Colombia on Pixibot

The Republic of Colombia is a country in northwestern South America. It is bound to the north and north-west by the Caribbean Sea, to the east by Venezuela and Brazil, to the south by Ecuador and Peru, and to the west by Panama and the Pacific Ocean.

RepÃºblica de Colombia

National motto: Libertad y Orden (English: Liberty and Order)

Official language Spanish

Capital BogotÃ¡

President Ãlvaro Uribe VÃ©lez

Area - Total - % water Ranked 25th 1,138,910 kmÂ² 8.8%

Population
- Total (2003) - Density

Ranked 28th
44,531,434 36/kmÂ²

Independence
- Declared - Recognised

From Spain
July 20, 1810 August 7, 1819

Currency Peso

Time zone UTC -5

National anthem Oh Gloria Inmarcesible!

Internet TLD .co

Calling Code 57

History

History of Colombia Colombia

Around 1450 BC there was cultural activity in "El Abra", near BogotÃ¡. In 1000 BC amerindians developed the political system of "cacicazgos" (The Cacique) with a pyramidal structure of power, especially the Muisca or Chibcha people. They would be the biggest political system of South America after the Incas. Spanish explorers made the first exploration of the Caribbean littoral in 1500 (Rodrigo de Bastidas). In 1502 Christopher Columbus navigated near the coasts of Choco. In 1508 Vasco NuÃ±ez de Balboa started the conquest of the territory by UrabÃ¡. In 1513 Vasco NuÃ±ez de Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean that he called "The Sea of the South" and which fact would bring the Spaniards to Peru and Chile. In 1525, the first European city in the American Continent was founded, Santa MarÃa la Antigua del DariÃ©n in what is today the ChocÃ³ Department. The main people in the Colombian territory were hundreds of tribes of the Chibchan and "Karib" or Caribbean peoples whom they assimilated or killed through warfare, disease, exploitation, or conquest. They soon established settlements that eventually grew into the provinces which were part of the Captaincy General of New Granada. As it became a Viceroyalty in 1717, some other provinces of northwestern South America came under its jurisdiction. In the 16th century Europeans brought slaves from Africa.

Though there were independent movements of rebellion since the very beginning of the Conquest and Colony, the main one sprang up around 1810, led by SimÃ³n BolÃvar and Francisco de Paula Santander, that finally succeeded in 1819 when the territory of the Viceroyalty of New Granada became the Republic of Gran Colombia as a Confederation with Ecuador and Venezuela, Panama was a Colombian Department until 1903.

Internal political and territorial divisions led to the secession of Venezuela and Quito (today's Ecuador) in 1830. The so-called "Department of Cundinamarca" received then the name "Nueva Granada" until 1856 when it became the "ConfederaciÃ³n Granadina" (Granadine Confederation). In 1863 the "United States of Colombia" was created, until 1886 when it finally became the Republic of Colombia. Internal divisions remained, occasionally igniting very bloody civil wars and contributing to the US-sponsored secession of Panama in 1903. The most bloody of these wars occurred in the late 1940s and early 1950s, known as La Violencia (the violence). It claimed the lives of at least 180,000 Colombians. Its cause was mainly tensions between partisan groups.

In recent decades the country has been plagued by the effects of the influential drug trade and by guerrilla insurgents such as FARC and illegal counter-insurgency paramilitary groups such as AUC, which along with other minor factions have been engaged in a bloody internal conflict. The different irregular groups often resort to kidnapping and drug smuggling to fund their causes, tend to operate in large areas of the remote rural countryside and can sometimes disrupt communications and travel between different regions.

As a result of economic growth, and increased investment in national security, during Alvaro Uribe's government security indicators have improved substantialy, with the latest security indicators (avaiable at http:www.dnp.gov.co/novedades_detalle.aspx?idn=31) showing a decrease in reported kidnappings(decreased from 3700 in the year 2000 to 1441 in 2004), and >48% in homicides (july '02 to may '05)

Politics

Politics of Colombia Cali Colombia

Colombia is a republic where the executive branch dominates government structure. The president, elected together with the vice-president by popular vote for a single four-year term, functions as both head of state and head of government.

Colombia's bicameral parliament is the Congress or Congreso, which consists of the 102-seat Senate and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives. Members of both houses are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.

Colombia is a member of the South American Community of Nations.

The Colombian judicial system underwent significant reforms in the 1990s, and is undergoing a process of migration from a inquisitorial system to an adversary system. BogotÃ¡ and parts of the coffee growing region of Colombia have already adopted the adversary system, with the rest of the country following suit starting on January 1, 2006.

Geography

Geography of Colombia Bogota Colombia

Located in the North of South America (4 00 N, 72 00 W). The only South American country with coast in both oceans (Atlantic or Caribbean Sea with 1,760 km and Pacific Ocean with 1,448 km. Borders: North with the Caribbean Sea (sea boaders with Jamaica, Haiti and Dominican Republic). West with Panama (225 km) and sea borders with Costa Rica both in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean and Guatemala. South with Ecuador (590 km), Peru (1,496 km) and Brazil (1,643 km). East with Brazil and Venezuela (2,050 km).

