The Republic of Colombia
Colombia
is a country in northwestern South America. It's
bordered to the east by Venezuela
and Brazil, to
the south by Ecuador
and Peru, to
the North by the Caribbean Sea, and to the west by Panama
and the Pacific Ocean.
Origin and history of the name
The word "Colombia" comes from the name of
Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón in Spanish, Cristoforo
Colombo in Italian) and was conceived by the revolutionary Francisco de Miranda as a reference to the
New World, especially to all American territories and colonies under Spanish and Portuguese
rule. The name was not given to the country itself, but to a short-lived republic
consisting of present-day Colombia,
Venezuela,
Ecuador,
and Panama
(see Great Colombia). This republic collapsed in 1830 when Venezuela
and Ecuador
separated, the Department of Cundinamarca became a new country,
the Republic of New
Granada. In 1863 New
Granada changed its name officially to United States of Colombia, and in 1886 adopted its present
day name: Republic of Colombia.
History
About 1450 BC there was cultural activity near Bogotá, in "El Abra". In 1000 BC,
groups of Amerindians developed the political system of "cacicazgos" (answering to a figure known as the Cacique)
with a pyramidal structure of power, especially in the cases of the Muisca
people. They have been considered to have one of the most developed political
systems in South America, after the Incas. Spanish
explorers made the first exploration of the Caribbean
littoral in 1500 led by Rodrigo de Bastidas.
Christopher Columbus navigated near the Caribbean or
western coast of Choco in
1502. In 1508 Vasco Nuñez de Balboa started the
conquest of the territory through the region of Urabá.
In 1513, he was also the first European to discover the Pacific
Ocean which he called Mar del Sur
(or "Sea of the South") and which in fact would bring the Spaniards
to Peru and Chile.
In 1525,
the first European city in the American Continent was founded, Santa María la Antigua del Darién in
what is today the Chocó Department. The territory's
main population was made up of hundreds of tribes of the Chibchan
and "Karib", currently known as the Caribbean
people, whom the Spaniards conquered through warfare, while resulting disease,
exploitation, and the conquest itself caused a tremendous demographic reduction
among the indigenous. In the 16th century, Europeans began to bring slaves
from Africa.
The San Fernando
Castle in Bocachica, Cartagena de Indias.
Since the beginning of the periods of Conquest and
Colonization, there were several rebel movements under Spanish rule, most of
them either being crushed or remaining too weak to change the overall
situation. The last one, which sought outright independence from Spain,
sprang up around 1810.
Eventually being led by Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander,
the rebellion finally succeeded in 1819, when the territory of the Viceroyalty of New Granada
became the Republic of Great Colombia, as a Confederation with Ecuador
and Venezuela.
Modern day Panama,
which subsequently remained a Colombian department until 1903, when it became
independent, was also included in this union
Internal political and territorial divisions led to the
secession of Venezuela
and Quito
(today's Ecuador)
in 1830.
At this time, the so-called "Department of Cundinamarca" adopted then the name "Nueva Granada", which it kept until 1856 when it became the
"Confederación Granadina"
(Grenadine Confederation). In 1863 the "United States of Colombia" was created,
lasting until 1886,
when the country finally became known as the Republic
of Colombia. Internal divisions remained,
occasionally igniting very bloody civil wars
and, eventually, contributing to setting the stage for the U.S.-sponsored
secession of Panama
in 1903.
Afterwards, the country achieved a relative degree of political stability,
which was interrupted by a bloody conflict which took place between the late 1940s and the early 1950s, known as La Violencia ("The Violence"). Its cause
was mainly due to mounting tensions between partisan groups, reignited by the
murder of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, and it claimed the lives of at least
180,000 colombians.
To replace the previous 1886 document, a new
constitution was made in 1991, after being drafted by the Constituent Assembly of Colombia.
The constitution included key provisions on political, ethnic, human and gender
rights, which have been gradually put in practice,
though uneven developments, surrounding controversies, and setbacks have
persisted.
In recent decades the country has been plagued by the
effects of the influential drug trade and by guerrilla
insurgents
such as the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), or FARC, and illegal counter-insurgency paramilitary
groups such as the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (United Self-Defense Forces of
Colombia), or AUC, which along with
other minor factions have been engaged in a bloody internal armed 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. Since the early 1980s, attempts at
reaching a negotiated settlement between the government and the different rebel
groups have been made, either failing or achieving only the partial demobilization
of some of the parties involved. One of the last such attempts was made during
the administration of President Andrés Pastrana Arango, which
negotiated with the FARC between 1998 and 2002.
