px>
File:Hito Ciudad Verde.jpg|Entrance to Ciudad Verde
File:Logroño 1 Ciudad Verde.jpg|Logroño Park<br>Ciudad Verde
File:InteriorCasasCVerde.jpg|Housing and playground Ciudad Verde
</gallery>}}

{{clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Soacha}}
* {{in lang|es}} [http://www.alcaldiasoacha.gov.co/ Website of the city council]

{{Municipalities cundinamarca department}} {{Authority control}}

[[Category:Soacha| ]]
[[Category:Populated places of the Muisca Confederation]]