Facts about Colombia

Colombia is divided into 32 departments and one capital district.

Today more than 50 different indigenous ethnic groups exist in Colombia.

Most of these immigrants settled on the Caribbean coast; Barranquilla (the largest city on the Colombian Caribbean coast) has the largest population of Lebanese, Jewish, Italian and Roma descendants.

The conflict originated around 1964-1966, when the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) were founded and began their guerrilla insurgency campaigns against successive Colombian government administrations.

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country located in the northwestern region of South America.

Colombia's most famous hostage, especially internationally, was Ingrid Betancourt, a former senator and presidential candidate known as an outspoken and daring anti-corruption activist.

Many people visit Colombia during the Christmas season and the celebrations surrounding independence day.

Statue of an unnamed Amarna-era princess, a likely sister (or step-sister) to Tutankhamun.

The census data in Colombia do not take into account ethnicity, so percentages are basically estimates from other sources and can vary from one another.

The Colombian government planned to destroy around 123,553 acres (500 kmІ) of coca plants in 2007 and claims there will be only around 49,421 acres (200 kmІ) left, which they believe can be destroyed in 2008.

Before Spanish colonization of the region that would become Colombia, the territory was home to many different indigenous peoples.

Most tourists come to Colombia during the famous festivals, such as the Cali Fair, the Barranquilla Carnival, the Bogotб summer festival, the Iberoamerican Theater Festival, and the Flower Festival.

Rainfall varies by location in Colombia, tending to increase as one travels southward.

The IMF Economic Indicators published on September 2006 forecast the Colombian GDP to reach US$156.69 billion in 2008.

The historic amalgam of the different main groups forms the basics of Colombia's current demographics: European immigrants, indigenous natives, Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners, and other recent immigrants.

Due in part to geography, Colombian culture has been heavily fragmented into five major cultural regions.

All imports, exports, and the general trade balance are in record levels, and the inflow of export dollars has resulted in substantial revaluation of the Colombian peso.

Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world and the fourth-largest country in South America (after Brazil, Argentina, and Peru), with an area more than twice that of France.

The Colombian government has established 567 reserves for indigenous peoples, which are inhabited by more than 800,000 persons.

More than two-thirds of all Colombians live in urban areas—a figure significantly higher than the world average.

Colombia's main exports include manufactured goods (41.32 percent), petroleum (28.28 percent), coal (13.17 percent), and coffee (6.25 percent).

In 2006, the Colombian government destroyed around 180,387 acres (730 kmІ), beating all previous records in coca plant destruction.

Most recent is the displacement to cities and other countries caused by the Colombian armed conflict.

Colombia has become notorious for its illicit drug production, kidnappings, and murder rate.

The violence spread throughout the country and claimed the lives of at least 180,000 Colombians.

Colombia's principal airport is El Dorado International Airport in Bogotб.

The 48-card German deck was developed in the fifteenth century with various face-card designs, but the William Tell design became extremely popular after the Revolutions of 1848.

Coca cultivation is a major illegal business in Colombia.

In 1863 New Granada changed its name to United States of Colombia, and in 1886 adopted its present name: Republic of Colombia.

Colombia's proximity to the equator influences its climates.

The Pan-American Highway travels through Colombia, connecting the country with Venezuela to the east and Ecuador to the south.

Colombia is also the largest exporter of plantains to the United States.

Analysts have estimated that the total costs of asbestos litigation in the United States alone is over $250 billion.

Within Latin America, Colombia is known as a provider of fine lingerie, with the industry being centered in Medellнn.

After a two-year civil war, in 1863, the United States of Colombia was created, lasting until 1886, when the country finally became known as the Republic of Colombia.

To the south, savanna (tropical grassland) vegetation covers the Colombian portion of the llanos.

Between 1992 and 1999 a total of 5,181 kidnappings, two-thirds of all those reported worldwide, occurred in Colombia.

Drug cartels attempted to influence the government and the political structure of Colombia by means of corruption.

Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflicts.

The Colombian constitution guarantees religious freedom, but also states that the state "is not atheist or agnostic, nor indifferent to Colombians' religious sentiment."

Colombia's rainy southeast, however, is often drenched by more than 200 in (500 cm) of rain per year.

The new constitution also initially prohibited the extradition of Colombian nationals to the United States.

Colombia has more physical diversity packed into its borders than any other area of comparable size in Latin America.

Colombia was also engulfed in a year-long war with Peru over a territorial dispute involving the Amazonas Department and its capital Leticia.

Rainfall varies by location in Colombia, tending to increase as one travels southward.