Kuolombėjė – skėrtoms terp pakeitėmu.
Ištrintas turinys Pridėtas turinys
m r2.7.1) (robots Keitama: na:Korombiya |
Nėra keitimo santraukos |
||
Eilotė 1:
{{About|the country|other uses and spellings|Colombia (disambiguation)|and|Columbia (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Copy edit|for = ordinal suffixes and numbers (This is a competitions related article. Please remember style and spelling of [[English numerals#Ordinal numbers|Ordinals]])|date = August 2011}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name={{native name|es|República de Colombia}}
| common_name=Colombia
| image_flag=Flag of Colombia.svg
| image_coat=Coat of arms of Colombia.svg
| image_map=COL orthographic.svg
| national_motto=''"Libertad y Orden"''{{Spaces|2}}<small>{{es icon}}</small><br />''"Liberty and Order"''
| national_anthem=''{{lang|es|[[National Anthem of Colombia|¡Oh, Gloria Inmarcesible!]]}}''{{Spaces|2}}<small>{{es icon}}<br />O unfading glory!</small>
| capital=[[Bogotá]]
| latd=4|latm=39|latNS=N|longd=74|longm=3|longEW=W
| largest_city=capital
| official_languages=Spanish{{Smallsup|1}}<br />(English is also official in San Andrés and Providence islands)
| regional_languages=<small>The 72 languages and dialects of ethnic groups are also official in their regions.</small><ref name="constitution">[http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Colombia/col91.html Constitution of Colombia, 1991] (Article 10) {{es icon}}</ref>
| ethnic_groups=58% [[Mestizo]] <br />26% [[White Colombian|White]]<br />15% [[Afro Colombian]]<br />1% [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|Amerindian]]<ref name="CIAWFB" />
| demonym=Colombian
| government_type= [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] republic
| leader_title1=[[President of Colombia|President]]
| leader_name1=[[Juan Manuel Santos]]
| leader_title2=[[Vice President of Colombia|Vice President]]
| leader_name2=[[Angelino Garzón]]
| sovereignty_type=[[Independence]]
| sovereignty_note=From Spain
| established_event1=[[Colombian Declaration of Independence|Declared]]
| established_date1=July 20, 1810
| established_event2=Recognized
| established_date2=August 7, 1819
| established_event3=[[Colombian Constitution|Current constitution]]
| established_date3=1991
| area_rank=26th
| area_magnitude=1 E12
| area_km2=1,141,748
| area_sq_mi=440,831 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water=8.8 (17th)
| population_estimate=45,925,397<ref name="DANE clock">{{cite web|url=http://www.dane.gov.co/reloj/reloj_animado.php |title=Animated clock |publisher=Colombian State Department |accessdate=22 August 2010}}</ref>
| population_estimate_rank=27th
| population_estimate_year=August 2012
| population_census=46'406.352<ref name="DANE clock" />
| population_census_year=2005
| population_density_km2=40,74
| population_density_sq_mi=15.72<!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| population_density_rank=172nd
| GDP_PPP=$435.367 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=100&pr.y=7&sy=2008&ey=2011&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=233&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=|title=Colombia|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank =28th
| GDP_PPP_year=2010
| GDP_PPP_per_capita=$9,566<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =83rd
| GDP_nominal=$285.511 billion<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_nominal_rank =35th
| GDP_nominal_year=2010
| GDP_nominal_per_capita=$6,273<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =
| Gini=58.5<ref name="wb-gini">{{cite web |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI/ |title=Gini Index |publisher=World Bank |accessdate=2 March 2011}}</ref>
| Gini_year=2006
| Gini_category=<span style="color:red;">high</span>
| HDI=0.689 {{decrease}}<ref name="HDI">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Complete.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2010|year=2010|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=5 November 2010|page=145}}{{dead link|date=May 2011}}</ref>
| HDI_rank=79th
| HDI_year=2010
| HDI_category=<span style="color:#090;">high</span>
| HPI=67.2
| HPI_rank=2nd
| HPI_year=2006
| HPI_category=<span style="color:#fc0;">medium</span>
| currency=[[Colombian peso|Peso]]
| currency_code=COP
| country_code=CO
| time_zone=
| utc_offset=-5{{Smallsup|2}}
| time_zone_DST=
| utc_offset_DST=
| drives_on=Right
| date_format=dd-mm-yyyy ([[Common Era|CE]])
| cctld=[[.co]]
| calling_code=[[+57]]
| footnote1=Although the Colombian Constitution specifies Spanish as the official language in all its territory, the native languages (approximately 88 dialects) are also official in the whole country.
| footnote2=The official Colombian time, ([http://horalegal.sic.gov.co/ horalegal.sic.gov.co]) is controlled and coordinated by the state agency [[Superintendency of Industry and Commerce]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidencia.gov.co/prensa_new/decretoslinea/1992/diciembre/30/dec2153301992.pdf|title=Decreto 2153 de 1992, articulo 20|publisher=Presidencia de la República de Colombia|language=Spanish|accessdate=13 October 2008}}</ref>
}}
'''Colombia''' {{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Colombia.ogg|k|ə|ˈ|l|ʌ|m|b|i|ə}}, officially the '''Republic of Colombia''' ({{lang-es|link=no|República de Colombia}}, {{IPA-es|reˈpuβlika ðe koˈlombja|pron|República de Colombia.ogg}}), is a [[constitutional republic]] in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by [[Venezuela]]<ref name="lablaa">{{cite web|author=Gerhar Sandner, Beate Ratter, Wolf Dietrich Sahr and Karsten Horsx|url=http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/geografia/ctemc/ctemc03.htm|title=Conflictos Territoriales en el Mar Caribe: El conflicto fronterizo en el Golfo de Venezuela|work=Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango|year=1993|accessdate=5 January 2008|language=Spanish}}</ref> and [[Brazil]];<ref name="IBS">{{cite web|author=The Geographer Office of the Geographer Bureau of Intelligence and Research|url=http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS174.pdf|title=Brazil-Colombia boundary|work=International Boundary Study|date=15 April 1985|accessdate=5 January 2008|format=PDF}}</ref> to the south by [[Ecuador]] and [[Peru]];<ref name="CIA">{{cite web|author=CIA|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ec.html|title=Ecuador|work=World Fact Book|date=13 December 2007|accessdate=5 January 2008 }}</ref> to the north by the [[Caribbean Sea]]; to the northwest by [[Panama]]; and to the west by the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Colombia also shares [[maritime border]]s with [[Venezuela]], [[Jamaica]], [[Haiti]], the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Honduras]], [[Nicaragua]] and [[Costa Rica]].<ref name="jsicat">{{es icon}} [http://www.armada.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=17895 Tratados Internacionales limítrofes de Colombia]</ref><ref>{{es icon}} [http://pwp.supercabletv.net.co/garcru/colombia/Colombia/mapaAstronomica.html#seccion1 Colombia – Limites territoriales]</ref> With a population of over 46 million people, Colombia has the [[List of countries by population|29th largest population]] in the world and the second largest in South America, after Brazil. Colombia has the third largest population of any Spanish-speaking country in the world, after [[Mexico]] and Spain.
The territory of what is now Colombia was originally inhabited by [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|indigenous people]] including the [[Muisca]], [[Quimbaya civilization|Quimbaya]], and [[Tairona]]. The Spanish arrived in 1499 and initiated a period of [[Spanish conquest of the Chibchan Nations|conquest and colonization]] creating the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]], and then in 1717 the [[Viceroyalty of New Granada]] (comprising modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, north-western Brazil and Panama), with its capital in [[Bogotá]].<ref name="LABLAA6">{{cite web|author=Nicolás del Castillo Mathieu|url=http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/marzo1992/marzo3.htm|title=La primera vision de las costas Colombianas, Repaso de Historia|work=Revista Credencial|month=March|year=1992|accessdate=29 February 2008|language=Spanish}}</ref> Independence from Spain was won in 1819 by [[Simón Bolívar]], but by 1830 "[[Gran Colombia]]" had collapsed with the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador. What is now Colombia and Panama emerged as the [[Republic of New Granada]]. The new nation experimented with federalism as the [[Granadine Confederation]] (1858), and then the [[United States of Colombia]] (1863), before the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886.<ref name="CIAWFB">{{cite web|author=CIA world fact book|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html|title=Colombia|work=CIA|date=14 May 2009|accessdate=24 May 2009}}</ref> [[Separation of Panama from Colombia|Panama seceded]] in 1903.
Colombia was the first constitutional government in South America, and the Liberal and Conservative parties, founded in 1848 and 1849 respectively, are two of the oldest surviving political parties in the Americas. However, tensions between the two have frequently erupted into violence, most notably in the Thousand Days War (1899–1902) and La Violencia, beginning in 1948. Since the 1960s, government forces, left-wing insurgents and right-wing paramilitaries have been engaged in the continent's longest-running armed conflict. Fuelled by the cocaine trade, this escalated dramatically in the 1980s. Since 2000 the violence has decreased significantly, with many paramilitary groups demobilising as part of a controversial peace process and the guerrillas losing control of much of the territory they once dominated. Meanwhile Colombia's homicide rate, for many years one of the highest in the world, almost halved between 2002 and 2006.[14] Nevertheless, 2009 and 2010 saw an increase in the urban homicide rate, and according to the Maplecroft research institute, in 2010 Colombia still had the world's sixth highest risk of terrorism.
Colombia is a standing [[middle power]]<ref name="FSU">{{cite web|author=David R. Davis, Brett Ashley Leeds and Will H. Moore|url=http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~whmoore/ipi/harmel.conf.pdf|title=Measuring Dissident and state behaviour: The Intranational Political Interactions (IPI) Project|work=Florida State University|date=21 November 1998|accessdate=5 January 2008|format=PDF}}</ref> with the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|fourth largest economy]] in Latin America. However income and wealth are unevenly distributed.<ref name="lat-amer-problems-406">{{cite book|title=Latin America, its problems and its promise: a multidisciplinary introduction |author=Jan Kippers Black| publisher=Westview Press |year=2005 |isbn=9780813341644| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5v1gkSLNEA4C&pg=PA406&dq=farc+growers+peasants&ei=YCyPS97qM6XIlATi0cDDDQ&cd=4#v=onepage&q=farc%20growers%20peasants&f=false| page=406}}</ref> In 1990, the income ratio between the richest and poorest 10% was 40-to-one, climbing to 80-to-one in 2000.<ref name="americas-other-war-">{{cite journal|first =Doug |last =Stokes |year =2005 |month = 1 July|title =America's Other War: Terrorizing Colombia
|journal=Canadian Dimension |volume =39 |issue =4 |page =26}}</ref> In 2009, Colombia had a [[Gini coefficient]] of 0.587, the highest in Latin America,<ref name="otra-seguridad">{{cite news|title=La otra seguridad democrática |author=Rudolf Hommes |date=22 November 2009 |work=El Colombiano |url=http://www.elcolombiano.com/BancoConocimiento/L/la_otra_seguridad_democratica/la_otra_seguridad_democratica.asp?CodSeccion=9 |language=Spanish}}</ref> with 46% of Colombians living below the poverty line and 17% in "extreme poverty".<ref name=MERCOPRESS>{{cite web|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2010/05/04/almost-half-of-43.7-million-colombians-live-below-the-poverty-line |title=Almost Half of 43.7 Million Colombians Live Below the Poverty Line |publisher=[[MercoPress]]|date=4 May 2010 |accessdate=25 July 2010}}</ref><ref name=SemanaPoverty2010>{{cite web|url=http://www.semana.com/noticias-nacion/colombia-no-sale-del-club-pobres/136288.aspx |title=¿Por qué Colombia no sale del club de los pobres? |publisher=[[Revista Semana]]|date=13 March 2010 |accessdate=25 July 2010}}</ref><ref name=UNHR2008-2009>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/LACRegion/Pages/COSummary0809.aspx |title=OHCHR in Colombia (2008–2009) |publisher=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |accessdate=25 July 2010}}</ref>
Colombia is very ethnically diverse, and the interaction between descendants of the original [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|native]] inhabitants, Spanish colonists, [[Afro-Colombian|Africans]] brought as slaves and twentieth-century [[European ethnic groups|immigrants from Europe]] and the [[Arab diaspora in Colombia|Middle East]] has produced a rich cultural heritage.<ref>http://www.colombiaaprende.edu.co/html/familia/1597/propertyvalue-33415.html</ref> This has also been influenced by Colombia's varied geography. The majority of the urban centres are located in the highlands of the [[Andes|Andes mountains]], but Colombian territory also encompasses [[Amazon rainforest]], [[Llanos|tropical grassland]] and both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines. Ecologically, Colombia is one of the world's 17 [[megadiverse countries]], and is considered the most megadiverse per square kilometer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telepolis.com/cgi-bin/web/DISTRITODOCVIEW?url=/1604/doc/Parquesnaturales/paisajes.htm |title=en Colombia Paisajes naturales de Colombia |publisher=Telepolis.com |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
== Etymology ==<!--linked-->
The word "Colombia" comes from [[Christopher Columbus]] (Spanish: ''Cristóbal Colón''). It was conceived by the Venezuelan revolutionary [[Francisco de Miranda]] as a reference to all the [[Americas|New World]], but especially to those under the Spanish and Portuguese rule. The name was later adopted by the [[Greater Colombia|Republic of Colombia]] of 1819, formed out of the territories of the old [[Viceroyalty of New Granada]] (modern-day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador).<ref name="LABLAA5">{{cite web|author=Carlos Restrepo Piedrahita|url=http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/febrero1992/febrero2.htm|title=El nombre "Colombia", El único país que lleva el nombre del Descubrimiento|work=Revista Credencial|month=February|year=1992|accessdate=29 February 2008|language=Spanish}}</ref>
In 1835, when Venezuela and Ecuador broke away, the [[Cundinamarca Province|Cundinamarca]] region that remained became a new country – the [[Republic of New Granada]]. In 1858 New Granada officially changed its name to the [[Granadine Confederation]], then in 1863 the [[United States of Colombia]], before finally adopting its present name – the Republic of Colombia – in 1886.<ref name="LABLAA5"/>
== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Colombia}}
{{See also|Natural regions of Colombia|Geology of Colombia}}
[[File:Ritacuba negro.JPG|thumb|left|[[Sierra Nevada del Cocuy]].]]
