NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Colombian

The Republic of Colombia is a country in north-western 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. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, south of the Gulf of Mexico. ... The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela)1 is a country in northern South America. ... The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ... The Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. ... The Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua, Aymara: Piruw) is a country in western South America, bordering with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ... Panama (Spanish: Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. ... The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the worlds largest body of water. ...

The Colombian peso is the currency of Colombia. ... -1... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... The National Anthem is the name of a song by the band Radiohead. ... ¡Oh Gloria inmarcesible! (Oh Unfading Glory!) is the national anthem of Colombia. ... A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of which Internet domain names consist of. ... .co is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Colombia. ...

History

Spanish explorers arrived in the area around 1500, at which time they encountered many Chibchan and "Karib" or caribe peoples whom they assimilated or killed through warfare, disease, exploitation, and 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. An independence movement sprang up around 1810, led by Simón Bolívar 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. Events Europes population was ~60 million. ... Chibchan languages are a language family indigenous to Colombia and Central America. ... Captaincy General (sp. ... New Granada was the name given to a group of colonial provinces in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia. ... A viceroy is somebody who governs a country or province as a substitute for the monarch. ... Events January 4 — The Britain & France sign Triple Alliance March 2 — Dancer John Weaver performs in the first ballet in Britain shown in Drury Lane The Loves of Mars and Venus March 31 - Bishop Benjamin Hoadly, acting on the advice of King George begins the Bangorian Controversy by saying that... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios ( July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830) was a South American revolutionary leader. ... Francisco de Paula Santander (1792-1840), was a Colombian Revolutionist. ... 1819 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Map showing Gran Colombia The Republic of Gran Colombia, or Greater Colombia, was a short-lived republic in South America consisting of present-day Colombia , Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. ...

Internal political and territorial divisions led to the secession of Venezuela and Quito (today's Ecuador) in 1830 and the remaining Department of Cundinamarca was renamed New Granada until 1856 when it became the Granadine Confederation. In 1863 it became the United States of Colombia, 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. 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. These and other issues have hampered political and economic reforms, have led to disruptions of public life and attracted international concern about the situation in Colombia. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela)1 is a country in northern South America. ... The Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) Events January 18 _ Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ... Panama (Spanish: Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority, by any irregular armed force that rises up against an enforced or established authority, government, or administration. ... The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Peoples Army, or FARC-EP) was established in 1964 as the paramilitary wing of the Colombian Communist Party, and is Colombias oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped insurgent force. ... Counter-insurgency is the combatting of Insurgency, by the government (or allies) of the territory in which the insurgency takes place. ... A paramilitary is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) or AUC is a terrorist umbrella organization formed in April 1997 to consolidate most local and regional Colombia, each with the mission to protect economic interests and combat insurgents locally. ... In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away of a person against the persons will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment (confinement without legal authority) for ransom or in furtherance of another crime. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events...

Politics

Main article: Politics of Colombia Constitutional Reforms Colombias present constitution, enacted on July 4, 1991, strengthened the administration of justice with the provision for introduction of an accusatorial system which ultimately is to replace entirely the existing Napoleonic Code. ...

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. In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people that dont found their power status on any principle beyond the control of the people living in that state or country. ... Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... A head of state or chief of state is the chief public representative of a nation-state, federation or commonwealth, whose role generally includes personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers, functions and duties granted to the head of state in the countrys... The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. ...

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. Alternative meanings: Parliamentary system, Parliament (band), Parliament (cigarette). ... Congress (Spanish: Congreso) is the name given to Colombias bicameral national legislature. ... The Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia. ... The House of Representatives (Spanish: Cámara de Representantes) is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia. ...

Colombia is a member of the South American Community of Nations. The South American Community of Nations (SACN) (Spanish: Comunidad Sudamericana de Naciones (CSN), Portuguese: Comunidade Sul-Americana de Nações (CSN)) will be a continent-wide free trade zone that will unite two existing free-trade organizations—Mercosur and the Andean Community—eliminating tariffs for non-sensitive products by 2014 and...

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. Bogotá and parts of the cofee growing region of Colombia have already adopted the adversary system, with the rest of the country following suit starting on January 1, 2006. Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM... This article is about the inquisitorial system for organizing court proceedings. ... The adversarial system (or adversary system) of law is the system of law, generally adopted in common law countries, that relies on the skill of the different advocates representing their partys positions and not on some neutral party, usually the judge, trying to ascertain the truth of the case. ... Bogota is also a city in New Jersey, see Bogota, New Jersey. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Departments

Main article: Departments of Colombia Colombia is divided into 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento): Additionally, there is one capital district (distrito capital), Bogotá D.C.. See also ISO 3166-2:CO External links Colombias entry in Statoids Categories: Lists of subnational entities | Departments of Colombia ...

