Colombia is located in northern South America between Panama and Venezuela. It has a diverse geography that includes mountains, rainforests, and coastlines. Colombia has a republic government system divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, with Bogota as its capital city. The economy relies on natural resources like oil, coal, and natural gas. Popular tourist destinations include Cartagena, Bogota, and areas along the Caribbean coast.

1. Colombia “ Liberty and Order”

2. Location It’s located in Northern South America It Borders the Caribbean Sea It lies Between Panama and Venezuela It Borders the North Pacific Ocean

3. Geography It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire It has 15 major volcanoes It is slightly less than twice the size of Texas In the South East lies parts of the Amazon rainforest and in other areas lies the savanna of the Llanos Beyond the Colombian Massif, the Andes mountains are split into three different ranges: Cordillera Occidental– runs adjacent to the pacific coast Cordillera Central – runs between the Cauca and Magdalena river valleys Cordillera orienta - extends north east to the Guajira Peninsula It is dominated by the Andes Mountains, and in other parts it is flat coastal lowlands Area: 440,700 Square Miles

4. Government Type of government: Republic Government is divided into three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Head of the executive branch is the President The president is elected to serve four-year terms and is currently limited to a maximum of two such 4 terms The President is Alvaro Uribe Velez The legislative branch of government is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 102 members and they are elected nationally to serve four year terms The Judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has 23 Judges divided into 3 chambers Colombia is divided into 32 districts which are then subdivided into Municipalities Colombia’s constitution was signed on July 5, 1991 The Capital of Colombia is Bogotá

5. The Pe$o The Peso is the official currency of Colombia The exchange rate of the Colombian Peso is 1,960 Colombian Pesos to 1 U.S. dollar. The peso has been the currency of Colombia since 1837. After periods of high inflation the peso was created in higher denominations 5 peso coins were introduced in 1980 10 pesos in 1981 20 pesos in 1982 50 pesos in 1986 100 pesos in 1992 200 pesos in 1994 500 pesos in 1993 1000 pesos in 1996. Unfortunately, due to the amount of counterfeit 1000 pesos, it was removed from circulation.

6. Banknotes Between 1857 and 1880, five of Colombia's provinces, Bolivar, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Panama, and Santander issued paper money. The paper money was included 10 and 50 centavos, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 50 and 100 pesos.

7. Natural Resources Colombia produces large amounts of minerals and fuel oil It has the largest reserve of Coal in Latin America Colombia is the second producer of hydro-electricity Brazil is the first It has around 1.4 billion barrels of oil This should last Colombia till 2011 Colombia has a rich reserve of natural gas along the Caribbean Coast. There is enough gas in this reserve to last at least 150 years The Llanos Basin contains the largest store of natural gas Colombia is the Cocaine capital of the world It manufactures 75 percent of the world’s cocaine

8. Education School is mandatory for all children ages 6 – 12 Elementary school consists of five years Most children enter the first grade at age 6 The school year is usually a year long, lasting from the end of January to November After the age of 12, the dropout rate in primary school is high because most children live in rural areas and have to walk far distances to get school Most secondary schools are located in cities, leaving little opportunities for rural children to receive an education The government has established two programs for improving secondary education adding practical training into high-school curriculum agricultural training for students at the secondary level Secondary education is split into two sections: basic secondary (6 th -9th) and mid secondary (10 th -11) In order to enter a university or vocational school, students must pass the state test known as, “pruebas de estado”

9. Family The family is the center of the social structure in Colombia Older people are viewed as extremely wise and are given a lot of respect It is still common for children to live at home until they marry The Colombians have large circle of relatives, who are extended through 'compadrazgo'. In the lower classes, the mother is viewed as head of the family and makes all of the decisions In the upper classes, the father is the head of the family Traditionally, women belonging to the upper classes are not allowed to work, except for some voluntary services. In the lower classes it is necessary that the women work to help the family survive The economic independence of the lower class women has made lower class women on the same level of the men in the same class. The Roman Catholic Church has had a great influence over the lives of Colombian families

10. “ The only risk is wanting to stay longer” Popular places to visit: Plaza de Santander Mercado de las Pulgas, a large flea market Colombian National Coffee Park Tayrona park Caribbean Coast Cartegena, a colonial port city Bogota, capital of Colombia Iglesia de Santa Clara Iglesia de San Ignacio La Candelaria, the oldest quarter in the city Cerro de Monserrate, famous site of many miracles Jardin Botánico José Celestino Mutis, a garden

11. HISTORY Colombia was originally inhabited by a group of native hunters Santa Marta was the first permanent Spanish settlement founded in 1525 On July 20, 1810, the citizens of Bogota created the first representative council to defy Spanish authority. Before successfully achieving independence from Spain, there were many other rebellions which were easily squashed The Congress of Cucuta in 1821 adopted a constitution, the main goal of the constitution was to create the Republic of Colombia In 1819, Simón Bolívar became the first President of Colombia, and Francisco de Paula Santander was the Vice President; when Simón Bolívar stepped down, Santander became the second President of Colombia After 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 A period known as “La Violencia” was a violent conflict that took place between the 1940s and 1950s.It was a conflict between supporters of the Colombian Liberal Party and the Colombian Conservative Party The new Colombian Constitution of 1991 was ratified after being drafted by the Constituent Assembly of Colombia. The new constitution initially prohibited the extradition of Colombian nationals, causing accusations that drug cartels had lobbied for the provision; extradition was allowed again in 1996 when the provision was repealed.

12. FOOD Popular Colombian Foods Ajiaco Sancocho de mondongo Bandeja Paisa Arepa Coffee Arroz con Coco Changua Empanadas Fritanga Patacones Sancocho Postre de Natas Natilla Colombian Cuisine is very diverse The Colombian diet contains a lot of meat The typical Colombian breakfast consists of fruit juice or coffee, fruit, eggs, and bread Lunch is usually served between 12 and 4 pm and it is the main meal of the day A typical lunch consists of a soup, a main dish, a drink, and sometimes a dessert The dinner is more of a snack

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