Colombia
By Caleb Holaway
Flag of Colombia
- The flag of Colombia features three bands, one yellow, one red,
and one blue. The yellow in this flag stands for the gold in
Colombia’s land, the blue stands for the seas on its shores, and
the red is symbolic for the blood spilled while Colombia was
gaining its independence.
Location
- Colombia is located in
Northern South America,
bordering the Caribbean Sea
and the North Pacific
Ocean. It neighbors
Venezuela, Panama,
Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.
Historical Timeline
1538 – ‘The New Kingdom of Granada’ was founded by Spain. It was located in present
day Colombia.
1700’s – Spain put The New Kingdom of Granada along with the territories now known
as Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama into a new colony known as the Viceroyalty of
New Granada.
1810 – The territories of the Viceroyalty of New Granada made their own independent
governments.
1819 – Simón Bolívar defeated Spanish Royalists at the Battle of Boyacá. The new nation
‘Gran Colombia’ was formed.
1829-1830 – Ecuador and Venezuela leave the Republic of Colombia, making them
completely independent nations.
1899-1902 – A Civil War (commonly known as The War of One-Thousand Days)
occurred. 120,000 people died.
1903 – With the help of the U.S., Panama seceded from Colombia and Panama gave the
U.S. the land to build the Panama Canal.
1948 – The assassination of Bogotá mayor Jorge Eliécer Gaitán set off riots which ignited
a civil war in which 250,000 to 300,000 people deceased.
Historical Timeline Continued
1978-2000 – Colombia’s government begins its intensive fight against drugs. Drug related
violence begins growing rapidly in southern Colombia and not much progress is made.
2000 – The U.S. government sends Colombia over $1 billion in military supplies to fight
the drug cartels.
2002 – Government declares war zone in the southern region of Colombia after guerillas,
men hired by the drug cartel to cause violence, increase violence rapidly.
Present – Progress is slowly but steadily being made against the drug trade.
Religion of Colombia –
90% Roman Catholic/ 10% Other
Type of Government –
Republic/ President – Juan Manuel Santos
Population –
45,239,079
Famous Historical Figures of Colombia

Antonio Nariño (1795-1817) –
Antonio was a patriot of the rebellion
against Spain, starting when he secretly
passed out thousands of copies of the
book The Declaration of the Rights of
Man, a book which boosted the life of
the rebellion against Spain. After being
imprisoned, he escaped from prison,
went to Europe and eventually returned
to Colombia. He has a province named
after him and is mentioned in the
Colombian national anthem.
Famous Historical Figures of Colombia

Francisco Jose de Paula Santander
(1792-1840) This iconic Colombian was a military
and political leader, best known for his
service from 1810-1819. He served
under Simón Bolívar and later became a
president of Gran Colombia.

Policarpa Salavarrieta (1795-1817) Starting in 1817 when she snuck into
the mainly Royalist city of Bogotá with
forged passports, she very quickly
became successful as a spy because she
was virtually unknown in Bogotá, as
well as because she was a woman. She
assisted the rebels in learning
information about the royalists plans,
but she was caught and executed on
November 14, 1817.
Famous Historical Figures of Colombia

José Antonio Galán (1749-1782) –
José was a native born Colombian who
participated in and partially led the
Insurreccíon de los Comuneros, or the
Insurrection of the Villagers. In this
protest, the poor villagers as well as
many common people of the
Viceroyalty of New Granada marched
to protest increased taxes on tobacco
and high polling taxes introduced by
Spain. Like many others, he was
executed for participating in this
protest.
Modern Day Famous Colombians

Camilo Villegas (Born 1982) –
Born in Medellín, Colombia, Camilo is
one of the most famous South
American golfers. He has won the
PGA golf tournament three times, the
Japanese Golf Tour once, and other
major tournaments five times.

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
(Born 1977) –
Known as a rock and roll singer/ belly
dancer, Shakira is a world renowned
artist. She was born in Baranquilla,
Colombia, and is now touring. Her last
record “Dónde Están los Landrones?”
sold nearly seven million copies world
wide!
Modern Day Famous Colombians

Edward Niño Hernández (Born
1986) –
Born in Bogotá, Edward has been
made famous simply due to his height.
At a whopping 2 ft. 3 ½ inches, is it
really a surprise he is the Guinness
World Record holder for the shortest
man to live?

Carlos Jacanamijoy (Born 1964) –
Carlos was born in Santiago, Putumayo,
Colombia, and he is known as a
modern-abstract artist. He has
paintings in museums and galleries
throughout South America.
Places to Visit in Colombia

Santa Marta – Located between the
snowcapped Sierra Nevada’s and the
sands of beaches, Santa Marta has been
called the most beautiful part of
Colombia. It is not only rich in view,
but also culture and tranquility.


Maloka Museum- This museum in
Bogotá showcases gold statues and
other things created by the Inca and
Mayans.
Zipaquira Salt Cathedral – This
underground Roman Catholic
Cathedral is located directly under the
town of Zipaquira. It is amazing!
Pictures of Colombia
Major Cities of Colombia

Bogotá – Capital of Colombia, founded in 1867 by Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada.

Manizales – This Colombian city is best known for its coffee plantations, which are numerous. It
is one of Colombia’s main coffee producers, and it’s located just North of the Colombian CoffeeGrowers Axis.

Barranquilla – Located on the mouth of the Magdalena River on the Caribbean Sea, this is one of
Colombia’s major shipping ports of coffee throughout the country.

Cali – Being the third largest city in Colombia, it was founded in 1536 and has been rapidly
growing since. Its population is currently 2,392,877 people.

Cartagena – This city is located on the Caribbean Sea and is quickly turning into a beach resort
town. It has a population of 892,545 people and is rapidly growing.

Ibagué – This town is the capital of the province of Tolima. It was founded in 1551 and was at
one time the capital of New Granada. This city lies on the Andean Volcanic Belt and is in the
vicinity of two active volcanoes.
Imports and Exports

Imports include – Industrial Equipment,
Transportation Equipment, Consumer Goods,
Chemicals, Paper Products, Fuel, and Electricity

Exports include – Petroleum, Coal, Emeralds,
Coffee, Nickel, Cut Flowers, Bananas, Apparel

Popular Celebrations of
Colombia
Colombian Independence Day – July 20

El Día de San Jose – March 19th

El Día de la Batalla de Boyacá – August 7th

Inmaculada Concepción – December 8th

La Navidad – December 25th

Día de los Santos – November 1st

Día de la Raza – October 12th

Día del Trabajador – May 1st
th
¡Gracias!