ColombiaAnna

=Colombia=



[|Colombia's flag] was first adapted in 1861.The yellow represents land, the blue represents ocean, and the red represents the blood spilled by the patriots.

Above is the coat of arms of Colombia. It was introduced on May 9, 1834. It is split up into 3 sections. The first section represents the richness of the land. The sencond section represents the symbol of freedom. The third section represents two coastal areas of Colombia, and the Panama Canal, which used to belong to Colombia.

[|National Anthem] of Colombia: CHORUS Oh unfading glory! Oh immortal joy! In furrows of pain Good is already germinating. (repeat) (repeat chorus) The fearful night came to an end, Liberty sublime Is spreading the dawns Of its invincible light. The whole of humanity, Which is groaning under chains, Understands the words Of the One who died on the Cross. CHORUS "INDEPENDENCE," cries The American world; In heroes' blood is bathing The Land of Columbus. But this great principle: "THE KING IS NOT SOVEREIGN," Resounds, and those who suffer Praise the passion in it. CHORUS (without repeats)

__2. Location__:
Political Map of Colombia

Relative Location: Colombia is south of the Caribbean Sea, north of Peru, and west of Venezuela.




 * Capital**: Bogota
 * Relative Location**: Bogotá is north of Pasto, east of Cali, and south of Medellin.


 * Other major cities:**
 * 1) Medellin
 * 2) Cali
 * 3) Barranquilla
 * 4) Cartagena
 * 5) Cúcuta

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[[image:http://media.maps.com/magellan/images/colombiarah.gif]]
Physical Map


 * Physical Features:**

[|Andes mountains]The Andes Mountains run north to south along the western coast of South America. They stretch 4,500 miles long. They are very high and very long. The Andes run through three natural regions, the southern, central, and the northern regions. Some areas are hot and others are cold. The alpaca is a type of llama that lives in the Andes. The incas took the alpacas to the heights of the Andes, if that had not been done, not many alpacas would still remain today.



[|Caribbean Sea] The Caribbean Sea is part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is 1,700 miles long and 500-800 miles wide. Ships sail the Caribbean carrying sugar, petroleum, coffee, and bananas.

[|The Cordillera Central] in Colombia The Cordillera Central is one of the three main mountain ranges in the Andes. It ranges form the "Colombian Mountain Mass" in Cacuta to the Serrania of San Lucas in Bolivar. It is home to some volcanoes, including Nevado del Ruiz.



[|Nevado del Ruiz] Nevado del Ruiz is located in the Cordillera Central in Colombia. The elevation is 17,457 ft. It is a stratovolcano and last erupted in 1991.

Weather Map

In Colombia, the climate has a wide, striking range. It is hot and humid along the coast at 1,000m, while it is nice and mild at 1,000-2,000m. It is colder at 2,000m and above. Colombia can have very hot and humid ares, but it can also have mild and colder areas. In the colder areas, there are highs of 78°F in the summer. While in the hotter areas, they have higher 90°F weather. They have moderate to heavy percipitation. The rainy season is from March to May, and September to November.
 * [|Climate]:**


 * [|Current Weather in Colombia]:**

Colombia in the Olympics
 * Cultural Pictures:**

Children in Colombia

A Celebration

Children Dancing

Nose Pendant

A mask from the Quimbaya culture of Colombia (AD 600-1100)

[|Government of Colombia:] Colombia is a republic but, the executive branch dominates government structure.

The president of Colombia is Alvaro Uribe Velez. The vice president is Francisco Santos.

Álvaro Uribe Vélez, president of Colombia

[|Currency]: The currency of Colombia is the Colombian Peso (COP).
 * [[image:http://www.gocurrency.com/img/currency_looks_like_colom1.gif width="135" height="129"]] || [[image:http://www.gocurrency.com/img/currency_looks_like_colom2.gif width="125" height="113"]] ||

[|Population]: 42,090,502 as of 2005

[|Language]: Spanish

[|Religion]: 81%-90% are Roman Catholic, 1% practice indigenous religions, under 1% practice Judiasm,Islam, and Mormonoism, and 60%do not practice their faith actively

__Male Life Expectancy__: 66.71 years

__Female Life Expectancy__: 74.55 years

__Literacy Rate__: 88%

[|Ethnic Groups]: Europeans, Africans, Middle Easterners, Black or of mixed African and Native Amerindians

__Independence Day__: July 20

__Latitude/Longitude__: 04º 38' N, 74º 05' W

__Coastline__: 1,993 miles

__Lowest Point:__ Pacific Ocean - 0 ft. (0 m)

__Highest Point__: Cristobal Colon - 18,947 ft.

__[|Birth Rate]__: 20.82 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

__Death Rate__: 5.59 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

__People living with HIV/AIDS__: 190,000 (2003 est.)

__HIV/AIDS deaths__: 3,600 (2003 est.)

__Unemployment Rate__: 13.6% (2004 est.)

__Population below poverty line__: 55% (2001)

__Timeline__:

 * __[|July 20, 1810:]__** the citizens of Bogota created the first representative council to defy Spanish authority, with __full independence__ being proclaimed in 1810.


