Colombia

¡Bienvenidos a Colombia! Welcome to the only South American country where you can swim in both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea! Colombia is like nature's most colorful painting, where emerald green coffee plantations climb mountain slopes, bright yellow butterflies dance through Amazon rainforest, and vibrant cities burst with music, art, and some of the friendliest people in the world. This amazing country is home to more bird species than anywhere else on Earth and produces some of the world's finest coffee and most beautiful emeralds.

Colombia declared independence from Spain on July 20, 1810, led by heroes like Simón Bolívar, "The Liberator of South America." The country was named after Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón in Spanish), honoring the explorer who never actually set foot in Colombia but whose voyages led to European discovery of the Americas. For a time, Colombia was part of a larger country called Gran Colombia that included modern-day Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama.

Map of Colombia showing its 32 departments, coastlines on both Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, Andes Mountains, and Amazon rainforest region. Image Credit: Milenioscuro, Wikimedia Commons

Colombian national symbols: yellow, blue, and red flag, wax palm tree, Andean condor, and peso colombiano featuring national heroes and biodiversity. Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): 9BBWMJ, Wikimedia Commons; Dick Culbert, Wikimedia Commons; Thomas Fuhrmann, Wikimedia Commons; Edjar Zuniga Jr., Flickr

COLOMBIA FACTS

INDEPENDENCE: July 20, 1810 (214 years ago)

POPULATION: About 52 million people

CAPITAL: Bogotá

DEPARTMENTS: 32 departments plus 1 capital district

BIGGEST CITY: Bogotá (7.4 million people)

NATIONAL BIRD: Andean Condor

NATIONAL FLOWER: Christmas Orchid (Cattleya trianae)

Colombia's diverse geography: snow-capped peaks of the Andes, colonial walls of Cartagena on Caribbean coast, lush coffee region valleys, and vast Amazon rainforest rivers. Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): Alejandro Bayer T., Wikimedia Commons; Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons; Triángulo del Café Travel, Wikimedia Commons; European Space Agency, Wikimedia Commons

Amazing Wildlife

Colombia has more bird species than any other country in the world - over 1,900 different kinds! The majestic Andean condor is the national bird, while tiny hummingbirds (Colombia has 165 species!) dart between flowers in every region. The country is also home to spectacled bears, jaguars, pink river dolphins in the Amazon, poison dart frogs with brilliant colors, and unique animals like the cotton-top tamarin monkey found nowhere else on Earth.

Colombia's incredible animals: Andean condors soaring over mountain peaks, tiny colorful poison dart frogs, cotton-top tamarin monkeys, and vibrant hummingbirds at tropical flowers (Sword-billed hummingbird shown in the image above). Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): Michael Gäbler, Wikimedia Commons; Mannu1975, Wikimedia Commons; Bernard Spragg. NZ, Wikimedia Commons

Natural Resources

Colombia produces some of the world's finest coffee grown on mountain slopes where the climate is perfect for premium beans! The country also has the world's largest emerald deposits, producing the most beautiful green gemstones on Earth. Colombia has significant oil reserves, coal deposits, and gold mines, plus fertile land that grows flowers, bananas, and other crops that are exported worldwide.

Colombia's treasures: coffee farmers harvesting premium beans on mountain plantations and emerald mining operations producing the world's finest green gemstones. Image Credits (from left to right): Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons; Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons

Colombia truly is South America's most biodiverse treasure, where two oceans meet three mountain ranges and every region offers its own unique wildlife, culture, and natural wonders!