To try and describe Colombia in a single web page is virtually impossible.
How do you sum up through the written word alone the passion of it’s people, it’s determination to succeed in the face of constant challenges and negative press or it’s amazing flora and fauna that gives it one of the most incredible bio-diversities in the world.
How can you explain to outsiders that this country, best known for drugs and terrorism, is in fact one of the most warm hearted countries you can visit, has a work ethic second to none and a wealth of history and tradition that can fill your mind and heart with memories that will live on long after you leave.
To be honest we can’t. What we can do, with the help of the Colombian Embassy, is tell you the basic facts
However to really appreciate Colombia and all it has to offer you have to visit … we promise you won’t be disappointed.

Famous Colombians

Shakira
Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and regularly topping the charts. Shakira has also been awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame making her the first Colombian to receive this honour.

Juan Pablo Montoya
Racing driver Juan Pablo Montoya was a Formula 1 driver and now spends much of his time, together with his wife Connie Freydell as an United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Montoya founded the Formula Smiles Foundation which aims to help children in poor neighborhoods by building or improving sports facilities and infrastructure.

Gabriel Garcia Márquez
Colombia’s most distinguished contemporary author is novelist Gabriel Garcia Márquez, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1982. In his most famous novel, Cien años de soledad (1967; One Hundred Years of Solitude, 1970), Márquez popularized magic realism, combining meticulous descriptions of Colombia’s social and political realities with elements of fantasy.

Fernando Botero
Figurative painter and sculptor, one of the most celebrated contemporary Latin American artists and a man who has made an art of capturing the sensuousness of large people. Influenced but Valazquez, Goya and Rivera, his work is both whimsical and satirical.

Juanes
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, best known as Juanes, is a Colombian rock musician who has won 5 Grammy Awards and had a single in the pop charts for an amazing 92 weeks. Time magazine counted him among its list of "the 100 most influential people in the world today."

Colombia at a Glance

Name: Republic of Colombia
Capital: Bogotá D.C.
Most Important Cities: Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla
Location: South America
Climate: Tropical which tends to vary with the altitude
Area: 1,141,748 km²
Government: Republic
System of Government: Presidential with division of powers (executive, legislative and judicial)
Chief Executive and President: Álvaro Uribe Vélez
National Independence Day: 20 July 1810
National bird: The Andean Condor
National flower: Orchid
National Tree: Wax Palms
Religion: Catholicism 95.4%
Official Language: Spanish
Business community: English
Population: 42,090,502 (Census 2005)
Currency: Colombian peso (Col$)
GDP: 6.8% (2006)
Literacy rate: 91%
Exports: 15.1% (2006)
Imports: 23.4% (2006)
Principal exports: Oil (US $ 4,7 m) and Coffee (US $ 1,0 m)
International reserves: US $ 8,9 m (2000)
International Airport: Santafe de Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena and San Andres
Highest Peaks: Cristobal Colon (5775 metres); Simon Bolivar (5775 metres), Volcano Nevado del Huila (5750 metres) and Volcano Nevado del Ruiz (5490 metres)
Main Rivers: Magdalena (1543 km long); Guaviare (1350 km long); Caqueta (1200 km long) and Putumayo (1350 km long)