[[File:Colombia rel 2001-2.png|thumb|350px|Shaded relief map of Colombia]]
[[File:Canon chicamocha.jpg|thumb|Chicamocha canyon in the Department of [[Santander Department|Santander]].]] Colombia is bordered to the east by [[Venezuela]] and [[Brazil]]; to the south by [[Ecuador]] and [[Peru]]; to the north by [[Panama]] and the [[Caribbean Sea]]; and to the west by Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. Including its Caribbean islands, it lies between latitudes [[14th parallel north|14°N]] and [[5th parallel south|5°S]], and longitudes [[66th meridian west|66°]] and [[82nd meridian west|82°W]]
Part of the [[Pacific Ring of Fire|Ring of Fire]], a region of the world subject to earthquakes and [[volcano|volcanic eruptions]], Colombia is dominated by the [[Andes]] mountains. Beyond the [[Colombian Massif]] (in the south-western departments of [[Cauca Department|Cauca]] and [[Nariño Department|Nariño]]) these are divided into three branches known as ''cordilleras'' (mountain ranges): the [[Cordillera Occidental (Colombia)|Cordillera Occidental]], running adjacent to the Pacific coast and including the city of [[Santiago de Cali|Cali]]; the [[Cordillera Central (Colombia)|Cordillera Central]], running between the [[Cauca River|Cauca]] and [[Magdalena River|Magdalena]] river valleys (to the west and east respectively) and including the cities of [[Medellín]], [[Manizales]], [[Pereira, Colombia|Pereira]] and [[Armenia, Quindío|Armenia]]; and the [[Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)|Cordillera Oriental]], extending north east to the [[Guajira Peninsula]] and including Bogotá, [[Bucaramanga]] and [[Cúcuta]]. Peaks in the Cordillera Occidental exceed {{convert|13000|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, and in the Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental they reach {{convert|18000|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Tallest Mountains">{{cite web|url=http://www.mountainpeaks.net/tallest_mountain_by_continent.php |title=Tallest mountains by continent |publisher=Mountainpeaks.net |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> At {{convert|8500|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, Bogotá is the highest city of its size in the world.
East of the Andes lies the [[savanna]] of the ''[[Llanos]]'', part of the [[Orinoco|Orinoco River basin]], and, in the far south east, the [[jungle]] of the [[Amazon rainforest]]. Together these lowlands comprise over half Colombia's territory, but they contain less than 3% of the population. To the north the [[Caribbean Region of Colombia|Caribbean coast]], home to 20% of the population and the location of the major port cities of [[Barranquilla]] and [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]], generally consists of low-lying plains, but it also contains the [[Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta]] mountain range, which includes the country's tallest peaks ([[Pico Cristóbal Colón]] and [[Pico Simón Bolívar]]), and the [[La Guajira Desert|Guajira Desert]]. By contrast the narrow and discontinuous [[Pacific Region of Colombia|Pacific coastal lowlands]], backed by the [[Baudó Mountains|Serranía de Baudó]] mountains, are sparsely populated and covered in dense vegetation. The principal Pacific port is [[Buenaventura, Colombia|Buenaventura]].
Colombian territory also includes a number of [[Insular Region (Colombia)|Caribbean and Pacific islands]].
=== Environmental issues ===
{{Main|Environmental issues in Colombia}}
The environmental challenges faced by Colombia are caused by both natural and human factors. Many natural hazards result from the geological instability related to Colombia's position along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Colombia has [[List of volcanoes in Colombia|15 major volcanoes]], the eruptions of which have on occasion resulted in substantial loss of life, such as at [[Armero tragedy|Armero in 1985]]. Geological faults that have caused numerous devastating earthquakes, such as the [[1999 Armenia, Colombia earthquake|1999 Armenia earthquake]]. Heavy floods both in mountainous areas and in low-lying watersheds and coastal regions regularly cause deaths and considerable damage to property during the rainy seasons. Rainfall intensities vary with the [[El Niño-Southern Oscillation]] which occurs in unpredictable cycles, at times causing especially severe flooding.
Human induced [[deforestation]] has started to creep into the rainforests of Amazonia and the Pacific coast and has substantially changed the Andean landscape. Deforestation is also linked to the conversion of lowland tropical forests to [[oil palm]] plantations. However, compared to neighbouring countries rates of deforestation in Colombia are still relatively low.<ref name="HDR Deforestation">{{cite web|url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/217.html |title=Human Development Report: Deforestation, 2007/2008 |publisher=Hdrstats.undp.org |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> In urban areas, contamination of the local environment has been caused by human produced waste, and the use of [[fossil fuel]]s. Participants in the country's [[Colombian armed conflict (1964–present)|armed conflict]] have also contributed to the pollution of the environment. Illegal armed groups have deforested large areas of land to plant illegal crops, with an estimated 99,000 hectares used for the cultivation of [[coca]] in 2007,<ref name="WDR Summary">{{cite web|url=http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2008/Executive%20Summary.pdf |title=UNODC 2008 World Drug Report, Executive Summary|format=PDF |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> while in response the government has [[Coca eradication|fumigated these crops]] using hazardous chemicals. Insurgents have also destroyed oil pipelines creating major ecological disasters{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}. Demand from rapidly expanding cities has placed increasing stress on the water supply as watersheds are affected and ground water tables fall. Nonetheless, Colombia is the fourth country in the world by magnitude of total freshwater supply, and still has large reserves of freshwater.<ref name=worldwater>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwater.org/data.html|title=The World's Water|publisher=[[Pacific Institute]]|year=2008|pages=tables 1|accessdate=1 February 2009}}</ref>
== History ==
{{Main|History of Colombia|Timeline of Colombian history}}
[[File:Villadeleyva10.jpg|thumb|[[Villa de Leyva]]]]
=== Pre-Colombian era ===<!-- THIS SPELLING (Pre-ColUmbian) IS CORRECT, please do not edit it. It originates from "(Christopher) Columbus", not "Colombia"-->
Approximately 10,000 BC, [[hunter-gatherer]] societies existed near present-day Bogotá (at "[[El Abra]]" and "Tequendama") which traded with one another and with cultures living in the [[Magdalena River]] Valley.<ref>Van der Hammen, T. and Correal, G. 1978: "Prehistoric man on the Sabana de Bogotá: data for an ecological prehistory"; Paleography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 25:179–190</ref> Beginning in the first millennium BC, groups of [[Amerindian]]s developed the political system of "[[cacicazgo]]s" with a pyramidal structure of power headed by [[Cacique Nutibara Bloc|caciques]]. Within Colombia, the two cultures with the most complex cacicazgo systems were the [[Tayrona]]s in the [[Caribbean Region]], and the [[Muisca]]s in the highlands around Bogotá, both of which were of the [[Chibcha]] language family. The Muisca people are considered to have had one of the most developed political systems in South America, after the [[Inca]]s.<ref>Broadbent, Sylvia 1965: Los Chibchas: organización socio-política. Série Latinoamericana 5. Bogotá: Facultad de Sociología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia</ref>
=== Spanish discovery, conquest, and colonization ===
[[File:Ataque Cartagena de Indias.jpg|thumb|Attack on [[Cartagena de Indias]]]]
Spanish explorers made the first exploration of the Caribbean littoral in 1499 led by [[Rodrigo de Bastidas]]. [[Christopher Columbus]] navigated near the Caribbean in 1502. In 1508, [[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]] started the conquest of the territory through the region of Urabá. In 1513, he was 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.
Alonso de Lugo (who had sailed with Columbus) reached the Guajira Peninsula in 1500. Santa Marta was founded in 1525, and Cartagena in 1533. Gonzalo Jiminez de Quesada led an expedition to the interior in 1535, and founded the "New City of Granada", the name soon changed to "Santa Fé." Two other notable journeys by Spaniards to the interior took place in the same period. Sebastian de Belalcazar, conqueror of Quito, traveled north and founded Cali in 1536 and Popayán in 1537; Nicolas Federman crossed the Llanos Orientales and went over the Eastern Cordillera.<ref>Simons, Geoff. Colombia: A Brutal History (London: Saqi, 2004), p. 19.</ref>
The territory's main population was made up of hundreds of tribes of the [[Chibchan]] and [[Carib people|Carib]], currently known as the Caribbean people, whom the [[Spaniards]] conquered through warfare and alliances, while resulting disease such as [[smallpox]], and the conquest and [[ethnic cleansing]] itself caused a demographic reduction among the indigenous people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/variables/smallpox.html |title=The Story Of... Smallpox – and other Deadly Eurasian Germs |publisher=Pbs.org |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> In the 16th century, [[European ethnic groups|Europeans]] began to bring slaves from Africa.
=== Independence from Spain ===
{{Main|Colombian Declaration of Independence}}
[[File:Congreso de Cúcuta.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Francisco de Paula Santander]], [[Simón Bolivar]] and other heroes of the Independence of Colombia in the [[Congress of Cúcuta]].]]
Since the beginning of the periods of conquest and colonization, there were several rebel movements under Spanish rule, most of them were either crushed or remained too weak to change the overall situation. The last one which sought outright independence from Spain sprang up around 1810, following the independence of St. Domingue (present-day Haiti) in 1804, which provided a non-negligible degree of support to the eventual leaders of this rebellion: [[Simón Bolívar]] and [[Francisco de Paula Santander]].
A movement initiated by [[Antonio Nariño]], who opposed Spanish centralism and led the opposition against the [[viceroyalty]], led to the independence of [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] in November 1811, and the formation of two independent governments which fought a civil war – a period known as [[La Patria Boba]]. The following year Nariño proclaimed the [[United Provinces of New Granada]], headed by Camilo Torres Tenorio. Despite the successes of the rebellion, the emergence of two distinct ideological currents among the liberators (federalism and centralism) gave rise to an internal clash which contributed to the reconquest of territory by the Spanish. The viceroyalty was restored under the command of Juan de Samano, whose regime punished those who participated in the uprisings. The retribution stoked renewed rebellion, which, combined with a weakened Spain, made possible a successful rebellion led by the Venezuelan-born Simón Bolívar, who finally proclaimed independence in 1819. The pro-Spanish resistance was finally defeated in 1822 in the present territory of Colombia and in 1823 in Venezuela.
The territory of the [[Viceroyalty of New Granada]] became the [[Gran Colombia|Republic of Colombia]] organized as a union of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela (Panama was then an integral part of Colombia). The Congress of Cucuta in 1821 adopted a constitution for the new Republic. Simón Bolívar became the first [[President of Colombia]], and Francisco de Paula Santander was made [[Vice President of Colombia|Vice President]]. However, the new republic was very unstable and ended with the rupture of Venezuela in 1829, followed by Ecuador in 1830.
=== Post-independence and republicanism ===
{{Main|La Violencia|El Bogotazo|National Front (Colombia)|Colombian armed conflict (1964–present)}}
[[File:Gran Colombia map 1824.jpg|thumb|The [[Gran Colombia]]]]
Internal political and territorial divisions led to the secession of Venezuela and Quito (today's Ecuador) in 1830. The so-called "Department of [[Cundinamarca Department (1824)|Cundinamarca]]" adopted the name "[[Republic of the New Granada|Nueva Granada]]", which it kept until 1856 when it became the "Confederación Granadina" ([[Granadine Confederation]]). After a [[Colombian Civil War (1860–1862)|two-year civil war]] 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 between the bipartisan political forces, occasionally igniting very bloody civil wars, the most significant being the [[Thousand Days' War]] (1899–1902).
This, together with the United States of America's intentions to influence the area (especially the [[Panama Canal]] construction and control) led to the separation of the Department of Panama in 1903 and the establishment of it as a nation. The United States paid Colombia $25,000,000 in 1921, seven years after completion of the canal, for redress of President Roosevelt's role in the creation of Panama, and Colombia recognized Panama under the terms of the [[Thomson-Urrutia Treaty]].
Colombia was engulfed in the Year-Long War with Peru over a territorial dispute involving the [[Amazonas Department]] and its capital [[Leticia, Colombia|Leticia]].
