Colombia

This article is about the country. For its predecessor, see Gran Colombia. For other uses, see Colombia (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Columbia or Colombo.

Republic of Colombia
República de Colombia (Spanish)
Motto: "Libertad y Orden" (Spanish)
"Freedom and Order"
Anthem: Himno Nacional de la República de Colombia (Spanish)
"National Anthem of the Republic of Colombia"
Location of Colombia (dark green)
Location of Colombia (dark green)
Capital
and largest city
Bogotá
4°35′N 74°4′W / 4.583°N 74.067°W / 4.583; -74.067
Official languagesSpanish
Recognized regional languagesCreole English (in San Andrés and Providencia)[1]
64 other languages[a]
Ethnic groups
(2018 census[2][3])
Religion
(2022)[4]
Demonym(s)Colombian
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Gustavo Petro
Francia Márquez
LegislatureCongress
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
Chamber of Representatives
Independence from Spain
• Declared
20 July 1810
• Recognized
7 August 1819
• Last unitisation
5 August 1886
• Secession of Panama
6 November 1903
4 July 1991
Area
• Total
1,141,748 km2 (440,831 sq mi) (25th)
• Water (%)
2.1 (as of 2015)[5]
Population
• 2024 estimate
Neutral increase 52,695,952[6] (27th)
• Density
46.15/km2 (119.5/sq mi) (174th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $1.042 trillion[7] (32nd)
• Per capita
Increase $19,770[7] (82nd)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $386.076 billion[7] (46th)
• Per capita
Increase $7,327[7] (97th)
Gini (2022)Negative increase 54.8[8]
high inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.758[9]
high (91st)
CurrencyColombian peso (COP)
Time zoneUTC−5[b] (COT)
Date formatDMY
Drives onright
Calling code+57
ISO 3166 codeCO
Internet TLD.co
  1. ^ Although the Colombian Constitution specifies Spanish (Castellano) as the official language in all Colombian territory, other languages spoken in the country by ethnic groups – approximately 68 languages – each is also official in its territory.[10] English is also official in the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina.[11]
  2. ^ The official Colombian time[12] is controlled and coordinated by the National Institute of Metrology.[13]

Colombia,[b] officially the Republic of Colombia,[c] is a country primarily located in South America with insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast, Brazil to the southeast, Ecuador and Peru to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest. Colombia is divided into 32 departments. The Capital District of Bogotá is also the country's largest city hosting the main financial and cultural hub. Other major urban areas include Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Cúcuta, Ibagué, Villavicencio and Bucaramanga. It covers an area of 1,141,748 square kilometers (440,831 sq mi) and has a population of around 52 million. Its rich cultural heritage[15]—including language, religion, cuisine, and art—reflects its history as a colony, fusing cultural elements brought by immigration from Europe[16][17][18][19] and the Middle East,[20][21][22] with those brought by the African diaspora,[23] as well as with those of the various Indigenous civilizations that predate colonization.[24] Spanish is the official language, although Creole, English and 64 other languages are recognized regionally.

Colombia has been home to many indigenous peoples and cultures since at least 12,000 BCE. The Spanish first landed in La Guajira in 1499, and by the mid-16th century, they had colonized much of present-day Colombia, and established the New Kingdom of Granada, with Santa Fé de Bogotá as its capital. Independence from the Spanish Empire was achieved in 1819, with what is now Colombia emerging as the United Provinces of New Granada. The new polity experimented with federalism as the Granadine Confederation (1858) and then the United States of Colombia (1863), before becoming a republic—the current Republic of Colombia—in 1886. With the backing of the United States and France, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, resulting in Colombia's present borders. Beginning in the 1960s, the country has suffered from an asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict and political violence, both of which escalated in the 1990s. Since 2005, there has been significant improvement in security, stability, and rule of law, as well as unprecedented economic growth and development.[25][26] Colombia is recognized for its healthcare system, being the best healthcare in Latin America according to the World Health Organization and 22nd in the world.[27][28] Its diversified economy is the third-largest in South America, with macroeconomic stability and favorable long-term growth prospects.[29][30]

Colombia is one of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries; it has the highest level of biodiversity per square mile in the world and the second-highest level overall.[31] Its territory encompasses Amazon rainforest, highlands, grasslands and deserts. It is the only country in South America with coastlines (and islands) along both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Colombia is a key member of major global and regional organizations including the UN, the WTO, the OECD, the OAS, the Pacific Alliance and the Andean Community; it is also a NATO Global Partner[32] and a major non-NATO ally of the United States.[33]