In the late 1990s, President Andrés Pastrana implemented an initiative named Plan Colombia,
with the dual goal of ending the armed conflict and promoting a strong anti-narcotic
strategy. The most controversial element of the Plan, which also included a
smaller number of funds for institutional and alternative development, was
considered to be its anti-narcotic strategy, consisting on an increase in
aerial fumigations
to eradicate coca.
This activity came under fire from several sectors, which claimed that fumigation
also damages legal crops and has adverse health effects upon population exposed
to the herbicides.
Critics of the initiative also claim that the plan represents a military
approach to problems that have additional roots in the social inequalities of
the country.
Colombian Foreign Affairs
During the presidency of Alvaro Uribe, who was elected on the promise to apply
military pressure on the FARC and other criminal groups, some security indicators
have improved, showing a decrease in reported kidnappings
(from 3700 in the year 2000 to 1441 in 2004) and a decrease of
more than 48% in homicides between July 2002
and May 2005.
It is argued that these improvements have favored economic growth.
Analysts and critics inside Colombia
agree that there has been a degree of practical improvement in several of the
mentioned fields, but the exact reasons for the figures themselves have
sometimes been disputed, as well as their specific accuracy. Some opposition sectors have criticized the
government's security strategy, claiming that it is not enough to solve
Colombia's complex problems and that it has contributed to creating a favorable
environment
for the continuation of some human rights abuses.
Politics
President of Colombia,
Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Executive Branch: Colombia
is a republic where the executive branch dominates government structure. Up
until recently, the president was elected together with the vice-president by
popular vote for a single four-year term, which functioned as both head of government and head of state.
However, on October 19, 2005,
the Colombian Congress amended the constitution, which now allows Colombian
presidents to serve up to two consecutive four-year terms. Department
governors, mayors of cities and towns and other executive branch officials are
elected for a three year term.
Legislative branch: Colombia's
bicameral parliament is the Congress of Colombia or Congreso,
which consists of the 166-seat House of Representatives of Colombia and the
102-seat Senate of Colombia. Members of both houses are elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms. Colombia
is also a member of the South American Community of Nations.
With congressmen, Colombia
also elects Department deputies, and city councils.
Judicial Branch: In the 1990s, the Colombian
judicial system underwent significant reforms and is undergoing a process of
migration from an inquisitorial system to an adversarial system. Parts of the coffee growing
region of Colombia
and Bogotá have already adopted the adversarial system, with the rest of the
country following suit starting on January 1,
2006. The judicial system
is headed by a Supreme Justice Court
and members are appointed by the president and congress.
Geography
Nevado del Ruiz
Located in the North of South America
(4 00 N, 72 00 W) and part of Caribbean South America. The only South
American country with coast in both oceans (Atlantic
or Caribbean Sea
with 1,760 kilometres (1,094 mi) and Pacific Ocean
with 1,448 kilometres (900 mi). Borders: North
with the Caribbean Sea (sea borders with Jamaica,
Haiti
and Dominican Republic). West with Panama
(225 km / 140 mi) and sea borders with Costa Rica
both in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean and Guatemala.
South with Ecuador (590 km / 118 mi), Peru
(1,496 km / 930 mi) and Brazil
(1,643 km / 1,021 mi). East with Brazil
and Venezuela
(2,050 km / 1,274 mi). Colombia
has a total area of 1,138,910 square kilometres (439,736 sq. mi)
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 square kilometres (401,044 sq. mi) and the water area
has 100,210 square kilometres
(38,691 sq. mi). It has also an archipelago in the Caribbean
sea (San Andres, Providencia
and Santa Catalina) that forms the territory of the
department San Andrés y Providencia.
Mainland territory divided into four major geographic
regions: Andean highlands (composed of three mountain ranges and intervening
valley lowlands); Caribbean lowlands; Pacific lowlands;
and Ilanos and tropical rainforest of eastern Colombia.
Colombia also
possesses small islands in both Caribbean Sea and Pacific
Ocean.
Valley of Cocora
Striking variety in temperature resulting
principally from differences in elevation; little seasonal variation.
