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Colombia officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia
, is a country located in the northwestern region of South America. Colombia
is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil;to the south by
Ecuador and Peru;[3] to the North by the Atlantic Ocean, through the
Caribbean Sea; to the north-west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific
Ocean. Besides the countries in South America, the Republic of Colombia is
recognized to share maritime borders with the Caribbean countries of
Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Central American countries of
Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world and the fourth-largest
country in South America (after Brazil, Argentina, and Peru), with an area
more than twice that of France. In Latin America, it is also the country
with the third largest population after Brazil and Mexico.
The territory of what is now Colombia was inhabited by indigenous peoples
which migrated from North and Central America; the Calima people, Muisca,
Nariño people, Quimbaya civilization, San Agustín civilization, Sinú people,
Tayrona, Tierradentro civilization, Tolirna and Tumaco people which
neighbored to the south with the Incas. The Spanish arrived in the year
1499, and initiated a conquest period against the indigenous peoples rushing
for gold and other resources and subsequently began a colonization period
founding towns and established direct economic trade with the Spanish
empire.
Colombia then known as Department of Cundinamarca, emerged from the collapse
of Gran Colombia in 1830 (with Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela) with the name
of "New Granada", which it kept until 1856 when it became the "Grenadine
Confederation". Differences between conservatives and liberal factions
arose leading to a two year civil war in 1863, the "United States of
Colombia" was created, lasting until 1886, when the country finally became
known as the Republic of Colombia. Liberals and Conservatives engaged in a
Thousand days civil war once again that led to the separation of Panama. The
political tensions continued and violence broke out once again in 1948
leading to a period called La Violencia.
Since the 1960s conflict between government forces and anti-government
insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by
the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s.The insurgents lack the
military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and
violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue
attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under
guerrilla influence. More than 32,000 former paramilitaries had
demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of
Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had ceased to function. Still, some
renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian
Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout
the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities.
Colombia is a standing middle power with the second largest Spanish
speaking population of the world after Mexico. It is largely recognized
for its culture and is also one of the largest manufacturers in South
America. Colombia is also one of the most ethnically diverse nations in
South America, the result of large-scale migrations during the 20th century
which has caused a dramatic population growth since then. Colombia is
considered to be among 17 of the most megadiverse countries in the world.
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