Colombia, officially known as the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: Republica de Colombia) is a unitary republic in South America. With 49 million inhabitants, Colombia is not only the second largest country in South America, but it is also the twentyfith-largest country in the world and the twentyninth most populous.
Colombia's capital and largest city is Bogota, with 8 million inhabitants. 12,000 years prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1499, Colombia was inhabitated by several Indigenous tribes. The Spanish colonized and conquered much of the region, establishing the New Kingdom of Granada. Colombia achieved independece from Spain in 1819. It's current president is Ivan Duque Marquez.
Etymology[]
This nation was named "Colombia" after the last name of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish: Cristobal Colon), who "discovered" the Americas in 1492.
Departments[]
Andean Region[]
- Antioquia Department
- Boyaca Department
- Caldas Department
- Cauca Department
- Cundinamarca Department
- Huila Department
- Narino Department
- Norte de Santander Department
- Qunidio Department
- Risaralda Department
- Santander Department
- Tolima Department
- Valle del Cauca Department
Caribbean Region[]
- Atlantico Department
- Bolivar Department
- Ceasar Department
- Cordoba Department
- La Guajira Department
- Magdalena Departmment
- San Adreés and Providencia Department
- Sucre Department
Pacific Region[]
- Cauca Department
- Choco Department
- Narino Department
- Valle del Cauca Department
Major Cities[]
- Bogota
Demographics[]
Race and Ethnicity[]
49% (around 23 million) of the Colombian population are mestizo (meaning "mixed race".) They are typically a mixture of white Colombian (mostly Spanish) and Native Colombian. People who are or describe themselves as white comprise of 37% (around 17 million) of the population. The majority of white Colombians are descended from the Spanish settlers who conquered and colonized their country in the mid-16th century. Higher percents of whites can be found in the Andean region.
11% (around 4 million) of the population are of black African descent (including mulatto), which makes Colombia being considered to have the fourth largest black population in western hemisphere, following Haiti, the United States and Brazil. Most Afro-Colombians live in the Pacific region of the country. 50% of Native Colombians live in the departments of La Guarija, Cauca and Narino.
Religion[]
Christianity is the largest religion in Colombia, with Roman Catholics being the main adherents and with 73% of the population. The secondary adherents are Protestants with 14% of the population, 11% of the population are irreligious (which includes atheist and agnostic) while 3.5% claim to belive in God but do not follow a specific religion. Despite all of this, the National Administrative Department of Statistics does not collect religious statistics.
Language[]
The official language in Colombia is Spanish (also called Castilian) and more than 99% of the country's inhabitants speak the language. In the country, 65 indigenous languages, two Creole languages, the Romani language and Colombian Sign Language are also spoken.
Films that take place in Colombia[]
People from Colombia[]
- Zulay Henao