Soon after, Colombia achieved a relative degree of political stability, which was interrupted by a bloody conflict that took place between the late 1940s and the early 1950s, a period known as ''[[La Violencia]]'' ("The Violence"). Its cause was mainly mounting tensions between the two leading political parties, which subsequently ignited after the assassination of the [[Colombian Liberal Party|Liberal]] presidential candidate [[Jorge Eliécer Gaitán]] on 9 April 1948. This ensuing riots in Bogotá, known as [[El Bogotazo]], spread throughout the country and claimed the lives of at least 180,000 Colombians {{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}.
From 1953 to 1964 the violence between the two political parties decreased first when [[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla|Gustavo Rojas]] deposed the President of Colombia in a coup d'état and negotiated with the Guerrillas, and then under the [[military junta]] of General [[Gabriel París Gordillo]].
After Rojas' deposition the [[Colombian Conservative Party]] and Colombian Liberal Party agreed to the create the "National Front", a coalition which would jointly govern the country. Under the deal, the presidency would alternate between conservatives and liberals every 4 years for 16 years; the two parties would have parity in all other elective offices. The National Front ended "La Violencia", and National Front administrations attempted to institute far-reaching social and economic reforms in cooperation with the Alliance for Progress. In the end, the contradictions between each successive Liberal and Conservative administration made the results decidedly mixed. Despite the progress in certain sectors, many social and political problems continued, and guerrilla groups were formally created such as the [[FARC]], [[National Liberation Army (Colombia)|ELN]] and [[19th of April Movement|M-19]] to fight the government and political apparatus.
Emerging in the late 1970s, powerful and violent [[drug cartel]]s further developed during the 1980s and 1990s. The Medellín Cartel under [[Pablo Escobar]] and the [[Cali Cartel]], in particular, exerted political, economic and social influence in Colombia during this period. These cartels also financed and influenced different illegal armed groups throughout the political spectrum. Some enemies of these allied with the guerrillas and created or influenced [[Paramilitarism in Colombia|paramilitary groups]].
[[File:Pabloisdead.png|thumb|The Colombian armed forces around the dead body of the notorious drug lord [[Pablo Escobar]].]]
The new [[Colombian Constitution of 1991]], ratified after being drafted by the [[Constituent Assembly of Colombia]], included key provisions on political, ethnic, human and gender rights. The new constitution initially prohibited the extradition of Colombian nationals, causing accusations that drug cartels had successfully lobbied for the provision; extradition resumed in 1996 after the provision was repealed. The cartels had previously promoted a violent campaign against extradition, leading to many [[terrorist attack]]s and [[mafia]]-style executions. They also tried to influence the government and political structure of Colombia through corruption, as in the case of the [[8000 Process]] scandal.
In recent years,{{When|date=September 2011}} the country has continued to be plagued by the effects of the drug trade, [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] [[insurgency|insurgencies]] like FARC, and paramilitary groups such as the [[United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia|AUC]], which along with other minor factions have engaged in a bloody internal [[Colombian Armed Conflict|armed conflict]]. President [[Andrés Pastrana]] and the FARC attempted to negotiate a solution to the conflict between 1999 and 2002. The government set up a "demilitarized" zone, but repeated tensions and crises led the Pastrana administration to conclude that the negotiations were ineffectual. Pastrana also began to implement the [[Plan Colombia]] initiative, with the dual goal of ending the armed conflict and promoting a strong [[narcotic|anti-narcotic]] strategy.
During the presidency of [[Álvaro Uribe]], the government applied more military pressure on the FARC and other outlawed groups. After the offensive, supported by aid from the United States, many security indicators improved. Reported [[Kidnappings in Colombia|kidnappings]] showed a steep decrease (from 3,700 in 2000 to 172 in 2009 (Jan.-Oct.)) as did intentional homicides (from 28,837 in 2002 to 15,817 in 2009, according to police, while the health system reported a decline from 28,534 to 17,717 during the same period). The rate of abductions declined steadily for almost a decade until 2010, when 280 cases were reported between January and October, most concentrated in the [[Medellín]] area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12941-kidnapping-on-the-rise-for-1st-time-in-decade.html |title=Kidnapping on the rise for 1st time in decade|publisher=Colombia Reports |date=17 November 2010 |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sigob.gov.co/ind/indicadores.aspx?m=552 |title=Disminuir la tasa anual de homicidios por cada 100. 000 habitantes ( Sin accidentes de transito) |accessdate=15 March 2010 |publisher=SIGOB |language=Spanish}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medicinalegal.gov.co/drip/2002/Homicidios2002.pdf |title=Homicidios 2002 |accessdate=16 May 2009 |format=PDF |pages=38, 42 |publisher=Medicina Legal |language=Spanish}}{{dead link|date=May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medicinalegal.gov.co/drip/2009/2%20Forensis%202009%20Homicidios.pdf |title=Homicidios 2009 |accessdate=19 November 2010 |format=PDF |pages=30, 35–37, 65 |publisher=Medicina Legal |language=Spanish}}{{dead link|date=May 2011}}</ref> According to official statistics, guerrillas were reduced from 24,000 fighters in 2002 to 9,500 in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/10983-farc-eln-have-less-than-10000-members-government.html |title=FARC, ELN have less than 10,000 members: government|publisher=Colombia Reports |date=24 July 2010 |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref> While rural areas and jungles remained dangerous, the overall reduction of violence led to the growth of internal travel and tourism.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7121789 "Come to Sunny Colombia"] ''The Economist'', 29 June 2006.</ref>
The [[2006–2007 Colombian parapolitics scandal]] emerged from the revelations and judicial implications of past and present links between paramilitary groups, mainly the AUC, and some government officials and many politicians, mostly allied to the governing administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polodemocratico.net/Por-que-la-parapolitica |title=Polo Democratico Alternativo ¿Por qué la parapolítica?|publisher=Polodemocratico.net |date=26 February 2007|language=Spanish |accessdate=16 May 2010}}{{dead link|date=May 2011}}</ref>
== Government ==
{{Main|Government of Colombia}}
{{See also|Colombian Constitution of 1991}}
[[File:Juanmanuelsantos1.png|thumb|upright|Current President [[Juan Manuel Santos]]]]
The government of Colombia takes place within the framework of a [[presidential system|presidential]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] republic as established in the [[Colombian Constitution of 1991|Constitution of 1991]]. In accordance with the principle of [[separation of powers]], government is divided into three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.
[[File:Casadenariño1.jpg|thumb|left|Nariño Palace, presidential residence.]]
As the head of the executive branch, the [[President of Colombia]] serves as both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]], followed by the [[Vice President of Colombia|Vice President]] and the [[Council of Ministers of the Republic of Colombia|Council of Ministers]]. The president is elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms and is limited to a maximum of two such terms (increased from one in 2005). At the provincial level executive power is vested in [[List of Colombian Department Governors|department governors]], [[municipalities of Colombia|municipal mayors]] and local administrators for smaller administrative subdivisions, such as ''corregidores'' or ''[[Corregimientos of Colombia|corregimientos]]''.
The legislative branch of government is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The 102-seat [[Senate of Colombia|Colombian senate]] is elected nationally and the Representatives are elected by every region and minority groups.<ref>Colombian Constitution. 1991</ref> Members of both houses are elected to serve four-year terms two months before the president, also by popular vote. At the provincial level the legislative branch is represented by [[List of Colombian Department Assemblies|department assemblies]] and municipal councils. All regional elections are held one year and five months after the presidential election.
The judicial branch is headed by the [[Supreme Court of Colombia|Supreme Court]], consisting of 23 judges divided into three chambers (Penal, Civil and Agrarian, and Labour). The judicial branch also includes the [[Council of State of Colombia|Council of State]], which has special responsibility for [[administrative law]] and also provides legal advice to the executive, the [[Constitutional Court of Colombia|Constitutional Court]], responsible for assuring the integrity of the Colombian constitution, and the [[Superior Council of Judicature]], responsible for auditing the judicial branch. Colombia operates a system of [[civil law (legal system)|civil law]], which since 2005 has been applied through an [[adversarial system]].
=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Departments of Colombia|Municipalities of Colombia}}
{{See also|List of cities in Colombia|Corregimientos of Colombia}}
<small>Click on a department on the map below to go to its article.</small>
{{Colombia map clickable}}
{| style="background:none;"
|- valign="top"
|<!--First column:-->
{| class="wikitable"
|||{{Spaces|1}}'''Department''' || {{Smaller|'''Capital city'''}}
|-
| '''1''' || [[File:Flag of Amazonas (Colombia).svg|border|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Amazonas]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Amazonas Department|Amazonas]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Leticia, Colombia|Leticia]]}}
|-
| '''2''' || [[File:Flag of Antioquia.svg|border|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Antioquia]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Antioquia Department|Antioquia]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Medellín]]}}
|-
| '''3''' || [[File:Flag of Arauca.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Arauca]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Arauca Department|Arauca]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Arauca, Arauca|Arauca]]}}
|-
| '''4''' || [[File:Flag of Atlántico.svg|border|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Atlántico]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Atlántico Department|Atlántico]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Barranquilla]]}}
|-
| '''5''' || [[File:Flag of Bolívar.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Bolívar]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Bolívar Department|Bolívar]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]]}}
|-
| '''6''' || [[File:Flag of Boyacá.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Boyacá]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Boyacá Department|Boyacá]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Tunja]]}}
|-
| '''7''' || [[File:Flag of Caldas.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Caldas]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Caldas Department|Caldas]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Manizales]]}}
|-
| '''8''' || [[File:Flag of Caquetá.svg|border|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Caquetá]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Department of Caquetá|Caquetá]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Florencia, Caquetá|Florencia]]}}
|-
| '''9''' || [[File:Flag of Casanare.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Casanare]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Casanare Department|Casanare]]}}'''{{Spaces|2}}||{{Smaller|[[Yopal]]}}
|-
| '''10''' || [[File:Flag of Cauca Department.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Cauca]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Cauca Department|Cauca]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Popayán]]}}
|-
| '''11''' || [[File:Flag of Cesar.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Cesar]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Cesar Department|Cesar]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Valledupar]]}}{{nbsp|6}}
|-
| '''12''' || [[File:Flag of Chocó.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Chocó]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Chocó Department|Chocó]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Quibdó]]}}
|-
| '''13''' || [[File:Flag of Córdoba.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Córdoba]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Córdoba Department|Córdoba]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Montería]]}}
|-
| '''14''' || [[File:Flag of Cundinamarca Department.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Cundinamarca]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Cundinamarca Department|Cundinamarca]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Bogotá]]}}
|-
| '''15''' || [[File:Flag of Guainía.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Guainía]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Guainía Department|Guainía]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Inírida, Guainía|Inírida]]}}
|-
| '''16''' || [[File:Flag of Guaviare Department.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Guaviare]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Guaviare Department|Guaviare]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[San José del Guaviare]]}}
|-
| '''17''' || [[File:Flag of Huila.svg|border|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Huila]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Huila Department|Huila]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Neiva, Colombia|Neiva]]}}
|}
|<!--Second column:-->
{| class="wikitable"
|||{{Spaces|1}}'''Department''' || {{Smaller|'''Capital city'''}}
|-
| '''18''' || [[File:Flag of La Guajira.svg|border|22x20px|Flag of Nueva Esparta]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Department of La Guajira|La Guajira]]}}'''{{nbsp|2}}||{{Smaller|[[Riohacha]]}}
|-
| '''19''' || [[File:Flag of Magdalena.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Magdalena]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Magdalena Department|Magdalena]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Santa Marta]]}}
|-
| '''20''' || [[File:Flag of Meta.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Meta]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Meta Department|Meta]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Villavicencio]]}}
|-
| '''21''' || [[File:Flag of Nariño.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Nariño]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Nariño Department|Nariño]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Pasto]]}}
|-
| '''22''' || [[File:Flag of Norte de Santander.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Norte de Santander]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Norte de Santander Department|Norte de Santander]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Cúcuta]]}}
|-
| '''23''' || [[File:Flag of Putumayo.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Putumayo]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Putumayo Department|Putumayo]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Mocoa]]}}
|-
| '''24''' || [[File:Flag of Quindío.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Quindío]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Quindío Department|Quindío]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Armenia, Colombia|Armenia]]}}
|-
| '''25''' || [[File:Flag of Risaralda.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Risaralda]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Risaralda Department|Risaralda]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Pereira, Colombia|Pereira]]}}
|-
| '''26''' || [[File:Flag of San Andrés y Providencia.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina|San Andrés, Providencia<br />and Santa Catalina]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia|San Andrés]]}}
|-
| '''27''' || [[File:Flag of Santander (Colombia).svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Santander]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Santander Department|Santander]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Bucaramanga]]}}
|-
| '''28''' || [[File:Flag of Sucre Department.svg|border|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Sucre]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Sucre Department|Sucre]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Sincelejo]]}}
|-
| '''29''' || [[File:Flag of Tolima.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Tolima]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Department of Tolima|Tolima]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Ibagué]]}}
|-
| '''30''' || [[File:Flag of Valle del Cauca.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Valle del Cauca]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Valle del Cauca Department|Valle del Cauca]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Santiago de Cali|Cali]]}}
|-
| '''31''' || [[File:Flag of Vaupés.svg|border|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Vichada]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Vaupés Department|Vaupés]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Mitú]]}}
|-
| '''32''' || [[File:Flag of Vichada.svg|22x20px|Flag of the Department of Vichada]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Vichada Department|Vichada]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Puerto Carreño]]}}
|-
| '''33''' || [[File:Flag of Bogotá.svg|22x20px|Flag of Bogotá]]{{Spaces|1}}'''{{Smaller|[[Bogotá Capital District]]}}''' || {{Smaller|[[Bogotá Capital District]]}}
|}
|}
Colombia is divided into 32 [[Departments of Colombia|departments]] and one [[Bogotá Capital District|capital district]], which is treated as a department (Bogotá also serves as the capital of the [[Cundinamarca Department|department of Cundinamarca]]). Departments are subdivided into [[Municipalities of Colombia|municipalities]], each of which is assigned a municipal seat, and municipalities are in turn subdivided into ''[[Corregimientos of Colombia|corregimientos]]''. Each department has a local government with a governor and assembly directly elected to four-year terms. Each municipality is headed by a mayor and council, and each ''corregimiento'' by an elected ''corregidor'', or local leader.