  1. ^ "Por la cual se dictan normas especiales para la organización y el funcionamiento del Departamento Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina". Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023. ARTÍCULO 42. IDIOMA Y LENGUA OFICIAL EN EL DEPARTAMENTO ARCHIPIELAGO. Son oficiales en el Departamento Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina el castellano y el inglés comunmente hablado por las comunidades nativas del Archipiélago.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference grupos étnicos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Homburger, J. R.; Moreno-Estrada, A.; Gignoux, C. R.; Nelson, D.; Sanchez, E.; Ortiz-Tello, P.; Pons-Estel, B. A.; Acevedo-Vasquez, E.; Miranda, P.; Langefeld, C. D.; Gravel, S.; Alarcón-Riquelme, M. E.; Bustamante, C. D. (2015). "Genomic Insights into the Ancestry and Demographic History of South America". PLOS Genetics. 11 (12): e1005602. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1005602. ISSN 1553-7390. PMC 4670080. PMID 26636962.
  4. ^ "Catholicism and evangelism: the two most common religions in Latin America". Statista. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Proyecciones de Población DANE". Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024 Edition. (Colombia)". www.imf.org. International Monetary Fund. 16 April 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Colombia - The World Factbook". Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ Colombian Constitution of 1991 (Title I – Concerning Fundamental Principles – Article 10)
  11. ^ "LEY 47 DE 1993" (in Spanish). alcaldiabogota.gov.co. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  12. ^ "The official Colombian time" (in Spanish). horalegal.inm.gov.co. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  13. ^ "Decreto 4175 de 2011, artículo 6, numeral 14" (in Spanish). Presidencia de la República de Colombia. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  14. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  15. ^ "Colombia herencia cultural más allá de la colonia". procolombia.co (in Spanish). 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  16. ^ "News & Events - Irlandeses en Colombia y Antioquia". Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Estos fueron los primeros alemanes en Colombia". Revista Diners (in Spanish). 10 June 2019. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  18. ^ Vidal Ortega, Antonino; D'Amato Castillo, Giuseppe (1 December 2015). "Los otros, sin patria: italianos en el litoral Caribe de Colombia a comienzos del siglo XX". Caravelle. Cahiers du monde hispanique et luso-brésilien (in French) (105): 153–175. doi:10.4000/caravelle.1822. ISSN 1147-6753. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  19. ^ Salamanca, Helwar Figueroa; Espitia, Julián David Corredor (31 July 2019). ""En una ciudad gris y silenciosa": la migración francesa en Bogotá (1900-1920)". Anuario de Historia Regional y de las Fronteras (in Spanish). 24 (2): 75–100. doi:10.18273/revanu.v24n2-2019003. ISSN 2145-8499. S2CID 203515282. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  20. ^ Fawcett de Posada, Louise; Posada Carbó, Eduardo (1992). "En la tierra de las oportunidades: los sirio-libaneses en Colombia" [In the land of opportunity: the Syrian-Lebanese in Colombia] (PDF). Boletín Cultural y Bibliográfico (in Spanish). 29 (29). publicaciones.banrepcultural.org: 8–11. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  21. ^ S.A.S, Editorial La República (26 April 2022). "Colombia y Medio Oriente". Diario La República (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  22. ^ Tiempo, Casa Editorial El (7 March 2019). "Los palestinos que encontraron un segundo hogar en el centro de Bogotá". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  23. ^ Faucher, Nicolás Murillo (11 August 2014). "La herencia Africana en Colombia". Libre Pensador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  24. ^ "El patrimonio cultural de seis pueblos indígenas renace con 'Sembrando Nuestros Saberes' en Colombia". aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference Enough Already! was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference Colombia's GDP growth was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ "World Health Organization Assesses the World's Health Systems". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  28. ^ "Colombia Healthcare System". International Citizens Insurance. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference GDP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference strongmacroeconomicmanagement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference Biodiversity of Colombia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ "NATO - Topic: Relations with Colombia". Nato.int. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  33. ^ Samuels, Brett (10 March 2022). "Biden designates Colombia as major non-NATO ally". The Hill. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2022.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).