Colombia has a total area of 1,138,910 sq km being the fourth biggest country in South America after Brazil, Argentina and Peru and the seventh one in the American Continent. From this area, the land has 1,038,700 sq km and the water area has 100,210 sq km. It has also an archipelago in the Caribbean sea (San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina) that forms the territory of the department San AndrÃ©s y Providencia.

The Colombian climate, though it is in the Tropical area (Ecuador), is made different by the influence of the Andes range. It is tropical in its coastlands and lowlands and cool in the mountains.

The Andes range is located in Colombia from Southwest (Ecuador boarder) toward Northeast (Venezuela boarder) and is divided in the Colombian Massif (Macizo Colombiano) in three ranges (East Range, Centre Range and West Range) that form two long valleys, Magdalena and Cauca follow by the rivers of the same name. The highest mountain in Colombia is not in the Andes but in the Caribbean plain: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta with its highest points named Pico Cristobal Colon (5,775 m) and Pico Simon Bolivar (same elevation).

The eastern half of Colombia, comprising more than half its territory, is plain and composed by savanna and rainforest, crossed by rivers belonging to the Amazon and Orinoco basins. The northern part, called "Los Llanos" is a savanna region, mostly in the Orinoco basin (therefor called also OrinoquÃa). The southern part is covered by the Amazon rain forest and belongs mostly to the Amazon basin. It is usually called AmazonÃa.

At the north and west of the Andes range there are some coastal plains. The Caribbean plains at the north and the Pacific plains at the west.

Colombian Pacific Plains are among the most rainy parts in the world, chieftly at the north (ChocÃ³).

The five traditional natural regions are therefor: the Andean Region, the Caribbean Region, the Pacific Region, the Orinoquia Region and the Amazonia Region. Some people also include an Insular Region, separated from the coastal regions.

Departments

Departments of Colombia

Colombia is divided into 32 departments (departamentos):

Amazonas (Leticia)

Antioquia (MedellÃn)

Arauca (Arauca)

AtlÃ¡ntico (Barranquilla)

BolÃvar (Cartagena)

BoyacÃ¡ (Tunja)

Caldas (Manizales)

CaquetÃ¡ (Florencia)

Casanare (Yopal)

Cauca (PopayÃ¡n)

Cesar (Valledupar)

ChocÃ³ (QuibdÃ³)

CÃ³rdoba (MonterÃa)

Cundinamarca (BogotÃ¡)

GuainÃa (Puerto InÃrida)

Guajira (Riohacha)

Guaviare (San JosÃ© del Guaviare)

Huila (Neiva)

Magdalena (Santa Marta)

Meta (Villavicencio)

NariÃ±o (Pasto)

Norte de Santander (CÃºcuta)

Putumayo (Mocoa)

QuindÃo (Armenia)

Risaralda (Pereira)

San AndrÃ©s and Providencia (San AndrÃ©s)

Santander (Bucaramanga)

Sucre (Sincelejo)

Tolima (IbaguÃ©)

Valle del Cauca (Cali)

VaupÃ©s (MitÃº)

Vichada (Puerto CarreÃ±o)

Additionally, there is one capital district (distrito capital), BogotÃ¡ D.C..

Economy

Economy of Colombia Periodicos De Colombia

After experiencing several decades of steady growth (average GDP growth exceeded 4% in the 1970-1998 period), colombia entered into a recession in 1999, and the recovery from that recession has been long and painful.

Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflict, but has evidenced recovery, particularly after the transition from president Pastrana to president Uribe in 2002. Other economic problems facing President Alvaro Uribe range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. Two of Colombia's leading exports, petroleum and coffee, face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are depressed. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by Uribe, which include measures designed to reduce the public-sector deficit below 2.5% of GDP in 2004. The government's economic policy and its controversial democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector, and GDP growth in 2003 was among the highest in Latin America.

All exports, imports and trade balance are in record levels, and the inflow of export dollars has resulted in substantial revaluation of the colombian peso, now trading around 2300 pesos for USD$1.

Demographics

Demographics of Colombia

Colombia has a diverse population that reflects its colourful history and the peoples that have populated her from ancient, to colonial and modern times. The historic amalgam of three main groups; Amerindians, Spanish colonists, and imported African slaves, are the basis of Colombia's current demographics.

Race mixing between these three was widespread and has produced distinct groups that now constitute much of the population. The country's largest ethnic group are known as mestizos (58%) and are the result of intermingling between Spaniards and Amerindians. Whites are mainly descendants of the Spanish colonists, and constitute the largest minority (20%) followed closely by Mulattos (14%) which are descended from the unions of Spaniards and African slaves. The remainder of the population comprises unmixed descendants of African slaves (4%) and zambos who descend from the mixture of African slaves and Amerindians (3%). Today, only about 1% of the people can be identified as fully Amerindian on the basis of language and customs. There has also been immigration from Europe and the Middle East, particularly Turks and Arabs. The predominant religion in Colombia is Roman Catholicism.

Colombia is the third most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico.

Culture

Culture of Colombia

Cinema of Colombia
List of Colombians
List of people on stamps of Colombia
List of universities in Colombia
Music of Colombia

Miscellaneous topics

Communications in Colombia
Foreign relations of Colombia
List of cities in Colombia
Military of Colombia
Palenquero
Street children
Transportation in Colombia

Cartagena Colombia