Colombia is divided into 32 departments (departamentos): The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ...

Additionally, there is one capital district (distrito capital), Bogotá D.C.. Categories: Departments of Colombia | South America geography stubs | Colombia ... Leticia, Colombia, is a small city of approximately 37,000 inhabitants on the left bank of the Amazon river, and at the point where Colombia, Brazil and Peru, come together in an area called Tres Fronteras. ... Antioquia was one of the states in the original United States of Colombia, and is now a department in the northwest part of the Republic of Colombia. ... Medellín is the capital city of Antioquia, a province in Colombia ( South America). ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Arauca is the capital of the department of Colombia also known as Arauca. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... A Colombian fisherman casts his line as the sun sets near Barranquilla, Colombia Barranquilla is the major industrial city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. ... Bolívar is a department of Colombia. ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena Bocagrande Cartagena San Pedro Square,Old City Cartagena Cartagena, Colombia, also known as Cartagena de Indias or La Heroica (The Heroic), is a large seaport on the north coast of Colombia. ... Boyacá is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Boyacá is centrally located within Colombia, almost entirely within the mountains of Eastern Cordillera, although the western end of the department extends to the Magdalena River at the town of Puerto Boyac... Tunja is a city in Colombia. ... Caldas is a department of Colombia. ... Manizales is a city of about 400,000 people and the capital of the department of Caldas, located in central Colombia. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Popayán is the capital of the Colombian Department of Cauca, with a population of about 215,000 people. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Valledupar is a city located in northeastern Colombia, and is the capital of the department of Cesar. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | South America geography stubs ... Quibdó is the capital city of the department of Choco, in western Colombia. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | South America geography stubs ... Montería,is a city in northern Colombia, 400km to the interior from the caribbean coast, capital of Córdoba Department, on the banks of the Sinú River. ... Cundinamarca is a department of Colombia, one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. Most of Cundinamarca is in the Eastern Cordillera, just south of Boyacá, bordered by the Magdalena River on the west, reaching down into the Amazon River basin on the east, and bordering... Bogota is also a city in New Jersey, see Bogota, New Jersey. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... For alternate uses, see Huila. ... Neiva is a city in Colombia with a population of about 330,817 people. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Santa Marta was the first city to be founded in Colombia and South America. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Villavicencio is a city in Colombia, 4°08N, 73°40W, 75 km (about 1:45 mi) SW of Santa Fé de Bogota (DC), on the Guatiquía river, capital of Meta department with aprox 400. ... Nariño is a department of Colombia named after Antonio Nariño. ... Pasto is a city of about 450,000 people and the capital of the department of Nariño, located in southwest Colombia. ... Gobernacion de Norte de Santander Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Cúcuta, also known as San José de Cúcuta, is a city in Colombia. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | South America geography stubs ... Categories: South America geography stubs | Towns in Colombia ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... There are parishes that have the name Pereira (Portuguese for pear tree): In Brazil Pereira Barreto, São Paulo In Portugal Pereira, a parish in the district of Barcelos Pereira, a parish in the district of Mirandela Pereira, a parish in the district of Montemor-o-Velho In Colombia Pereira, a... San Andrés and Providencia ( Spanish: San Andrés y Providencia) is a department of Colombia. ... San Andres Island. ... For alternate uses, see Santander. ... Bucaramanga is the capital of the department of Santander, Colombia. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Ibagué (1985 pop. ... Categories: South America geography stubs | Departments of Colombia ... Santiago de Cali, the citys complete name, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca, department in Colombia. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Bogota is also a city in New Jersey, see Bogota, New Jersey. ...

Geography

Main article: Geography of Colombia map of Colombia from CIA (free) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 72 00 W Map references: South America, Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 1,138,910 km² land: 1,038,700 km...

The western half of Colombia is dominated by the Andes, which split into three great mountain ranges, the Western, Central and Eastern Cordillera. The eastern half is characterised by lowland plains (Llanos), often densily forested, which contain many rivers. Colombia possesses the islands of Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia in the Caribbean and Malpelo and other small islands in the Pacific Ocean. Note that the geology in this article currently reflects views from the first decade of the 20th century. ... The Llanos (Los Llanos) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated at the east of the Andes in northwestern South America (Colombia and Venezuela). ... The Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia is a beautiful group of islands in the Caribbean about 480 miles north of Colombia and 50 miles from the coast of Nicaragua. ... The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the worlds largest body of water. ...