In addition to the capital nine other cities have been designated [[Districts of Colombia|districts]] (in effect special municipalities), on the basis of special distinguishing features. These are [[Barranquilla]], [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]], [[Santa Marta]], [[Cúcuta]], [[Popayán]], [[Bucaramanga]], [[Tunja]], [[Turbo, Colombia|Turbo]], [[Buenaventura, Colombia|Buenaventura]] and [[Tumaco]]. Some departments have local administrative subdivisions, where towns have a large concentration of population and municipalities are near each other (for example in Antioquia and Cundinamarca). Where departments have a low population and there are security problems (for example Amazonas, Vaupés and Vichada), special administrative divisions are employed, such as "department ''corregimientos''", which are a hybrid of a municipality and a ''corregimiento''.
=== Foreign affairs ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Colombia}}
{{See also|Diplomatic missions of Colombia}}
[[File:Colombian embassy in Paris.jpg|thumb|right|Colombian Embassy in Paris.]]
[[File:Medalla De La Libertad Uribe.jpg|thumb|right|Former [[President of Colombia]] [[Álvaro Uribe]] being presented with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by former President of the United States [[George W. Bush]].]]
The foreign affairs of Colombia are headed by the President, as head of state, and managed by the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Colombia)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]. Colombia has diplomatic missions in all continents and is also represented in multilateral organizations at the following locations:
* '''Brussels''' (Mission to the [[European Union]])
* '''Geneva''' (Permanent Missions to the United Nations and other international organizations)
* '''Montevideo''' (Permanent Missions to the [[Latin American Integration Association]] and [[Mercosur]])
* '''Nairobi''' (Permanent Missions to the United Nations and other international organizations)
* '''New York''' (Permanent Mission to the United Nations)
* '''Paris''' (Permanent Mission to [[UNESCO]])
* '''Rome''' (Permanent Mission to the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]])
* '''Washington, D.C.''' (Permanent Mission to the [[Organization of American States]])
The foreign relations of Colombia are mostly concentrated on combating the illegal drug trade, fighting terrorism, improving Colombia's image in the international community, expanding the international market for Colombian products, and dealing with international environmental issues. Colombia receives special military and commercial co-operation and support in its fight against internal armed groups from the United States, mainly through [[Plan Colombia]]; it also enjoys special financial preferences from the European Union in certain product categories.
Colombia was one of the 12 founding members of the [[UNASUR]], which is supposedly modeled on the [[European Union]] having free trade agreements between the members, free movement of people, a common currency, and also a common passport. Colombia as well as all the other members of UNASUR have had some problems with the integration due to the [[2008 Andean diplomatic crisis]]. Colombia is a member of the [[Andean Community of Nations]] and the [[Union of South American Nations]].
Colombians need tourist visa for 180 countries<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gobiernoenlinea.gov.co/web/guest/home?p_p_id=pecjournalcontent&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=maximized&doAsGroupId=10136&refererPlid=23211&_pecjournalcontent_struts_action=/ext/pecjournalcontent/view&_pecjournalcontent_groupId=10136&_pecjournalcontent_articleId=642 |title=Portal del Estado Colombiano – Inicio |publisher=Gobiernoenlinea.gov.co |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref> and exempt from tourist visa requirements in 15 countries.<ref>[http://www.gobiernoenlinea.gov.co/categoria.aspx?catID=5&conID=8]{{dead link|date=May 2011}}</ref>
=== Defense ===
{{Main|Military of Colombia}}
[[File:ARC Almirante Padilla.jpg|thumb|left|[[Colombian Navy]] ARC ''Almirante Padilla'' (FM-51) frigate.]]
The executive branch of government is responsibility for managing the defense of Colombia, with the President [[commander-in-chief]] of the armed forces.
The Colombian military is divided into three branches: the [[National Army of Colombia]]; the [[Colombian Air Force]]; and the [[Colombian National Armada]]. The National Police functions as a [[gendarmerie]], operating independently from the military as the law enforcement agency for the entire country. Each of these operates with their own intelligence apparatus separate from the national intelligence agency, the [[Administrative Department of Security]].
The National Army is formed by divisions, regiments and special units; the National Armada by the [[Colombian Naval Infantry]], the [[Naval Force of the Caribbean]], the [[Naval Force of the Pacific]], the [[Naval Force of the South]], [[Colombia Coast Guards]], [[Naval Aviation (Colombia)|Naval Aviation]] and the [[Specific Command of San Andres y Providencia]]; and the Air Force by 13 air units. The National Police has a presence in all municipalities.
=== Politics ===
{{Main|Politics of Colombia}}
{{See also|Elections in Colombia|List of political parties in Colombia}}
[[File:Congress colombia.jpg|thumb|Colombian National Capitol.]]
For over a century Colombian politics were monopolized by the [[Colombian Liberal Party|Liberal Party]] (founded in 1848 on an [[Anti-clericalism|anti-clerical]], broadly [[Economic liberalism|economically liberal]] and [[federalism|federalist]] platform), and the [[Colombian Conservative Party|Conservative Party]] (founded in 1849 espousing Catholicism, [[protectionism]], and [[centralism]]). This culminated in the formation of the [[National Front (Colombia)|National Front]] (1958–1974), which formalized arrangements for an alternation of power between the two parties and excluded non-establishment alternatives (thereby fueling the nascent [[Colombian armed conflict (1964–present)|armed conflict]]).
By the time of the dissolution of the National Front, traditional political alignments had begun to fragment. This process has continued since, and the consequences of this are exemplified by the results of the [[Colombian presidential election, 2006|2006 presidential election]] which was won with 62% of the vote by the incumbent, [[Álvaro Uribe]]. Uribe was from a Liberal background but he campaigned as part of the [[Colombia First]] movement with the support of the Conservative Party. His hard line on security issues and liberal economics place him on the right of the modern political spectrum{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}.
In second place with 22% was [[Carlos Gaviria Díaz|Carlos Gaviria]] of the [[Alternative Democratic Pole]], a newly formed [[Social democracy|social democratic]] alliance which includes elements of the former [[19th of April Movement|M-19]] guerrilla movement. [[Horacio Serpa]] of the Liberal Party achieved third place with 12%. Meanwhile in the [[Colombian legislative election, 2006|congressional elections]] held earlier that year the two traditional parties secured only 93 out of 268 seats available.
Despite a number of controversies, most notably the ongoing parapolitics scandal, dramatic improvements in security and continued strong economic performance have ensured that former President Uribe remained popular among Colombian people, with his approval rating peaking at 85%, according to a poll in July 2008.<ref name="Uribe Popularity">{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN06348039 |title=Reuters, Popularity of Colombia's Uribe soars after rescue |agency=Reuters |date= 6 July 2008|accessdate=16 May 2010 | first=Hugh | last=Bronstein}}</ref> However, having served two terms, he was constitutionally barred from seeking re-election in 2010. The Colombian Congress, with overwhelming support of the Colombian people, had attempted to hold a referendum allowing a vote that would overturn the 2-term limit for presidents, but this attempt was ruled unconstitutional by the Colombian constitutional court on 27 February 2010. Uribe stated that he respects the decision as one that cannot be appealed.
In presidential elections held on 30 May 2010 the former Minister of defense [[Juan Manuel Santos]] received 46% of the vote.<ref name="Resultados elecciones">{{cite web|url=http://www.registraduria.gov.co |title=Registraduria, Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil |publisher=Registraduria.gov.co |accessdate=1 June 2010}}{{Dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref> However, according to legislation, a second round was required since he received less than the 50% threshold of votes. In the run-off elections on 20 June 2010 against the second most popular candidate, [[Antanas Mockus]] who had scored 21%,<ref name="Resultados elecciones"/> Juan Manuel Santos was declared the winner; his term as Colombia's president runs for four years from 7 August 2010.
== Economy ==
{{wide image|Septima street colbo.jpg|900px|<center>[[Bogotá D.C.]], Colombia's largest city, and financial heart; one of the most influential cities in Latin America.</center>}}
{{Main|Economy of Colombia}}
{{See also|Agriculture in Colombia}}
[[File:Bank of the republic.jpg|thumb|Headquarters of the [[Bank of the Republic (Colombia)|Banco de la República]] in Bogotá.]]
In spite of the difficulties presented by serious internal armed conflict, Colombia's [[market economy]] grew steadily in the latter part of the twentieth century, with gross domestic product (GDP) increasing at an average rate of over 4% per year between 1970 and 1998. The country suffered a [[recession]] in 1999 (the first full year of negative growth since the [[Great Depression]]), and the recovery from that recession was long and painful. However, in recent years growth has been impressive, reaching 8.2% in 2007, one of the [[List of countries by GDP (real) growth rate|highest rates of growth]] in Latin America. Meanwhile the [[Bolsa de Valores de Colombia|Colombian stock exchange]] climbed from 1,000 points at its creation in July 2001 to over 7,300 points by November 2008.<ref name="BANKREP">{{cite web|url=http://www.banrep.gov.co/estad/dsbb/imfcolom.htm |title=Banco de la República, Economic and Financial Data for Colombia |publisher=Banrep.gov.co |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
According to [[International Monetary Fund]] estimates, in 2010 Colombia's GDP (PPP) was US$429.866 billion ([[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|28th in the world]] and third in South America). Adjusted for [[purchasing power parity]], GDP per capita stands at $6,273, placing Colombia [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|82nd in the world]]. However, in practice this is relatively unevenly distributed among the population, and, in common with much of Latin America, Colombia scores poorly according to the [[Gini coefficient]], with UN figures placing it [[List of countries by income equality|119th out of 126 countries]]. In 2003 the richest 20% of the population had a 62.7% share of income/consumption and the poorest 20% just 2.5%, and 17.8% of Colombians live on [[List of countries by percentage of population living in poverty|less than $2 a day]].<ref name="HDR Colombia">{{cite web|url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_COL.html |title=Human Development Report for Colombia, 2007/2008 |publisher=Hdrstats.undp.org |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Colombia unemp inf gdp 2001 2010 - cehc84.JPG|thumb|left|Macroeconomic Indicators 2001–2010.]]
[[Government spending]] represents 37.9% of GDP.<ref name="CIAWFB"/> Almost a quarter of this goes towards servicing the country's relatively high [[government debt]], estimated at 52.8% of GDP in 2007.<ref name="CIAWFB"/><ref name="HDR Colombia"/> Other problems facing the economy include weak domestic and foreign demand, the funding of the country's pension system, and unemployment (10.8% in November 2008).<ref name="BANKREP"/> Inflation has remained relatively low in recent years, standing at 5.5% in 2007.<ref name="CIAWFB"/>
Historically an agrarian economy, Colombia urbanised rapidly in the twentieth century, by the end of which just 22.7% of the workforce were employed in agriculture, generating just 11.5% of GDP. 18.7% of the workforce are employed in industry and 58.5% in services, responsible for 36% and 52.5% of GDP respectively.<ref name="CIAWFB"/> Colombia is rich in natural resources, and its main exports include petroleum, coal, [[Colombian coffee|coffee]] and other agricultural produce, and gold.<ref name="ITC Colombia Exports">[http://www.intracen.org/tradstat/sitc3-3d/er170.htm International Trade Centre: Colombia Exports]{{Dead link|date=May 2010}}</ref> Colombia is also known as the world's leading source of [[emerald]]s,<ref name="ICA">{{cite web|url=http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/emerald.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080821232509/http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/emerald.html|archivedate=21 August 2008 |title=International Colored Gemstone Association: Emerald |publisher=Gemstone.org |date=28 September 2001 |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> while over 70% of [[Floriculture|cut flowers]] imported by the United States are Colombian.<ref name="Flower Basket">[http://www.florverde.org/pdf/florverde_economic_impact.pdf America's Flower Basket: Colombian Flowers and the American Marketplace]{{Dead link|date=May 2010}}</ref> Principal trading partners are the United States (a controversial [[United States-Colombia Free Trade Agreement|free trade agreement]] with the United States is currently awaiting approval by the [[United States Congress]]), the [[European Union]], Venezuela and China.<ref name="CIAWFB"/> All imports, exports, and the overall [[balance of trade]] are at record levels, and the inflow of export dollars has resulted in a substantial re-valuation of the [[Colombian peso]].
