Colombia (/kəˈlʌmbiə/ ( listen) kə-LUM-bee-ə, /-ˈlɒm-/ -LOM-;[10] Spanish: [koˈlombja] ( listen)),

officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish:  República de Colombia (help·info)),[Note 1] is a

country largely situated in the north of South America, with land and territories in North America.
Colombia is bounded on the north by the Caribbean Sea, the northwest by Panama, the south by
both Ecuador and Peru, the east by Venezuela, the southeast by Brazil, and the west by
the Pacific. It comprises thirty-two departments, with the capital in Bogotá.
Colombia is ethnically and linguistically diverse, with its rich cultural heritage reflecting influences
by various Amerindian civilizations, European settlement, forced African labor, and immigration
from Europe and the greater Middle East. Urban centres are concentrated in the Andean
highlands and the Caribbean coast.
Colombia has been inhabited by various American Indian peoples since at least 12,000 BCE,
including the Muisca, Quimbaya, and the Tairona. Spaniards arrived in 1499 and by the mid-16th
century annexed part of the region, establishing the New Kingdom of Granada, with Santafé de
Bogotá as its capital. Independence from Spain was achieved in 1819, but by 1830 the Gran
Colombia Federation was dissolved, with what is now Colombia and Panama emerging as
the Republic of New Granada. The new sovereign state 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. Panama seceded in 1903, leading to
Colombia's present borders. Beginning in the 1960s, the country 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.[11]
Colombia has the second-highest biodiversity in the world[12] and is one of the world's
17 megadiverse countries; its territory encompasses Amazon
rainforest, highlands, grasslands, deserts, and islands and coastlines along both
the Atlantic and Pacific (the only country in South America).
Colombia is the only NATO Global Partner in Latin America.[13] It is part of the CIVETS group of
leading emerging markets and a member of the UN, the WTO, the OAS, the Pacific Alliance, an
associate member of Mercosur and other international organizations.[14] Colombia's diversified
economy is the third largest in South America, with macroeconomic stability and favorable long-
term growth prospects.[15][16]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
o 2.1Pre-Columbian era
o 2.2European annexation
o 2.3Colonial exchange
o 2.4Independence
o 2.520th century
o 2.621st century
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
o 3.2Biodiversity
 4Government and politics
o 4.1Foreign affairs
o 4.2Military
o 4.3Administrative divisions
o 4.4Largest cities and towns
 5Economy
o 5.1Science and technology
 o 5.2Infrastructure
 6Demographics
o 6.1Languages
o 6.2Ethnic groups
o 6.3Religion
 7Culture
o 7.1Literature
o 7.2Visual arts
o 7.3Architecture
o 7.4Music
o 7.5Popular culture
o 7.6Cuisine
o 7.7Sports
 8Health
 9Education
 10See also
 11Notes
 12References
 13External links
o 13.1General information
o 13.2Government
o 13.3Culture
o 13.4Geography