 * __[|1940s-1950s]:__** Fighting becomes worse between the Conservatives and Liberals. Conservatives use the police and death squads known as "the birds" to attack Liberal. The Liberals organize the guerrillas. This bloody time was know as //La Violencia.// 200 thousand people were killed.

__**1960-1980:**__ Left-wing guerrilla forces emerge and the Colombian military sends thousands of men to fight in the countryside against the bloody enemies.The guerillas controlled the parts of Colombia, such as the rural areas. FARC (//Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia// or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) was soon created.


 * __1980s__**: The FARC become much larger and the leaders create new parties such as Unión Patriótica. Thousands of UP members leave the country or are soon killed. Soon, sponsored right-wing paramilitary groups are created to combat the guerrillas.

__**1980s-present**__:Colombia is a bloody area. A battle was taken place in a peaceful village in the north. Troops kill twenty-six men and boys in the village square by crushing their heads with heavy stones.

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__Above__: These are the guerrillas fighting in 2006.

The Amazon Rainforest runs through Colombia. The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world. -The region is home to: + 2.5 million insect species + tens of thousands of plants +2000 birds and mammals + 40,000 plant species + 3,000 fish + 1,294 birds + 427 mammals + 427 amphibians + 378 reptiles
 * [|Rainforests in Colombia]**:







The rainforest is located in the south part of Colombia. It is south of Bogota. It is west of Brazil, but still covers a part of Brazil.



COME SEE MY TOURIST GUIDE ABOUT COLOMBIA!

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Above is the song "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira^^ [|Shakira] Shakira is a very famous singer from Colombia. Shakira's full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. Her mother is from Colombia and her father is from Lebanon. She was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia. She moved to Bogotá when she was 13, and released her first album, Magia (Magic), one year after the move. After she released her secong album, Peligro (Danger), and still didn't get much support, Shakira turned to acting as a profession. Shakira played a role in a Colombian TV show called El Oasis, but failed as an actress. She was approached by her record company to write a song for a Rock en Espanol compilation album and, on her cab ride to the meeting with the music executives, she wrote the song "Donde Estas Corazon" to present to them. This song later became part of her album Pies Descalzos. She returned to the music business in 1995 with the album Pies Descalzos (Barefeet), which established her commercial success. The song "Estoy Aquí" became known internationally. The Remixes was created and featured remixes from the songs on Pies Descalzos, with some songs redone in Portuguese. A while later, Shakira met Emilio Estefan, Jr., who became the executive producer of her next album, ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (Where are the thieves?), which became a huge hit in 2002. After she finished this album, she started thinking about writing in English. Many people said her English was too weak to do this, but she tried it anyway. Her album Laundry Service was mostly English, but had a few songs in Spanish.She is now one of the most famous singers in the world.

5. Movement:
Coffee is one of the most exported products of Colombia. [|12% of the world's coffee] is made in Colombia, second to Brazil. People started growing coffee in Colombia around the 1800's. The Colombian Coffee Fedaration (CCF) helps promote Colombian coffee. There are two major regions that produce coffee in Colombia. They are; Medillín, Armenia, and Manizales (MAM) in the central region and Bogotá and Bucaramanga in the eastern mountainous region. MAM coffee is known for its heavy body, rich flavor, and fine acidity. Bogotá's coffee is less acidic than MAM's coffee, but retains the richness and brightness. Bucaramanga is milder, often heavier bodied, and rich in flavor reminiscent of Sumatran coffees.
 * Coffee-**

Would you ever consider flying to Colombia? I would! If you fly with [|Continental Airlines], you can fly to the capital of Colombia (Bogota) for the price of only $572 per person non stop! So fly to Colombia today!
 * Flying to Colombia-**

[|**Spain-**] In the early days, Colombia's people were the native people who had been there for centuries. But, from the 16th century to the 1800's, Colombia was a colony of Spain. Colombia achieved independence in 1819. Following Colombia's independence, Colombia became a republic with an elected government, even though it went through so tough times with civil wars and dictatorship. Colombia's society today, is divided into 2 parts; the upper class, and the lower class. The 2 classes are growing farther and farther apart. A middle class developed in the 20th century, but it is very small. Many of the reasons for Colombia's split classes are from the 16th century, when Colombia was still a colony of Spain. Because of these split classes, Colombia has had a lot of political unrest since the 1950's.

6. Region:
This cross section of the republic does not include two of Colombia's regions: the Caribbean coastal lowlands and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, both in the northern part of the country. The lowlands in the west are mostly swampy; the reed-filled marshes of the area are called ciénagas by the people of Colombia. The Guajira Peninsula in the east is semiarid. The Sierra Nevada is a spectacular triangular snowcapped block of rock that towers over the eastern part of this lowland.
 * [|Region of Latin American-]**

Most of Colombia is located in the North-Western Hemisphere, but a small peice of Colombia is located in the South-Western Hemisphere of the world.
 * [|Hemisphere-]**

Look at Colombia's Current Events!