Economic performance has been aided by [[Economic liberalism|liberal reforms]] introduced in the early 1990s and continued during the presidency of [[Álvaro Uribe]], whose policies included measures designed to bring the [[Government budget deficit|public sector deficit]] below 2.5% of GDP. In 2008, [[The Heritage Foundation]] assessed the Colombian economy to be 61.9% [[Index of Economic Freedom|free]], an increase of 2.3% since 2007, placing it [[List of countries by economic freedom|67th in the world]] and 15th out of 29 countries within the region.<ref name="Heritage Foundation">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/Index/country.cfm?id=Colombia |title=Heritage Foundation, Index of Economic Freedom |publisher=Heritage.org |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
Meanwhile the improvements in security resulting from President Uribe's controversial "[[democratic security]]" strategy have engendered an increased sense of confidence in the economy. On 28 May 2007 the American magazine [[BusinessWeek]] published an article naming Colombia "the most extreme emerging market on Earth".<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_22/b4036001.htm BusinessWeek, Colombia, The Most Extreme Emerging Market on Earth] 28 May 2007</ref> Colombia's economy has improved in recent years. Investment soared, from 15% of GDP in 2002 to 26% in 2008. private business has retooled. However unemployment at 12 % and the poverty rate at 46% in 2009 are above the regional average.<ref>[[The Economist]], Colombia's resilient economy, 17 October 2009</ref>
According to a recent World Bank report, doing business is easiest in Manizales, Ibagué and Pereira, and more difficult in Cali and Cartagena. Reforms in custom administration have helped reduce the amount of time it takes to prepare documentation by over 60% for exports and 40% for imports compared to the previous report. Colombia has taken measures to address the backlog in civil municipal courts. The most important result was the dismissal of 12.2% of inactive claims in civil courts thanks to the application of Law 1194 of 2008 (Ley de Desistimiento Tácito).<ref name="World Bank Report on Colombia">{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/Subnational/exploreeconomies/Colombia-2010.aspx |title=Doing Business in Colombia |publisher=Doingbusiness.org |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
=== Tourism ===
{{Main|Tourism in Colombia}}
{{wide image|67 - Carthagène - Décembre 2008.jpg|900 px|<center>[[Cartagena de Indias]], one of the most popular tourist destinations in the [[Caribbean]]}}
For many years serious internal armed conflict deterred tourists from visiting Colombia, with official [[Travel advisory|travel advisories]] warning against travel to the country. However, in recent years numbers have risen sharply, thanks to improvements in security resulting from President Álvaro Uribe's "democratic security" strategy, which has included significant increases in military strength and police presence throughout the country and pushed rebel groups further away from the major cities, highways and tourist sites likely to attract international visitors. Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.5 million in 2003 to 1.3 million in 2007,<ref name="BBC Tourism">{{cite news|author=By Marián Hens |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7120906.stm |title=BBC News, A new hot-spot for the tourism industry |publisher=BBC News |date=7 December 2007 |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> while ''[[Lonely Planet]]'' picked Colombia as one of their top ten world destinations for 2006.<ref>{{cite news|work=Christian Science Monitor|title=Hot Destination: Colombia|date=9 May 2006|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0509/p06s01-woam.html}}</ref>
In 2010 Colombia received 1,4 million foreign visitors, according to official statistics.<ref>''[[El Espectador]]'' (spanish) http://elespectador.com/noticias/bogota/articulo-269115-bogota-ocupa-sexto-puesto-america-latina-ranking-de-turismo</ref>
In November 2010 the U.S. State Department travel warning for the country stated that security conditions had improved significantly in recent years and kidnappings had been noticeably reduced from their previous peak, but cautioned travelers about continuing terrorist threats and the dangers of common crime, including hostage-taking. Rising murder rates in Cali and Medellín were also highlighted and U.S. citizens were urged to travel between cities by air instead of using ground transportation.<ref name="travel.state.gov">[http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_941.html 'Travel Warning: Colombia'] ''U.S. State Department'', 2010</ref>>
<center><gallery perrow=5>File:Sunset-cartagena-tower-dewired.jpg|Fortifications of the old city of [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]], one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Colombia.
File:Arrecifes.jpg|Arrecifes beach in the [[Tayrona National Natural Park]], one of the main ecotourist destinations.
File:Palaciosanfrancisco.jpg|Downtown Bogotá.
File:SanAndres-Island-View.jpg|[[Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina]].
File:Plaza Pueblito Paisa-Medellin.JPG|Pueblito Paisa. ([[Medellín]])
File:Mountainous region around Armenia, Colombia.jpg|The "Eje Cafetero"
File:Riohacha noche.JPG|[[Riohacha]] night.
File:Calle Real del Medio.jpg|[[Santa Cruz de Mompox]].
File:City of Cali 2.jpg|[[Cali]] night.
File:Street in Bogota.jpg|[[La Candelaria]], Bogotá's historic district.
</gallery></center>
Popular tourist attractions include the historic [[La Candelaria|Candelaria]] district of central Bogotá, the walled city and beaches of [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]], the colonial towns of [[Santa Fe de Antioquia]], [[Popayán]], [[Villa de Leyva]] and [[Santa Cruz de Mompox]], and the [[Las Lajas Sanctuary]] and the [[Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá]]. Tourists are also drawn to [[Festivals in Colombia|Colombia's numerous festivals]], including [[Medellín]]'s [[Festival of the Flowers]], the [[Barranquilla's Carnival|Barranquilla Carnival]], the [[Carnival of Blacks and Whites]] in [[Pasto]] and the [[Ibero-American Theater Festival]] in Bogotá. Meanwhile, because of the improved security, Caribbean [[cruise ship]]s now stop at Cartagena and [[Santa Marta]].
The great variety in geography, flora and fauna across Colombia has also resulted in the development of an [[ecotourism|ecotourist]] industry, concentrated in the country's [[List of national parks of Colombia|national parks]]. Popular ecotourist destinations include: along the Caribbean coast, the [[Tayrona National Natural Park]] in the [[Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta]] mountain range and [[Cabo de la Vela]] on the tip of the [[Guajira Peninsula]]; the [[Nevado del Ruiz|Nevado del Ruiz volcano]], the [[Cocora valley]] and the [[Tatacoa Desert]] in the central [[Andean Region of Colombia|Andean region]]; [[Amacayacu National Park]] in the [[Amazon Basin|Amazon River basin]]; and the Pacific islands of [[Malpelo Island|Malpelo]] and [[Gorgona, Colombia|Gorgona]]. Colombia is home to seven [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Americas|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]].
=== Transportation ===
[[File:Estacion Estadio-plataforma-Medellin(2).JPG|thumb|left|upright|[[Medellín Metro]]]]
[[File:BOG-B737-E190.JPG|thumb|[[El Dorado International Airport]].]]
[[File:Trancon Autonorte.jpg|thumb| Rush hour on a Bogotá freeway.]]
[[File:Transmileniodesdeelaire.jpg|thumb|[[Transmilenio]].]]
{{Main|Transport in Colombia}}
Colombia has a network of national highways maintained by the ''[[National Roads Institute (Colombia)|Instituto Nacional de Vías]]'' or INVIAS (National Institute of Roadways) government agency under the [[Ministry of Transport (Colombia)|Ministry of Transport]]. The [[Pan-American Highway]] travels through Colombia, connecting the country with Venezuela to the east and Ecuador to the south.
Colombia's main airports are [[El Dorado International Airport]] in Bogotá, [[Jose Maria Cordova International Airport]] in Medellín, [[Alfonso Bonilla Aragon International Airport]] in Cali, [[Rafael Nuñez International Airport]] in Cartagena, [[Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport]] in Barranquilla, and [[Matecaña International Airport]] in Pereira. [[El Dorado International Airport]] is the busiest airport in Latin America based upon the number of flights and the weight of goods transported.<ref name="Infraero Statistics 2008">[http://www.infraero.gov.br/upload/arquivos/movi/mov.%20operac_1208%20revisado.pdf Infraero.gov.br]{{dead link|date=November 2010}}</ref> Several national airlines ([[Avianca]], [[AeroRepública]], [[AIRES]], [[SATENA]] and [[EasyFly]], ), and international airlines (such as [[Iberia Airlines|Iberia]], [[American Airlines]], [[Varig]], [[Copa Airlines|Copa]], [[Continental Airlines|Continental]], [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]], [[Air Canada]], [[Spirit]], [[Lufthansa]], [[Air France]], [[Aerolíneas Argentinas]], [[Aerogal]], [[TAME]], [[Grupo TACA|TACA]], [[JetBlue Airways]], [[LAN Airlines]]) operate from El Dorado. Because of its central location in Colombia and America, it is preferred by national land transportation providers, as well as national and international air transportation providers.
Urban transport systems are developed in Bogotá and Medellín. Traffic congestion in Bogotá has been greatly exacerbated by the lack of rail transport. However, this problem has been alleviated somewhat by the development of the TransMilenio Bus Rapid System and the restriction of vehicles through a daily, rotating ban on private cars depending on plate numbers. Bogotá's system consists of bus and minibus services managed by both private- and public-sector enterprises. Since 1995 Medellín has had a modern urban railway referred to as the '[[Metro de Medellín]]', which also connects with Itagüí, Envigado, and Bello. An elevated cable car system, [[Metrocable of Medellín|Metrocable]], was added in 2004 to link some of Medellín's poorer mountainous neighborhoods with the Metro de Medellín. A rapid-transit bus system called Transmetro, similar to Bogotá's TransMilenio, began operating in Barranquilla in late 2007. Cali's streets remain under construction as a new public-transit system called the Massive Integration of the West is being built.
=== Colombia dry canal ===
China and Colombia have discussed a [[Panama Canal]] rival, a 'Dry Canal' a 220 km rail link between the Pacific and a new city near [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]]. China is Colombia's second largest trade partner after the USA. Colombia is also the world's fifth-largest coal producer, but most is currently exported via Atlantic ports while demand is growing fastest across the Pacific. A dry canal could make Colombia a hub where imported Chinese goods would be assembled for re-export throughout the Americas and Latin American raw materials would begin the return journey to China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7e14756c-37a9-11e0-b91a-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Dw79Zosw |title=China in talks over Panama Canal rival |work=Financial Times |date=13 February 2011 |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref>
== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Colombia}}
{{See also|List of Colombian Departments by population}}
With an estimated 46 million people in 2008, Colombia is the [[List of countries by population|third-most populous country]] in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. It is also home to the fourth-largest number of Spanish speakers in the world after Mexico, the United States, and Spain. It is slightly ahead of Argentina by almost 6 million people. At the outset of the 20th century, Colombia's population was approximately 4 million.<ref>"[http://countrystudies.us/colombia/35.htm Colombia – Population]". [[Library of Congress Country Studies]].</ref> The population increased at a rate of 1.9% between 1975 and 2005, predicted to drop to 1.2% over the next decade. Colombia is projected to have a population of 50.7 million by 2015. These trends are reflected in the country's age profile. In 2005 over 30% of the population was under 15 years old, compared to just 5.1% aged 65 and over.
The population is concentrated in the [[Andean Region of Colombia|Andean highlands]] and along the [[Caribbean Region of Colombia|Caribbean coast]]. The nine eastern lowland departments, comprising about 54% of Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of less than one person per square kilometer (two persons per square mile). Traditionally a rural society, [[Urbanization|movement to urban areas]] was very heavy in the mid-twentieth century, and Colombia is now one of the most urbanized countries in Latin America. The urban population increased from 31% of the total in 1938 to 60% in 1975, and by 2005 the figure stood at 72.7%.<ref name="HDR Colombia"/><ref name="Country Study">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/colombia/36.htm |title=Colombia: A Country Study |publisher=Countrystudies.us |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> The population of Bogotá alone has increased from just over 300,000 in 1938 to approximately 8 million today. In total thirty cities now have populations of 100,000 or more. As of 2010 Colombia has the world's largest populations of [[internally displaced person]]s (IDPs), estimated up to 4.5 million people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12808-colombia-has-most-displaced-in-the-world.html |title=Colombia has most displaced in world: UN |publisher=Colombia Reports |date=9 November 2010 |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-7RQN5C?OpenDocument Number of internally displaced people remains stable at 26 million]. Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 4 May 2009.</ref>
Colombia is ranked sixth in the world in the [[Happy Planet Index]].
