Colombia has been home to many indigenous peoples and cultures since at least 12,000 BCE. The Spanish first landed in La Guajira in 1499, and by the mid-16th century, they had colonized much of present-day Colombia, and established the New Kingdom of Granada, with Santa Fe de Bogotá as its capital. Independence from the Spanish Empire is considered to have been declared in 1810, with what is now Colombia emerging as the United Provinces of New Granada. After a brief Spanish reconquest, Colombian independence was secured and the period of Gran Colombia began in 1819. The new polity experimented with federalism as the Granadine Confederation (1858) and then the United States of Colombia (1863), before becoming a centralised republic—the current Republic of Colombia—in 1886. With the backing of the United States and France, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, resulting in Colombia's present borders. Beginning in the 1960s, the country has suffered from an asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict and political violence, both of which escalated in the 1990s. Since 2005, there has been significant improvement in security, stability, and rule of law, as well as unprecedented economic growth and development. Colombia is recognized for its healthcare system, being the best healthcare in Latin America according to the World Health Organization and 22nd in the world. Its diversified economy is the third-largest in South America, with macroeconomic stability and favorable long-term growth prospects.
García Márquez started as a journalist and wrote many acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories. He is best known for his novels, such as No One Writes to the Colonel (1962), One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) which has sold over fifty million copies worldwide, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981), and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). His works have achieved significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for popularizing a literary style known as magic realism, which uses magical elements and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations. Some of his works are set in the fictional village of Macondo (mainly inspired by his birthplace, Aracataca), and most of them explore the theme of solitude. He is the most-translated Spanish-language author.
In 1982, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts". He was the fourth Latin American writer to receive the honor, following Chilean poets Gabriela Mistral (1945) and Pablo Neruda (1971), as well as Guatemalan novelist Miguel Ángel Asturias (1967). Alongside Jorge Luis Borges, García Márquez is regarded as one of the most renowned Latin American authors in history. (Full article...)
... that none of the actors in Poppy Garden, a film depicting a father and son's struggle for survival during the Colombian conflict, had previously acted in a film?
... that there were technical issues with the performance of "Luna" by the Colombian singer Feid at the 2024 Copa América opening ceremony?
... that Colombian singer Juanita Lascarro became a soprano at the Oper Frankfurt, where she appeared as both Calypso and Penelope in a new production of Dallapiccola's Ulisse?
... that in local Afro-Colombian and Catholic tradition, residents of Guapi sing and dance while sailing the Virgin Mary down their coconut-candlelit river to church every Christmas Eve?
... that Ana María Ochoa was born in Colombia, studied in British Columbia, and taught at Columbia?
... that as part of illegal wildlife trading, Oophaga solanensis frogs are bought for US$3 in their native Colombia and sold for up to US$1,000 overseas?
General images
The following are images from various Colombia-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 2The main leader of the Muisca on the Bogotá savanna at the time of conquest was Tisquesusa. He led numerous efforts to resist Spanish invasion but was eventually killed in battle. His nephew, Sagipa, succeeded him and soon submitted to the conquistadors. (from History of Colombia)
Image 3The Teatro de Cristóbal Colón (The Christopher Columbus Theatre), also known as the "Teatro Colón", is located in Bogotá, Colombia and it is the nation's National Theatre. (from Culture of Colombia)
Image 4Major areas of pre-Columbian civilization in the Americas:
Image 5Cutlet "Valluna", a typical dish of the Valle del Cauca region of Colombia and the Afro-Colombian culture of the area near the Pacífic Ocean. It includes a milanesa, usually prepared with a lean pork loin beef or chicken can also be used. Traditional accompaniments include rice, sliced tomatoes, onions, chopped fried plantains or fries and a drink called "Lulada" made with lulo fruit, water and sugar (from Culture of Colombia)
Image 13The PastoLacquer is a decorative handicraft of precolumbian origin, that uses a type of natural rubber (the resin of the Mopa-mopa tree, Elavagia pastoensis Mora) which is colored and then stretched over woodwork pieces. (from Colombian handicrafts)
Source: Wills, Fernando; et al. (2001). Nuestro patrimonio – 100 tesoros de Colombia [Our heritage – 100 treasures of Colombia] (in Spanish). El Tiempo. pp. 1–311. ISBN958-8089-16-6.
This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.
Francisco Galán (ex-guerilla) [es] the only person under the Commanders and leaders section of the Colombian conflict infobox that does not have an article. Legal name is Gerardo Antonio Bermúdez Sánchez, but is better known under his nombre de guerra.
List of Colombian departments by elevation - A comprehensive list, like the equivalent article for the U.S., should include each department's high point, low point, the elevation range between the highest point and lowest point, and the average elevation.