The local climate is tropical along both coasts and in the eastern plains, whereas the mountain ranges and highlands can be considerably cooler. Colombia's largest city is its capital Bogotá, other major cities include Cali, Medellín, and Barranquilla. Colombia is the only South American country that has coasts in both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Map of the climate of the Earth The climate (ancient Greek: κλίμα) is the weather averaged over a long period of time. ... Bogota is also a city in New Jersey, see Bogota, New Jersey. ... Santiago de Cali, the citys complete name, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca, department in Colombia. ... Medellín is the capital city of Antioquia, a province in Colombia ( South America). ... A Colombian fisherman casts his line as the sun sets near Barranquilla, Colombia Barranquilla is the major industrial city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. ...

Economy

Main article: Economy of Colombia Colombia is a free market economy with major commercial and investment ties to the United States. ...

Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflict, but seems poised for recovery. Other economic problems facing President Alvaro Uribe range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil 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. lvaro Uribe V lez (born July 4, 1952) is the President of Colombia (since 2002). ... A pension (also known as superannuation) is a retirement plan intended to provide a person with a secure income for life. ... Oil is a generic term for organic liquids that are not miscible with water. ... The Colombian Coffee Federation is a non-profit business association, popularly known for its Juan Valdez marketing campaign. ... GDP is an acronym which can stand for more than one thing: (in economics) an abbreviation for Gross Domestic Product. ... As opposed to the national security policy, carried out by South American governments in the 1970s and 1980s in order to stop comunism, both in the form of guerrillas, student movements and political parties; Uribes democratic security doctrine pretends to protect the Colombian society, threatened by illegal... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Colombia Colombia is the third-most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. ...

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. The predominant religion in Colombia is Roman Catholicism. Download high resolution version (1614x1080, 199 KB)Young Colombian Cowboy This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (1614x1080, 199 KB)Young Colombian Cowboy This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Categories: South America geography stubs | Towns in Colombia ... Mestizo (Brazil Portuguese. ... Representation of Mulattos during the Latin American colonial period Mulatto (also Mulato) is a term of Spanish and/or Portuguese origin describing the first generation offspring of a Sub-Saharan African and a European. ... Representation of Zambos during the Latin American colonial period Zambo (Cafuzo in Brazil and Lobo in Mexico) is a term of Latin American origin describing peoples of mixed African and Amerindian racial descent. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Colombia is the third most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ... The United Mexican States or Mexico ( Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México; regarding the use of the variant spelling Méjico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States of America, to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize, to...

Culture

This is a list of Colombians who are famous or notable. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Modern Colombian music is a mixture of African, native and European (especially Spanish) influences, as well as more modern American and Caribbean musical forms, such as Trinidadian, Cuban, and Jamaican. ... This article lists people who have been featured on the postage stamps of Colombia and its states. ...

Miscellaneous topics

Communications in Colombia Telephones - main lines in use: 5,433,565 (December 1997) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,800,229 (December 1998) Telephone system: modern system in many respects domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities international: satellite earth... Railways: total: 3,380 km standard gauge: 150 km 1. ... Colombias Ministry of Defense, charged with the countrys internal and external defense and security, has an army, navy--which includes both marines and coast guard--air force, and national police under the leadership of a civilian Minister of Defense. ... Colombia seeks diplomatic and commercial relations with all countries, regardless of their ideologies or political or economic systems. ... This is a list of cities in Colombia: Arauca, Arauca Armenia Barrancabermeja, Santander Barranquilla, Atlántico Bogotá or Bogotá D.C.(Capital) Bucaramanga, Santander Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Cali or Santiago de Cali, Valle del Cauca Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar Cúcuta, Norte de Santander Florencia, Caquetá Ibagué, Tolima... A street child or street kid is a child who lives on the street – in particular, one that is not taken care of by parents or other adults – and who sleeps on the street because he or she does not have a home. ... Palenquero (also Palenque) is a Spanish-based Creole spoken in Colombia. ...

External links

Categories: Colombia | South American countries This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Argentina is a country in southern South America, situated between the Andes in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east. ... The Republic of Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America. ... The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ... The Republic of Chile is a country in South America occupying a long coastal strip between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. ... The Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. ... The Co-operative Republic of Guyana is a nation along the northern coastline of South America. ... Panama (Spanish: Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. ... The Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked republic in South America. ... The Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua, Aymara: Piruw) is a country in western South America, bordering with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ... -1... For other uses of the word Trinidad, see Trinidad (disambiguation) The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a nation located in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. ... The Republic Eastern of the Uruguay (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay), is a Spanish speaking country located in southern South America. ... The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela)1 is a country in northern South America. ... The Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic consisting of two main islands known as East Falkland and West Falkland and a number of smaller islands. ... French Guiana ( French: Guyane) is an overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located on the Caribbean coast of South America. ...

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