Villavicencio

Capital del departamento del Meta
Villavicencio (Spanish pronunciation: [biʎaβiˈθenθjo] or [biʝaβiˈsensjo]) is a city and municipality in Colombia, capital of the Department of Meta, with 361,058 inhabitants. (2005 census) The city is located at 4°08S, 73°40W, 75 km (about 45 m) southeast of the Colombian capital city of Bogotá (DC) by the Guatiquía river. It is also known colloquially as "Villavo".

Lying in a rural zone of tropical climate, Villavicencio is on the great Colombian-Venezuelan plain called Los Llanos, which is situated to the east of the Andes mountains. Villavicencio is also called "La Puerta al Llano," or "The Gate to the Llanos," due to its location on the historical path from the Colombian interior to the vast savannas that lie between the Andes range and the Amazon rainforest.

Villavicencio's proximity to huge mountains and great plains make the city an example of Colombia's geodiversity. Because it is located in the foothills of the Andes, the morning and evening breezes cool the city that is very hot for most of the day.