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Colombia
Quick Overview:
Colombia is a medium-income country with a diverse economy. Travelers to the capital city of Bogota may require some time to adjust to the altitude (8,600 feet), which can adversely affect blood pressure, digestion and energy level. Tourist facilities vary in quality, according to price and location.
Geography:
Colombia lies at the gateway to South America and must have been a transit point for the first inhabitants who migrated from North and Central America. The pre-columbian cultures of Colombia have been little investigated as almost none of them left behind spectacular monuments. However, their art reveals a high degree of craftsmanship and their goldwork is the best in the whole continent, both for the techniques used and for the artistic design. Among, the most outstanding cultures were the Tayrona, SinÀ, Muisca, Quimbaya, Tolima, Calima,Tierradentro, San Agustÿn, Nari¦o, and Tumaco. Three important archeological sites were built by some of these cultures: San Agustÿn, Tierradentro and Ciudad Perdida. Spaniards founded Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien in 1510, the first permanent European settlement on the American mainland. In 1538 the Spaniards established the colony of New Granada, the area's name until 1861. After a 14-year struggle, in which Simþn Bolÿvar's troops won the battle of Boyacž in Colombia on Aug. 7, 1819, independence was attained in 1824. Bolÿvar united Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador in the Republic of Greater Colombia (1810-1830), but lost Venezuela and Ecuador to separatists. Bolÿvar's Vice President, Francisco de Paula Santander, founded the Liberal Party as the Federalists while Bolÿvar established the Conservatives as the Centralists. Santander's presidency (1832-1936) re-established order, but later periods of Liberal dominance (1849-1857 and 1861-1880), when the Liberals sought to disestablish the Roman Catholic Church, were marked by insurrection and even civil war. Rafael Nu¦ez, in a 15-year-presidency, restored the power of the central government and the church, which led in 1899 to a bloody civil war and the loss in 1903 of Panama over ratification of a lease to the U.S of the canal zone.
Related Links:
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News - news of Colombia |
Offical Sites politics of Clombia |
Country Guides travelling to Colombia |
Education schools in Colombia |