Colombia Overview
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is located in the northwestern part of South America. Panama in the northwest of Colombia, the Caribbean Sea in the north, Venezuela, and Brazil in the east. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the west of the country with Ecuador and Peru in the south. The capital of Colombia, which is the fourth largest country in South America by area, is Bogota, located in the central part of the country. It is the twenty-seventh most populous country in the world with a population of more than 46 million. Its official language is Spanish and it is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico.
A Brief History of Colombia
Colombia, which has hosted the oldest civilizations of history such as the Inca Empire, Musica, Taynana, and Sinu, was named after Christopher Columbus, but Columbus never set foot on Colombia. Colonized by Spanish commanders in the 16th century, the country remained a colonial country until Napoleon invaded Spain in the 19th century. The Colombians, who started a war of independence by revolting against oppression and colonization, won this war in 1886 and declared the Republic of Colombia.
Geography in Colombia
Colombia is divided into three parts, mountains, coasts, and eastern regions due to their physical differences. It is the only country in South America that has coast to two great oceans. The Pacific Ocean coast is called the Sierra Baudo region and the Atlantic Ocean coast is called the Santa Marta region. Apart from these two regions, the coasts are flat and low.
The Colombian Andes formed three mountain ranges, extending north and northeast from near the southwestern border of the country. They took the names of the Middle, Eastern and Cordillera. The Western Cordillera is lower than the others, while the Middle Cordillera is higher and always covered in snow.
The eastern part of the country is a wide and flat place where tributaries of major rivers such as the Orinoko and Amazon cross. The south of the region is covered with equatorial forests and the north is covered with savannahs. Approximately 20% of the population lives in the eastern region, which constitutes almost half of the country's territory.
Climate in Colombia
Due to its proximity to the equator, the climate varies according to the tropical features and regions. While an average of 10,160 mm of precipitation falls annually in the western part of the Western Cordillera, the average rainfall on the coasts of the Caribbean Sea is below 255 mm. In the eastern part, a humid tropical climate is observed.
Coffee Production in Colombia
Colombia is famous for its light and balanced coffee production and is the third most producing country in the world after Brazil and Vietnam with an average annual coffee production of 11.5 million sacks. As Arabica beans, coffees produced in Colombia, which produces the most compared to other countries, are exported to the United States, Germany, France, Japan, and Italy. Most coffees are grown in Colombia's axis regions. In 2011, UNESCO announced the "Coffee Cultural Center", which is the world heritage site of Colombia.