Habitable areas consist of hot (below 900 m / 2,950 ft in elevation), temperate (between 900
& 1,980 m or 2,950 & 6,500 ft), and cold (from 1,980 m
to about 3,500 m or from 2,950 ft to 11,500 ft) climatic zones.
Precipitation generally moderate to heavy, with highest levels in Pacific lowlands
and in parts of eastern Colombia;
considerable year-to-year variations recorded.
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 or 18,947 ft) and Pico Simon Bolivar (same elevation).
The eastern part 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 (therefore called also Orinoquía). The southern part, usually called Amazonía, is covered by the Amazon rain forest and belongs
mostly to the Amazon basin.
At the north and west of the Andes
there are coastal plains, the Caribbean plains to the north and the Pacific
plains to the west.
The five traditional natural regions are therefore: 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
Additionally, there is one capital district (distrito capital), Bogotá
D.C.
Most Important Cities Of
Colombia
The "Catedral Primada de Colombia" in Bogota
Barranquilla
The most important cities of Colombia
are those that have the most important political, economic, industrial, urban,
and cultural development. A friendly rivalry exists between some cities, such
as Medellín, Cali,
Pereira and Manizales, because they claim to be
the best in their area, but the order of the cities is organized by which city
has the best development in all aspects (economy, industry, culture,
education). For that reason the most importants
cities of the country (14 cities) are classified this way:
Bogotá (La Atenas Suramericana – South America's Athens)
Medellín (La ciudad de la eterna primavera – The City Of
Eternal Spring)
Cali (La sucursal del cielo
– Heaven's Branch)
Barranquilla (La puerta de oro de colombia
– Colombia's Golden
Gate)
Bucaramanga (La ciudad de los parques – The City of
Parks)
Cartagena (La heroica – The Heroic (City))
Pereira (La querendona, trasnochadora y morena – The
Lovely Sleepless Brunette)
Manizales (La ciudad de las puertas abiertas
– The City Of Open Gates)
Cúcuta {La hermosa
villa - The Beautiful Village)
Pasto (Ciudad Sorpresa
– The Surprise City)
Armenia (La Ciudad Milagro
– The Miracle City)
Villavicencio (La Puerta al Llano - The Llano's Gate)
Valledupar (Capital mundial del
vallenato – World's Vallenato Capital)
Ibagué (Capital Músical de Colombia - Colombia's
Music Capital)
Popayán (La Ciudad Blanca -
The White City)
Economy
Colombian 1000 peso bill front
Colombian 1000 peso bill back
After experiencing 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 was
long and painful. Colombia's
economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government
budgets, and serious internal armed conflicts. The IMF Economic Indicators published on September 21, 2005, forecast the
Colombian GDP to reach US$112,300,000,000
in 2005. Inflation
has been below 6% for 2004 and 2005, and is expected to remain below 5% during
2006. Colombia's
main exports
include manufactured goods (41.32% of exports), petroleum
(28.28%), coal (13.17%), and coffee (6.25%). All imports,
exports, and the general trade balance are in record levels, and the inflow of
export dollars has resulted in substantial revaluation of the Colombian peso.
The problems facing the country range from pension
system problems to high unemployment. Several international financial
institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by current President Alvaro Uribe, which include measures designed to bring
the public-sector deficit below 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP). The
government's economic policy and its controversial democratic security strategy have
engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, and GDP growth in 2003
was among the highest in Latin America. ((English))
Demographics
Colombia
has many large cities, all of diverse populations
There are over 44 million people living in Colombia.
The country has a diverse population that reflects its colourful
history and the peoples that have populated here from ancient, to colonial and
modern times. The historic amalgam of three main groups are the basics of Colombia's
current demographics: indigenous Amerindians,
immigrant Europeans
(primarily Spanish
colonists), and imported African slaves. Other smaller immigrant flows include Asians
and Middle Easterners, particularly Arabs.
Colombia
is the third most populous country in Latin America,
after Brazil
and Mexico.
It is also the third country in the western hemisphere with the largest
Black/African-descent population, after Brazil
and the USA.
Religion
90% of the population practices Roman
Catholicism. Another 9% is divided mainly amongst the Protestant,
Mormon,
Jewish
and Muslim
faiths. 1% of Colombians practice indigenous religions.