{{Largest cities
| name = Largest cities of Colombia
| country = Colombia
| stat_ref = <ref name="3218.0">{{Cite web|url=Estimado 2011 [[Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística]] {{Reflist}}http://www.dane.gov.co/daneweb_V09/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=72|title=2011 [[Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística]]estimate|publisher=Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=4 September 2011}}</ref>
| class = nav
| div_name = Department
| city_1 = Bogotá | div_1 = Bogotá|{{!}}Distrito Capital | pop_1 = 7,467,804 |img_1 = Salitre 2007 (8).jpg
| city_2 = Medellín | div_2 = Antioquia | pop_2 = 2,368,282 |img_2 = Panoramica de Medellin-Colombia.jpg
| city_3 = Santiago de Cali{{!}}Cali | div_3 = Valle del Cauca | pop_3 = 2,269,630 |img_3 = Cali-from-cristo-rey-2.jpg
| city_4 = Barranquilla | div_4 = Atlántico Department{{!}}Atlántico | pop_4 = 1,193,952 |img_4 = Panorámica general de Barranquilla.JPG
| city_5 = Cartagena de Indias | div_5 = Bolívar Department{{!}}Bolívar | pop_5 = 955,569
| city_6 = San José de Cúcuta{{!}}Cúcuta | div_6 = Norte de Santander | pop_6 = 624,650
| city_7 = Soledad (Atlántico){{!}}Soledad | div_7 = Atlántico{{!}}Atlántico | pop_7 = 550,875
| city_8 = Ibagué | div_8 = Tolima | pop_8 = 532,034
| city_9 = Bucaramanga | div_9 = Santander Department{{!}}Santander | pop_9 = 525,216
| city_10 = Soacha | div_10 = Cundinamarca Department{{!}}Cundinamarca | pop_10 = 466,938
| city_11 = Pereira, Colombia{{!}}Pereira | div_11 = Risaralda Department{{!}}Risaralda | pop_11 = 459,690
| city_12 = Santa Marta | div_12 = Magdalena Department{{!}}Magdalena | pop_12 = 454,756
| city_13 = Villavicencio | div_13 = Meta Department{{!}}Meta | pop_13 = 441,959
| city_14 = Bello, Antioquia{{!}}Bello | div_14 = Antioquia | pop_14 = 421,522
| city_15 = San Juan de Pasto{{!}}Pasto | div_15 = Nariño Department{{!}}Nariño | pop_15 = 417,509
| city_16 = Montería | div_16 = Córdoba Department{{!}}Córdoba | pop_16 = 415,796
| city_17 = Valledupar | div_17 = Cesar Department{{!}}Cesar | pop_17 = 413,302
| city_18 = Manizales | div_18 = Caldas | pop_18 = 390,112
| city_19 = Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca{{!}}Buenaventura | div_19 = Valle del Cauca | pop_19 = 369,753
| city_20 = Neiva | div_20 = Huila | pop_20 = 333,116
}}<noinclude>
=== Ethnic groups ===
[[File:Vendedora de frutas Cartagena Colombia.png|thumb|upright|[[Afro-Colombian]] Fruit vendor woman in Cartagena wearing the colors of the colombian flag on her apron.]]
The census data in Colombia does not record ethnicity, other than that of those identifying themselves as members of particular minority ethnic groups, so overall percentages are essentially estimates from other sources and can vary from one to another.<ref name="Nación Multicultural">{{cite web|url=http://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2005/etnia/sys/colombia_nacion.pdf |title=Colombia una nación multicultural: su diversidad étnica |format=PDF |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref>
According to the [[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]], the majority of the population (58%) is [[Mestizo]], or of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry. Approximately 20% of the population is of [[White Latin American|European]] ancestry (predominantly Spanish, partly [[Italians|Italian]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], and [[Germans|German]]). The CIA World Factbook also states that 14% of Colombia's total population is of mixed African and European ancestry, with 3% being of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry, and 4% having primarily African ancestry. [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|Indigenous Amerindians]] comprise only 1% of the population.<ref name="CIAWFB"/> Other sources claim that up to 29% of Colombians (13 million people) have some African ancestry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.todacolombia.com/etnias/afrocolombianos/poblacion.html |title=Comunidades Negras: Poblacion Negra Afrocolombiana |publisher=Todacolombia.com |date=28 March 2007 |accessdate=14 November 2010}}</ref>
The overwhelming majority of Colombians speak Spanish (see also [[Colombian Spanish]]), but in total 101 languages are listed for Colombia in the [[Ethnologue]] database, of which 80 are spoken today. Most of these belong to the [[Chibchan languages|Chibcha]]n, [[Arawakan languages|Arawak]] and [[Cariban languages|Carib]]an language families. The [[Quechua language]], spoken in the Andes region of the country, has also extended more northwards into Colombia, mainly in urban centers of major cities. There are currently about 500,000 speakers of indigenous languages.<ref name="ethnologue">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Colombia |title=The Languages of Colombia |publisher=Ethnologue.com |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
=== Indigenous peoples ===
{{Main|Indigenous peoples in Colombia}}
[[File:Mujer Wayuu woman Guajira Colombia by Jenni Contreras.png|thumb|The [[Wayuu]] represent the largest indigenous ethnic group in Colombia.<ref name="EPM">{{cite web|author=EPM|url=http://www.eeppm.com/epmcom/contenido/acercade/infraestructura/generacion/Jepirachi/etnia.htm|title=La etnia Wayuu|work=Empresas Publicas de Medellín|year=2005|accessdate=29 February 2008|language=Spanish |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080219042234/http://www.eeppm.com/epmcom/contenido/acercade/infraestructura/generacion/Jepirachi/etnia.htm |archivedate = 19 February 2008 }}</ref>]]
Before the Spanish colonization of what is now Colombia, the territory was home to a significant number of indigenous peoples. Many of these were absorbed into the mestizo population, but the remainder currently represents over eighty-five distinct cultures. 567 reserves (''resguardos'') established for indigenous peoples occupy 365,004 square kilometres (over 30% of the country's total) and are inhabited by more than 800,000 people in over 67,000 families.<ref name="Resguardos Indígenas">{{cite web|url=http://www.etniasdecolombia.org/grupos_resguardos.asp |title=Los Resguardos Indígenas |publisher=Etniasdecolombia.org |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref> The 1991 constitution established their native languages as official in their territories, and most of them have bilingual education (native and Spanish).
Some of the largest indigenous groups are the [[Wayuu]],<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|author=EPM|url=http://www.eeppm.com/epmcom/contenido/acercade/infraestructura/generacion/Jepirachi/etnia.htm|title=La etnia Wayuu|work=Empresas Publicas de Medellín|year=2005|accessdate=29 February 2008|language=Spanish |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080219042234/http://www.eeppm.com/epmcom/contenido/acercade/infraestructura/generacion/Jepirachi/etnia.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 19 February 2008}}</ref> the [[Arhuacos]], the [[Muisca]], the [[Kuna (people)|Kuna]], the [[Paez people|Paez]], the [[Tucano people|Tucano]] and the [[Guahibo people|Guahibo]]. [[Cauca Department|Cauca]], [[Department of La Guajira|La Guajira]] and [[Guainía Department|Guainia]] have the largest indigenous populations.
The [[National Indigenous Organization of Colombia|Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia]] (ONIC), founded at the first National Indigenous Congress in 1982, is an organization representing the indigenous peoples of Colombia, who comprise some 800,000 people – roughly 2% of the population.
In 1991, Colombia signed and ratified the current international law concerning indigenous peoples, [[Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/ratifce.pl?C169 |title=ILOLEX: submits English query |publisher=Ilo.org |date=9 January 2004 |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
=== Immigrant groups ===
{{Main|Immigration to Colombia}}
The first and most substantial wave of modern immigration to Colombia consisted of [[Spanish people|Spanish colonists]], following the arrival of Europeans in 1499. However a low number of other Europeans and North Americans migrated to the country in the late 19th and early twentieth centuries, and, in smaller numbers, [[Polish people|Poles]], [[Lithuanian people|Lithuanians]], English, Irish, and [[Croats]] during and after the Second World War.
Many immigrant communities have settled on the Caribbean coast, in particular recent immigrants from the Middle East. [[Barranquilla]] (the largest city of the Colombian Caribbean) and other Caribbean cities have the largest populations of Lebanese and [[Arab people|Arabs]], [[Sephardi Jews]], [[Romani people|Roma]]. There are also important communities of [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] and Japanese{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}.
[[African people|Black Africans]] were brought as [[Slavery|slaves]], mostly to the coastal lowlands, beginning early in the 16th century and continuing into the 19th century. Large Afro-Colombian communities are found today on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. The population of the [[Chocó Department|department of Chocó]], running along the northern portion of Colombia's Pacific coast, is over 80% black.<ref name="Grupos Étnicos">{{es icon}} [http://www.dane.gov.co/censo/files/presentaciones/grupos_etnicos.pdf Colombia una Los grupos étnicos colombianos]</ref>
=== Impact of armed conflict on civilians ===
Around one third of the people in Colombia have been affected in some way by the ongoing armed conflict. Those with direct personal experience make up 10% of the population and many others also report suffering a range of serious hardships. Overall, 31% have been affected on a personal level or as a result of the wider consequences of the conflict.<ref>[http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/views-from-field-report-240609/$File/Our-World-Views-from-Colombia-I-ICRC.pdf Colombia, Opinion survey 2009], by ICRC and Ipsos</ref>
During the 1990s, an estimated 35,000 people died as a result of the armed conflict.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdi.org/adm/1315/transcript.html |title=Colombia in Crisis |publisher=Jon Lottman, Center for Defense Information |accessdate=8 September 2010}}</ref> [[Trade unions in Colombia]] are included among the victimized groups with over 2,800 of their members being murdered between 1986 and 2010.<ref name=ITUCres>[[International Trade Union Confederation]], 11 June 2010, [http://www.ituc-csi.org/ituc-responds-to-the-press-release.html?lang=en ITUC responds to the press release issued by the Colombian Interior Ministry concerning its survey]</ref>
=== Religion ===
[[File:Diadelasvelitas.jpg|thumb|[[Día de las Velitas]], ''(Little candles' day)'' one of the traditional holidays in Colombia. It is the Christmas opening day of the country ]]
[[File:52 - Ipiales - Décembre 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Las Lajas Sanctuary]] in [[Nariño Department|Nariño]].]]
{{Main|Religion in Colombia}}
{{See also|Freedom of religion in Colombia}}
The [[National Administrative Department of Statistics]] (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies, more than 95% of the population adheres to Christianity,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=78|title=Religious Intelligence – Country Profile: Colombia|accessdate=3 October 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070927194326/http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=78 |archivedate = 27 September 2007}}</ref> the vast majority of which (between 81% and 90%) are Roman Catholic. About 1% of Colombians adhere to [[animism|indigenous religions]] and under 1% to Judaism, Islam, [[Hinduism]], and [[Buddhism]]. However, around 60% of respondents to a poll by ''El Tiempo'' reported that they did not practice their faith actively.<ref name="Religious Freedom">[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51632.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2005], by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 8 November 2005.</ref>
While Colombia remains an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, the Colombian constitution guarantees freedom and equality of religion.<ref>[http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Colombia/col91.html Constitution of Colombia, 1991] (Article 19)</ref> Religious groups are readily able to obtain recognition as organized associations, although some smaller ones have faced difficulty in obtaining the additional recognition required to offer chaplaincy services in public facilities and to perform legally recognised marriages.<ref name="Religious Freedom"/>
=== Health ===
{{Main|Health care in Colombia}}
[[Life expectancy]] at birth in 2005 was 72.3; 2.1% would not reach the age of 5, 9.2% would not reach the age of 40.<ref name="HDR Colombia"/> Health standards in Colombia have improved greatly since the 1980s. A 1993 reform transformed the structure of public health-care funding by shifting the burden of subsidy from providers to users. As a result, employees have been obligated to pay into health plans to which employers also contribute. Although this new system has widened population coverage by the social and health security system from 21 percent (pre-1993) to 56 percent in 2004 and 66 percent in 2005, health disparities persist, with the poor continuing to suffer relatively high mortality rates. In 2002 Colombia had 58,761 physicians, 23,950 nurses, and 33,951 dentists; these numbers equated to 1.35 physicians, 0.55 nurses, and 0.78 dentists per 1,000 population, respectively. In 2005 Colombia was reported to have only 1.1 physicians per 1,000 population, as compared with a Latin American average of 1.5. The health sector reportedly is plagued by rampant corruption, including misallocation of funds and evasion of health-fund contributions.<ref name=cp>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Colombia.pdf Colombia country profile]. [[Library of Congress]] [[Federal Research Division]] (February 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref>
== Education ==
{{Main|Education in Colombia}}
The educational experience of many Colombian children begins with attendance at a preschool academy until age 6 (''Educación preescolar''). Basic education (''Educación básica'') is compulsory by law.<ref>Artículo 67, Constitución Política de Colombia</ref> It has two stages: Primary basic education (''Educación básica primaria'') which goes from first to fifth grade – children from 6 to 10 years old, and Secondary basic education (''Educación básica secundaria''), which goes from sixth to ninth grade. Basic education is followed by Middle vocational education (''Educación media vocacional'') that comprises tenth and eleventh grades. It may have different vocational training modalities or specialties (academic, technical, business, and so on.) according to the curriculum adopted by each school. However in many rural areas, teachers are poorly qualified, and only the five years' of primary schooling are offered. The school year can extend from February to November or from August to June; in many public schools attendance is split into morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate the large numbers of children.<ref>Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos: Sistemas Educativos Nacionales, Colombia, [http://www.oei.es/quipu/colombia/index.html OEI.es]</ref>
After the successful completion of all the basic and middle education years, a high-school diploma is awarded. The high-school graduate is known as a ''bachiller'', because secondary basic school and middle education are traditionally considered together as a unit called ''bachillerato'' (6th to 11th grade). Students in their final year of middle education take the [[ICFES Examination|ICFES test]] in order to gain access to higher education (''Educación superior''). This higher education includes undergraduate professional studies, technical, technological and intermediate professional education, and post-graduate studies.
