Meta Department, Administrative department in eastern Colombia.
Meta is an administrative department in eastern Colombia covering more than 85,000 square kilometers and including both Andean mountains and Llanos plains. The capital Villavicencio sits at the western edge where the mountains transition into grassland landscapes.
The Colombian government created the department as a separate unit in 1960 and designated Villavicencio as the administrative seat. Before that, the area belonged to other territories and only developed into its own administrative space during the 20th century.
The area takes its name from the Meta River, which comes from indigenous language and marks the boundary between highlands and plains. People here maintain Llanero culture with horse traditions and music that emerged from the wide grassland landscapes.
Travelers reach the western parts by road from Bogotá, while eastern areas are mainly accessible by plane or waterways. The climate shifts between cooler mountain zones and warm lowlands, depending on the elevation you visit.
In Puerto López stands the Alto de Menegua monument, marking the geographic center of Colombia within this territory. The monument was built after surveys determined the exact position of the country's midpoint.
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