Summary
Colombia is nearly five times the size of the UK. Located in the north of South America, Colombia is bordered by Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Peru and Ecuador to the south and Panama to the northwest, countries with which it maintains dynamic political and economic relations.
The fourth largest in South America (approximately the same size as France, Spain and Portugal combined), Colombia covers an area of 1,141,748 km² and has a population of 42 million spread over 32 provinces and 1,087 municipalities. Mountains constitute 30% of the country's land area and the remaining 70% consists of plains.
A geographically diverse country, Colombia has the Andes mountain range, the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the Amazon River which give the country varied climates ranging from perpetual snow and temperate Andean valleys to hot tropical areas, rainforests and the exotic Amazon jungle.
Colombia is strategically located in the centre of the planet on the Equator. It is the only country in South America that has both an Atlantic (1,610 km.) and a Pacific (1,290 km.) coastline. Colombia is at the crossroads between South America and Central and North America.
Colombia features a modern infrastructure - three large seaports, a number of airports including five international ones and approximately 80 thousand miles of modern highways. This facilitates constant easy contact with the rest of the world.
Colombia is one of the oldest democracies in South America and holds popular elections for Congress, the President, Provincial Governors, mayors and provincial and local councils.
The system of government is presidential, with three independent branches of Government, all fully independent from one another. The Executive consists of the President of the Republic, who is elected by popular vote every four years without the possibility of re-election, and sixteen cabinet members appointed by the President. In the 1994 elections, the office of Vice-President was revived and the Vice-President is elected together with the President. The Vice-President replaces the President when he is on leave, resigns or in cases of death.
The Legislature is a two-chamber system, with a Senate of 102 members (two of which are reserved for native indigenous communities) and a House of Representatives with 165 members. Both chambers of the Congress of the Republic are elected by direct popular vote for four year terms.
The Judiciary is administratively and financially independent. The structure is headed by the Supreme Court (for private matters); the Constitutional Court (for Constitutional matters); and the Council of State (responsible, among other matters, for disputes between the State and individuals).
In addition there is the Prosecutor General's Office, the Comptroller's Office (which oversees public expenditure) and the Attorney General's Office (which oversees civil service performance and standards). An independent Central Bank (Banco de la República) is responsible for monetary stability.
The structure of the State is decentralised and the regions enjoy autonomy in their policies and administration. There are 32 Departments (provinces) - made up of 1,035 municipalities - four special metropolitan districts and zones designated as autonomous indigenous reservations.
With a population of approximately 7 million, the capital city, Bogotá, is in the centre of the country. It is the political and economic centre of the country and over the years has become a major business centre and a metropolis that rivals any capital city of the world.
Bogotá is followed in size by Cali, capital of Valle del Cauca (3.2 million inhabitants), Medellín, capital of Antioquia (2.8 million inhabitants) and Barranquilla, capital of Atlántico (1.8 million inhabitants) and the main Caribbean sea port.
The two main political parties are the Liberal and the Conservative but several other smaller parties are also represented in Congress and provincial governments - such as the New Democratic Force, National Salvation Movement, Communist Party, Christian Groups and Ethnic minorities and other parties including former guerrilla groups now integrated into civil society.
A new Constitution was introduced in 1991 with the aim of modernising the nation's political institutions. The previous Constitution had been in force for over one hundred years. The new 1991 Constitution was written by representatives of the leading political parties, Indigenous people, left-wing groups, demobilised guerrillas, religious minorities, a former President and independent groups.
Democratic participation, civil rights and those of ethnic minorities were strengthened. Constitutional reform, which granted autonomy in monetary policy to Colombia's Central Bank and paved the way for foreign investment in all sectors, provided further support for economic stability in Colombia.

National Holidays
1st January New Year's Day
6th January* Epiphany
19th March* St. Joseph's Day
1st May Labour Day
29th June* St. Peter & St. Paul
20th July National Independence Day
7th August Battle of Boyacá
15th August* Assumption Day
12th October* Columbus Day
1st November* All Saints Day
11th November* Independence of Cartagena City
8th December Immaculate Conception
25th December Christmas Day
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
May or June* Corpus Christi
June* (third Friday) Sacred Heart of Jesus
(Thanksgiving Day)
Ascension Day* 40 days after Easter

* When these holidays do not fall on a Monday, they will be observed the following Monday.

National Symbols

Coat of Arms
The Colombian coat of arms is a very special symbol in that it represents each element of Colombia. On 9 May 1834, Law 3 regulating the national coat of arms was enacted and sanctioned by Colombian President General Francisco de Paula Santander.
Under this law, the coat of arms only appears on the President's national flag, on military flags and on the letterheads of stationery for official communications. The coat of arms may be engraved on monuments, in churches, chapels, military or other cemeteries, barracks, ships, educational institutions and other places provided that such coats of arms satisfy the requirements of decorum.

Climate

Colombia is a tropical country with a variety of climates, but no seasons. Rainy and dry periods alternate throughout the year and temperature is largely determined by altitude above sea level.
The Andean mountains give rise to a great variety of climates ranging from those found in rain forests and tropical plains to tundra regions and perpetual snow peaks. On account of its geo-astronomical position, Colombia receives constant solar radiation throughout the year, which results in day and night being roughly of the same duration.
For this reason climate variations are not determined by seasons but rather are due to altitude, humidity and to the effects of trade winds. Temperatures vary according to altitude - about 2ºF per 1.000 ft. of altitude.
There are extreme variations in rainfall ranging from regions such as Choco in the north-west of the country, with some of the highest rainfall and humidity levels on Earth, to regions such as La Guajira in the extreme north-east of the country, with a desert and steppe and scarce rainfall.
The temperature is 22º-28º C at sea level, at medium altitudes 17º-23ºC and at high altitudes 6º-14ºC. There are slight variations depending on whether it is the "dry season" ("summer" - December to January and July to August) or the "wet season" ("winter" - April to May and October to November).
Because of Colombia's varied climates, many thousands of vegetable species are found in Colombia, some of these supply all food needs, others are valuable plants for medicinal or industrial use. There are also large timber resources and rare and decorative flowers.