''Bachilleres'' (high-school graduates) may enter into a professional undergraduate career program offered by a university; these programs last up to 5 years (or less for technical, technological and intermediate professional education, and post-graduate studies), even up to 6–7 years for some careers, such as medicine. In Colombia, there is not an institution such as college; students go directly into a career program at a university or any other educational institution to obtain a professional, technical or technological title. Once graduated from the university, people are granted a (professional, technical or technological) diploma and licensed (if required) to practice the career they have chosen. For some professional career programs, students are required to take the SABER-PRO test in their final year of undergraduate academic education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://menweb.mineducacion.gov.co/nnormas/normas_basicas_4.swf |title=Ministerio de Educación de Colombia, Estructura del sistema educativo |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
Public spending on education as a proportion of gross domestic product in 2006 was 4.7% – one of the highest rates in Latin America – as compared with 2.4% in 1991. This represented 14.2% of total government expenditure.<ref name="HDR Colombia"/><ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web|url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=289&IF_Language=eng&BR_Country=1700&BR_Region=40520 |title=UNESCO Institute for Statistics Colombia Profile |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> In 2006, the primary and secondary net enrollment rates stood at 88% and 65% respectively, slightly below the regional average. School-life expectancy was 12.4 years.<ref name="UNESCO"/> A total of 92.3% of the population aged 15 and older were recorded as literate, including 97.9% of those aged 15–24, both figures slightly higher than the regional average.<ref name="UNESCO"/> However, literacy levels are considerably lower in rural areas.<ref name="Background Note">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35754.htm |title=US Department of State Background Note: Colombia |publisher=State.gov |date=24 February 2010 |accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref>
<center>'''Education in Colombia'''</center>
<center><gallery>
File:Biblioteca Ernesto Guhl, Universidad Nacional, Bogotá.JPG|Ernesto Guhl library in the [[National University of Colombia]]. The National University is the largest state-run university in Colombia.
File:Neomundo2 - Bucaramanga.jpg|"Neomundo" in [[Bucaramanga]]
File:UNAL-Bloque M8-Facultad de Minas-Medellin.JPG|[[National University of Colombia]] in [[Medellín]]
File:Edificio mariolaserna.jpg|[[University of the Andes, Colombia|Universidad de los Andes]] in Bogotá
File:UNLuis carlos sarmiento angulo.jpg|[[National University of Colombia]].
File:Universidad Externado de Colombia.jpg|[[Universidad Externado de Colombia]] in Bogotá
</gallery></center>
== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Colombia}}
{{See also|Festivals in Colombia|Music of Colombia}}
Colombia lies at the crossroads of [[Latin American culture|Latin America]] and the broader American continent, and as such has been hit by a wide range of cultural influences. [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]], [[Culture of Spain|Spanish]] and other [[Culture of Europe|European]], [[Culture of Africa|African]], [[Culture of the United States|American]], Caribbean, and [[Arab culture|Middle Eastern]] influences, as well as other Latin American cultural influences, are all present in Colombia's modern culture. Urban migration, industrialization, globalization, and other political, social and economic changes have also left an impression.
Historically, the country's imposing landscape left its various [[Natural regions of Colombia|regions]] largely isolated from one another, resulting in the development of very strong regional identities, in many cases stronger than the national. Modern transport links and means of communication have mitigated this and done much to foster a sense of nationhood, but social and political instability, and in particular fear of armed groups and bandits on intercity highways, have contributed to the maintenance of very clear regional differences. Accent, dress, music, food, politics and general attitude vary greatly between the Bogotanos and other residents of the central highlands, the ''[[paisas]]'' of [[Antioquia]] and the [[eje cafetero|coffee region]], the ''costeños'' of the [[Caribbean Region of Colombia|Caribbean coast]], the ''[[llanero]]s'' of the eastern plains, and the inhabitants of the [[Pacific Region of Colombia|Pacific coast]] and the vast [[Amazon Region of Colombia|Amazon region]] to the south east.
<gallery>
File:Salsa_en_Cali.jpg|Colombians dancing [[Salsa (dance)|Salsa]]
File:Fiesta Palenque.jpg|Fiesta in Palenque. [[Afro-Colombian]] tradition from [[San Basilio de Palenque]], a [[Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity|Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]] since 2005.
File:Feria de las Flores by Luis Perez.png|[[Festival of the Flowers]] in [[Medellín]], [[Antioquia Department|Antioquia]].
File:La pollera 2005.jpg|[[Colombians]] in the [[Carnival of Barranquilla]]
File:Gabriel Garcia Marquez 1984.jpg|[[Gabriel García Márquez]], renowned writter,
File:Shakira Obama.PNG|[[Shakira]], pop singer,
File:J_p_montoya.jpg| [[Juan Pablo Montoya]], former F1 racer and currently a NASCAR driver.
File:Juanes 2008.06.25 001.jpg|[[Juanes]], pop singer,
File:Chiva Turismo.JPG| Rear view of a [[Chiva Buses|"Chiva"]] in [[Villa de Leyva]], [[Boyacá Department|Boyacá]].
File:Sofía Vergara 2009 American Music Awards Red Carpet.jpg| [[Sofía Vergara]], actress.
File:Camilo Villegas, Open 2008.jpg| [[Camilo Villegas]], golf player.
</gallery>
An inheritance from the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|colonial era]], Colombia remains a deeply [[Roman Catholicism in Colombia|Roman Catholic country]] and maintains a large base of Catholic traditions which provide a point of unity for its multicultural society. Colombia has many [[Festivals in Colombia|celebrations and festivals]] throughout the year, and the majority are rooted in these Catholic religious traditions. However, many are also infused with a diverse range of other influences. Prominent examples of Colombia's festivals include the [[Barranquilla's Carnival|Barranquilla Carnival]], the [[Carnival of Blacks and Whites]], Medellín's [[Festival of the Flowers]] and Bogotá's [[Ibero-American Theater Festival]]
The mixing of various different ethnic traditions is reflected in Colombia's [[music of Colombia|music]] and dance. The most well-known Colombian genres are [[cumbia]] and [[vallenato]], the latter now strongly influenced by global [[pop culture]]. A powerful and unifying cultural medium in Colombia is [[Television in Colombia|television]]. Notably, the telenovela [[Betty La Fea]] has gained international success through localized versions in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere. Television has also played a role in the development of the [[Cinema of Colombia|local film industry]].
As in many Latin American countries, Colombians have a passion for association football. The [[Colombian national football team]] is seen as a symbol of unity and national pride, though [[Colombian Professional Football|local clubs]] also inspire fierce loyalty and [[Barra brava|sometimes-violent rivalries]]. Colombia has "exported" many players, such as [[Freddy Rincón]], [[Carlos Valderrama (footballer)|Carlos Valderrama]], [[Iván Córdoba|Iván Ramiro Córdoba]], and [[Faustino Asprilla]]. Other [[Sport in Colombia|Colombian athletes]] have also achieved success, including [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] in Formula One Racing, [[Edgar Rentería]] and [[Orlando Cabrera]] in Major League Baseball, and the [[Camilo Villegas]] in professional golf.
Other famous Colombians include the Nobel Prize winning author [[Gabriel García Márquez]], the artist [[Fernando Botero]], the writers [[Fernando Vallejo]], [[Laura Restrepo]], [[Álvaro Mutis]] and [[James Cañón]], the musicians [[Shakira]], [[Juanes]], [[Carlos Vives]] and [[Juan Garcia-Herreros]], and the actors [[Catalina Sandino Moreno]], [[John Leguizamo]], [[Catherine Siachoque]] and [[Sofía Vergara]].
The [[Colombian cuisine]] developed mainly from the food traditions of European countries. [[Spanish cuisine|Spanish]], [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] and [[French cuisine|French]] culinary influences can all be seen in Colombian cooking. The cuisine of neighboring [[Latin American cuisine|Latin American countries]], [[Mexican cuisine|Mexico]], [[Cuisine of the United States|the United States]] and [[Caribbean cuisine|the Caribbean]], as well as the [[Native American cuisine|cooking traditions]] of the country's indigenous inhabitants, have all influenced Colombian food. For example, [[Guinea pig|cuy]] or guinea pig, which is an indigenous cuisine, is eaten in the Andes region of south-western Colombia.
Many [[National symbols of Colombia|national symbols]], both objects and themes, have arisen from Colombia's diverse cultural traditions and aim to represent what Colombia, and the Colombian people, have in common. Cultural expressions in Colombia are promoted by the government through the [[Ministry of Culture (Colombia)|Ministry of Culture]].{{Clear}}
=== Popular culture ===
{{Main|Colombia in popular culture}}
The depiction of Colombia in popular culture, especially the portrayal of [[Colombian people]] in film and fiction, has been asserted by Colombian organizations<ref>Fohr, D. Mythes et rélatéis del'Amérique Latine a travers le dépliantpublicitaire touristique. Thásedu 3ecy-de, Université de París III, 1981.</ref><ref>Bouroon, J. "Les étrangers au primetime ou, la télévision est-elle xénophobe? Télévision d'Europe et Immigration. INA et Association Dialogue entre cultures, 1993</ref><ref>Marketing internacional de lugares y destinos: estrategias para la atracción de clientes y negocios en Latinoamérica. Authors: Philip Kotler, Víctor Campos Olguín, Matthew G. Whitehouse. Editor Pearson Educación, 2 hotdog 007. ISBN 970-26-0852-X, 9789702608523</ref> and government to be largely negative and has raised concerns that it reinforces, or even engenders, stereotypes, societal [[prejudice]] and discrimination due to association with poverty, [[narcotrafficking in Colombia|narcotics trafficking]], terrorism and other criminal elements.<ref>[http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Y36cp5CjBpoJ:www.ethnicstudies.ucsd.edu/html/zentella_article1.pdf+hispanophobia&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=15&gl=us&client=firefox-a AC Zentella. "'José, can you see?': Latino Responses to Racist Discourse."]. Retrieved 4 July 2007.</ref> These [[stereotype]]s are considered unfair by many Colombians.<ref>{{es icon}} Rodriguez, P. Estereotipos denacionalidad en estudiantes colombianos y venezolanos. Boletín de la VEPSO,Vol. XV, Nos. 1–3,65–74,1992</ref><ref>Wetherell, M. «Cross-culturalstudies ofminimal groups: implicationsfor the social identity theory of inter-group relations», 1982. Tajfel, H. Social identity and intergroup relations. [[Cambridge University Press]], 1982</ref> The Colombian government funded the "Colombia es Pasión" advertisement campaign as an attempt to improve Colombia's image abroad, with mixed results.<ref>[http://www.tiempoviajes.com/noticias/val/354/con-el-corazon-colombia-cambia-su-imagen.html Tiempoviajes.com]{{Dead link|date=May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2004170,00.html |work=The Guardian |location=London | title=Passion alone won't rescue Colombia from its narco-economy stigma | first=Simon | last=Jenkins | date=2 February 2007 | accessdate=30 April 2010}}</ref>
=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Colombian cuisine}}
<center>'''Dishes & drinks from Colombia'''</center>
<center><gallery>
File:Botelladeaguardienteantioqueñorechimbahijueputa.jpg|[[Aguardiente]]: Alcoholic typical drink.
File:Barranquilla - Sancocho de mondongo.jpg|[[Sancocho]] Typical coastal soup.
File:Ajiaco.jpg|[[Ajiaco]] Typical Mountain soup.
File:091223 tamales.jpg|[[Tamal (dish)|Tamal]].
File:Banpaisa.png|[[Bandeja Paisa]] Typical Mountain dish.
File:Arepa de queso by jslander.png|Cheese [[Arepa]].
<!-- Deleted image removed: File:Retiro-Terminal.jpg|Re emerging commuter lines at [[Retiro railway station|Retiro Terminal]] -->
</gallery></center>
Colombia's cuisine, influenced heavily by the Spanish and Indigenous populations, is not as widely known as other Latin American cuisines such as Peruvian or Brazilian, but to the adventurous traveler there are plenty of delectable dishes to try, not to mention fruits, rum, and especially Colombian coffee.
==See also==
{{satop|Geography|Latin America|South America|Colombia}}
*[[CIVETS]]
*[[International rankings of Colombia]]
*[[List of Colombians]]
<!-- *[[List of places in Colombia]] -->
*[[National Library of Colombia]]
*[[South America Life Quality Rankings]]
*[[United Nations Development Programme]]
{{clear}}
== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
== Further reading ==
{{refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* (English) Mellander, Gustavo A.; Nelly Maldonado Mellander (1999). Charles Edward Magoon: The Panama Years. Río Piedras, Puerto Rico: Editorial Plaza Mayor. ISBN 1-56328-155-4. OCLC 42970390.
