These are the 10 highest municipalities in Colombia: none are in Cundinamarca

Colombia is a country located in the north of South America where approximately 51,874,024 inhabitants live, according to figures given by the World Bank. Its distribution in the territory is given by 32 departments with 1,101 municipalities, 8,059 populated centers and 20 townships, according to information from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). Likewise, each of these places maintains certain unique characteristics in terms of tourist attractions, gastronomy and culture; but, also in geographical composition, as well as altitude.

Focusing specifically on the last mentioned, the different territories of the country are at different altitudes, that is, several meters above sea level (masl), a “standard with which the elevation of a given place is measured with respect to the average sea level in that area,” explains the company ‘Glaciar Ingeniería SAS’; Furthermore, depending Depending on how high they are, there would be a greater probability of having medical complications.

What does it mean to live in a place above 2,500 meters above sea level?

Living in an area that is located above 2,500 meters above sea level brings with it some medical implications for its inhabitants, as mentioned by Santiago Ucrós, pediatrician at the Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation in the ‘International Symposium of Medicine of Altura’ done at the University of Los Andes, who explains that “height affects the functionality of the cornea, which, for example, becomes thinner and loses its normal curvature, something that directly affects vision”; Furthermore, newborns would have an average of less than 100 grams of weight for every 1,000 meters above sea level of increase in height.

For its part, when a person is located at a high altitude, blood pressure tends to drop because there is less oxygen in the air; In that sense, it would be a bit difficult to breathe.

However, not everything is bad because according to what was pointed out by Ucrós, “the incidence of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction or the prevalence of type two diabetes is lower at altitude”; Likewise, colon cancer is less common.

Now, if a sudden change in altitude is made; For example, when traveling from one city to another such as from Cartagena to Bogotá, you could bring with you health problems such as cerebral edema, high altitude pulmonary edema, acute mountain sickness and more, therefore, it is important before going to any destination, to previously check the altitude of the area, as well as to go to a medical appointment “to receive prevention recommendations and avoid risks”, says the University of Los Andes.