Colombia has a territorial area of 1,147,748 km², approximately the combined size of France, Spain and Portugal, and is divided into five geographic zones: the Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast, the Orinoco River Basin (Orinoquia), the Amazon River Basin (Amazonia) and the Andean Region. It is in this last region where 70% of the country's population has settled.
Colombia's coastline extends for 1,600 kilometers along the Caribbean Sea and 1,280 kilometers along the Pacific Ocean. Colombia possesses several islands, the most important being the Archipelago of San Andrés and Providence in the Caribbean, and Gorgona, Gorgonilla and Malpelo in the Pacific.
There are 32 cities with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants. Of these cities, Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla lead the way in commercial and industrial development. With an area greater than three times that of Finland, Colombia's most striking feature is its extraordinary variety.
The mountainous region consists of the three ranges of the Andes and the valleys between these ranges. The region begins in the southwest, where the Andes split into three ranges - the Western, Central and Eastern - and ends in the North at the Sierra Nevada range.
The Western Cordillera has five peaks over 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) high, but the Central Cordillera is higher, with six snow capped peaks over 4,900 meters (16,000 ft). The Eastern Cordillera, the longest of the three, branches off into Venezuela, and its highest elevations are above 5,000 meters (16,400 ft). Two major rivers - the Magdalena and the Cauca - flow through the eastern and western Central Cordillera valleys.
Colombia's highest peaks are found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. The Colon Peak and the Bolivar Peak crown the highest coastal snow capped mountain in the world.
It is in the Andean Region where most of the main cities are located - Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Popayán, Pasto, Tunja, Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, Cúcuta, Bucaramanga, Neiva and Ibagué.
The Caribbean Region, in the North, includes the following cities: Cartagena, Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Riohacha, Valledupar, Sincelejo, Montería.
The low-lying Pacific Region, in the West includes cities such as Quibdó, Buenaventura and Tumaco. The Amazon-Orinoco Region, in the East, has Villavicencio, Florencia, and Leticia as its main centres. It includes the tropical rainforest and plains of the Orinoco basin.

For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 32 departments (provinces): Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada and 1050 municipalities.
Departments are ruled by a governor and a Departmental Assembly. In addition, cities are governed by a mayor and a Municipal Council, all of whom are elected by democratic vote.

Colombia says that the most valuable resource it has are its people, which are characterised by their hospitable, open and hard-working temperament.
According to the 2005 census there are just over 42 million inhabitants of which nearly 31 million live in urban areas and the other 10.5 million living in rural areas.
The third most populated country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico, one of the key reasons for Colombia’s enthusiasm is there fact that nearly 40% of the population are under 18. As a result you have a young and dynamic nation actively looking to change its image and play a major role in the world market place. The population grows at an annual rate of 1.7%.
The most densely populated area of the country is the Andean Region, where the main cities are located, with 75% of the population; the Atlantic coast follows with nearly 21% of the population and the Pacific region, together with the Orinoquia and the Amazon, have only 4% of the population.
The four major cities (Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla) are home to 30% of the total population and there are 32 towns or cities with populations of over 100,000.
The majority of the Colombian population is mestizo, a result of marriages between Spanish colonists, the Indigenous population and descendants of the black slave trade from Africa.
Archaeological research dates the remains of pre-Columbian indigenous tribes in the Colombian territory back to over 12,000 years ago. The region was inhabited by three major language groups: the Carib, the Arawak and the Chibcha. Remains of the latter are found mostly in the Andean region.
The Chibchas grew maize and other crops. The main expressions of their culture were sculpture, gold artefacts, underground burial chambers and dwelling terraces and canals on mountainsides.
The other tribes (the Carib and the Arawak) were efficient in the exploitation of the rich fauna on the riverside and marshy environments in the Caribbean and Amazon regions. They cultivated cassava and other tropical crops. They began to build artificial canals to drain the flood lands so as to live in them. Between the fifth and tenth centuries AD such works covered some 500,000 hectares of swampy lands.
The Spaniard's first contacts with Colombia go back to the early 16th century. Their first continental bases were established along the Caribbean coast (in Santa Marta and Cartagena), and then they expanded to central areas and the south, founding Bogotá, Tunja, Pasto, Popayan and Cartago.
They also created the setting for the country's most significant historical and socio-economic progress. Colombia's popular culture has distinctly regional characteristics since its geographical variety gives rise to several anthropological features.
The bulk of the population is Spanish speakers of European descent. However the Pacific region is populated mostly by blacks of African descent, the Atlantic Coast predominately by those of mixed race, and the jungle areas are inhabited by surviving indigenous tribes.
This mix of races and cultures gives Colombia its broad cultural diversity, its folklore and idiosyncrasies and together forms a rich mosaic that visitors find fascinating.