* (English) Mellander, Gustavo A. (1971). The United States in Panamanian Politics: The Intriguing Formative Years. Danville, Ill.: Interstate Publishers. OCLC 138568.
* {{es icon}} Academia Colombiana de Historia (1986), ''Historia extensa de Colombia'' (41 volumes). Bogotá: Ediciones Lerner, 1965–1986. ISBN 958-95013-3-8 (Complete work)
* {{es icon}} Barrios, Luis (1984), ''Historia de Colombia''. Fifth edition, Bogotá: Editorial Cultural
* {{es icon}} Bedoya F., Víctor A. (1944), ''Historia de Colombia: independencia y república con bases fundamentales en la colonia''. Colección La Salle, Bogotá: Librería Stella
* Bushnell, David (1993), ''The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself''. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08289-3
* {{es icon}} Caballero Argaez, Carlos (1987), ''50 años de economía: de la crisis del treinta à la del ochenta''. Second edition, Colección Jorge Ortega Torres, Bogotá: Editorial Presencia, Asociación Bancaria de Colombia. ISBN 958-9040-03-9
* {{es icon}} Cadavid Misas, Roberto (2004), ''Cursillo de historia de Colombia: de la conquista à la independencia''. Bogotá: Intermedio Editores. ISBN 958–709–134–5
* {{es icon}} Calderón Schrader, Camilo; Gil, Antonio; Torras, Daniel (2001), ''Enciclopedia de Colombia'' (4 volumes). Barcelona: Céano Grupo Editorial, 2001. ISBN 84-494-1947-6 (Complete work)
* {{es icon}} Calderón Schrader, Camilo (1993), ''Gran enciclopedia de Colombia'' (11 volumes). Bogotá: Círculo de Lectores. ISBN 958-28-0294-4 (Complete work)
* {{es icon}} Cavelier Gaviria, Germán (2003), ''Centenario de Panamá: una historia de la separación de Colombia en 1903''. Bogotá: Universidad Externado de Colombia. ISBN 958–616–718–6
* {{es icon}} Forero, Manuel José (1946), ''Historia analítica de Colombia desde los orígenes de la independencia nacional''. Second edition, Bogotá: Librería Voluntad.
* {{es icon}} Gómez Hoyos, Rafael (1992), ''La independencia de Colombia''. Madrid: Editorial Mapfre, Colecciones Mapfre 1492. ISBN 84-7100-596-4
* {{es icon}} Granados, Rafael María (1978), ''Historia general de Colombia: prehistoria, conquista, colonia, independencia y Repúbica''. Eighth edition, Bogotá: Imprenta Departamental Antonio Nariño.
* {{es icon}} Hernández de Alba, Guillermo (2004), ''Como nació la República de Colombia''. Colección Bolsilibros. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Historia. ISBN 958-8040-35-3
* {{es icon}} Hernández Becerra, Augusto (2001), ''Ordenamiento y desarreglo territorial en Colombia''. Bogotá: Universidad Externado de Colombia, ISBN 958–616–555–8
* {{es icon}} Hernández Rodríguez, Guillermo (1949), ''De los chibchas à la colonia y à la república''. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Sección de Extensión Cultural.
* Hylton, Forrest (2006), ''Evil Hour in Colombia''. New York: Verso Books. ISBN 1-84467-551-3
* {{es icon}} Jaramillo Uribe, Jaime; Tirado Mejía, Álvaro; Calderón Schrader, Camilo (2000), ''Nueva historia de Colombia'' (12 volumes). Bogotá: Planeta Colombiana Editorial. ISBN 958–614–251–5 (Complete work)
* Kirk, Robin (2004), ''More Terrible Than Death: Drugs, Violence, and America's War in Colombia''. United States: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-207-6
* {{es icon}} Ocampo López, Javier (1999), ''El proceso ideológico de la emancipación en Colombia''. Colección La Línea de Horizonte, Bogotá: Editorial Planeta. ISBN 958–614–792–4
* Ospina, William (2006), ''Once Upon a Time There Was Colombia''. Colombia: Villegas Asociados. ISBN 958-8156-64-5
* Palacios, Marco (2006), ''Between Legitimacy and Violence: A History of Colombia, 1875–2002''. United States of America: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3767-3
* {{es icon}} Reichel-Dolmatoff, Gerardo (1998), ''Colombia indígena''. Medellín: Hola Colina. ISBN 958–638–276–1
* {{es icon}} Restrepo, José Manuel (1974), ''Historia de la revolución de la República de Colombia''. Medellín: Editorial Bedout.
* {{es icon}} Rivadeneira Vargas, Antonio José (2002), ''Historia constitucional de Colombia 1510–2000''. Third edition, Tunja: Editorial Bolivariana Internacional.
* Simons, Geoff (2004), ''Colombia: A Brutal History''. London: [[Saqi Books]]. ISBN 0-86356-758-4
* Smith, Stephen (1999), ''Cocaine Train: Travels in Colombia''. London: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-64749-7
* {{es icon}} Tovar Pinzón, Hermes (1975), ''El movimiento campesino en Colombia durante los siglos XIX y XX''. Second edition, Bogotá: Ediciones Libres.
* {{es icon}} Trujillo Muñoz Augusto (2001), ''Descentralización, regionalización y autonomía local''. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
* {{es icon}} Vidal Perdomo Jaime (2001), ''La Región en la Organización Territorial del Estado''. Bogotá: Universidad del Rosario.
{{refend}}
== External links ==
{{Sister project links}}
{{osmrelation|120027}}
* [http://www.gobiernoenlinea.gov.co/ Portal del Estado] – Colombia Online Government web site {{es icon}}
* [http://www.igac.gov.co/ Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi] – Maps of Colombia {{es icon}}
* {{Wikitravel}}
* [http://www.britannica.com/nations/Colombia Colombia] at [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]
* {{CIA World Factbook link|co|Colombia}}
* [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107419.html Colombia History Geography and Culture]
* [http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/colombia.htm Colombia] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{dmoz|Regional/South_America/Colombia}}
* [http://colombiareports.com/ [[Colombia Reports]]] – Colombia's main news website in English
* [http://www.witnessforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=95 Witness for Peace: Colombia Program]
* [http://www.mundivideo.com/localizador.php?tp=2&pais=41 Satellital view of all cities of Colombia]
* [http://colombia.theplacelocator.com Information on Where is Colombia]
* [http://content.glin.gov/summary/233435 Mexican Decree recognizing the National sovereignty of Colombia as a free and independent power, 2 May 1822]
* [http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf UNDP.org]
* [http://www.investincolombia.com.co/emerging-countries/emerging-countries-2010/ Colombia: a top emerging country] – Official investment portal report
* [http://www.dane.gov.co/ Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica] – [[National Administrative Department of Statistics]] {{es icon}}
* [http://www.icrc.org/eng/where-we-work/americas/colombia/index.jsp The ICRC in Colombia]
== Related information == <!-- see [[wp:NAVHEAD]] -->
{{Template group
|title=Geographic locale
|list=
{{Departments of Colombia}}
{{Countries of South America}}
}}
{{Template group
|title=International membership
|list=
{{Latin Union}}
{{Union of South American Nations (Unasur\Unasul)}}
{{Andean Community of Nations}}
{{Mercosur\Mercosul (Southern Common Market)}}
{{Organization of American States}}
}}
{{Colombia topics}}
{{Symbols of Colombia}}
[[Category:Colombia| ]]
[[Category:Andean Community of Nations]]
[[Category:Caribbean countries]]
[[Category:Constitutional republics]]
[[Category:Countries bordering the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Former Spanish colonies]]
[[Category:Republics]]
[[Category:South American countries]]
[[Category:Spanish-speaking countries]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1810]]
[[Category:Member states of the Union of South American Nations]]
[[Category:Member states of the United Nations]]
{{Link GA|es}}
{{Link FA|eo}}
eilutė 52 ⟶ 650:
[[als:Kolumbien]]
[[am:ኮሎምቢያ]]
[[ang:Colombia]]
[[ar:كولومبيا]]
[[an:Colombia]]
[[arc:ܩܘܠܘܡܒܝܐ]]
[[roa-rup:Columbia]]
[[frp:Colombie]]
[[ast:Colombia]]
[[gn:Kolómbia]]
[[ay:Kuluwya]]
[[az:Kolumbiya]]
[[bn:কলম্বিয়া]]
[[zh-min-nan:Colombia]]
[[be:Калумбія]]
[[be-x-old:Калюмбія]]
[[
[[bo:ཁོ་ལོམ་བི་ཡ།]]
[[bs:Kolumbija]]
[[br:Kolombia]]
[[bg:Колумбия]]
[[ca:Colòmbia]]
[[cv:Колумби]]
[[ceb:Colombia]]
[[cs:Kolumbie]]
[[cbk-zam:Colombia]]
[[co:Colombia]]
[[cy:Colombia]]
[[da:Colombia]]
[[de:Kolumbien]]
[[dv:ކޮލަންބިއާ]]
[[nv:Kolámbiya]]
[[dsb:Kolumbiska]]
[[dz:ཀོ་ལོམ་བི་ཡ]]
[[
[[el:Κολομβία]]
[[
[[eo:Kolombio]]
[[ext:Colómbia]]
[[eu:Kolonbia]]
[[ee:Colombia]]
[[fa:کلمبیا]]
[[
[[fo:Kolumbia]]
[[fr:Colombie]]
[[fy:Kolombia]]
[[ga:An Cholóim]]
[[gv:Yn Cholombey]]
[[gag:Kolumbiya]]
[[gd:Coloimbia]]
[[gl:Colombia]]
[[
[[gu:કોલમ્બીયા]]
[[hak:Kô-lùn-pí-â]]
[[xal:Коламбудин Орн]]
[[ko:콜롬비아]]
[[hy:Կոլումբիա]]
[[hi:कोलम्बिया]]
[[hsb:Kolumbiska]]
[[
[[
[[ilo:Colombia]]
[[bpy:কলম্বিয়া]]
[[id:Kolombia]]
[[ia:Colombia]]
[[ie:Columbia]]
[[
[[
[[zu:IsiColombia]]
[[is:Kólumbía]]
[[it:Colombia]]
[[
[[jv:Kolombia]]
[[kl:Colombia]]
[[kn:ಕೊಲೊಂಬಿಯ]]
[[
[[ka:კოლუმბია]]
[[ks:कोलोम्बिया]]
[[kk:Колумбия Республикасы]]
[[kw:Kolombi]]
[[
[[sw:Kolombia]]
[[ht:Kolonbi]]
[[ku:Kolombiya]]
[[mrj:Колумби]]
[[lad:Kolombia]]
[[ltg:Kolumbeja]]
[[la:Columbia]]
[[lv:Kolumbija]]
[[lb:Kolumbien]]
[[
[[lij:Colombia]]
[[
[[ln:Kolombi]]
[[
[[
[[
[[mk:Колумбија]]
[[mg:Kolombia]]
[[ml:കൊളംബിയ]]
[[
[[ms:Colombia]]
[[mn:Колумб]]
[[my:ကိုလံဘီယာနိုင်ငံ]]
[[nah:Colombia]]
[[
[[nl:Colombia]]
[[ne:कोलम्बिया]]
[[new:कोलम्बिया]]
[[
[[
[[no:Colombia]]
[[nn:Colombia]]
[[nov:Kolombia]]
[[oc:Colómbia]]
[[mhr:Колумбий]]
[[om:Colombia]]
[[
[[pap:Colombia]]
[[km:កូឡុំប៊ី]]
[[pms:Colombia]]
[[nds:Kolumbien]]
[[pl:Kolumbia]]
[[pt:Colômbia]]
[[
[[ro:Columbia]]
[[
[[rm:Columbia]]
[[qu:Kulumbya]]
[[ru:Колумбия]]
[[sah:Колумбия]]
[[se:Kolombia]]
[[sa:कोलोम्बिया]]
[[sco:Colombie]]
[[sq:Kolumbia]]
[[scn:Colombia]]
[[simple:Colombia]]
[[sk:Kolumbia]]
[[sl:Kolumbija]]
[[szl:Kolůmbijo]]
[[so:Kolombiya]]
[[
[[sr:Колумбија]]
[[sh:Kolumbija]]
[[fi:Kolumbia]]
[[sv:Colombia]]
[[
[[ta:கொலொம்பியா]]
[[tt:Колумбия]]
[[te:కొలంబియా]]
[[tet:Kolómbia]]
[[th:ประเทศโคลอมเบีย]]
[[
[[tr:Kolombiya]]
[[udm:Колумбия]]
[[uk:Колумбія]]
[[ur:کولمبیا]]
[[ug:كولومبىيە]]
[[vec:Cołonbia]]
[[vi:Colombia]]
[[vo:Kolumbän]]
[[fiu-vro:Colombia]]
[[zh-classical:哥倫比亞]]
[[war:Colombia]]
[[wo:Koloombi]]
[[wuu:哥伦比亚]]
[[ts:Colombia]]
[[yi:קאלאמביע]]
[[yo:Kòlómbìà]]
[[zh-yue:哥倫比亞]]
[[diq:Kolombiya]]
[[zea:Colombia]]
[[bat-smg:Kuolombėjė]]
[[zh:哥伦比亚]]
| |||