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Country Profile
Colombia occupies the northwestern end of South America, and is the only country there with coasts on both the Pacific and the Atlantic Three Andean ranges run north and south through the western half of the country. The eastern part is a vast lowland which can be generally divided into two regions: a huge open savannah on the north, and the Amazon in the south. Colombia is a country of geographical contrasts and extremes. Colombia also has several small islands. The major ones are the archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia in the Caribbean Sea, the Islas de Rosario and San Bernando along the Caribbean Coast, and Gorgona and Malpelo in the Pacific Ocean.
The most industrially diverse member of the five-nation Andean Pact, Colombia has four major industrial centers -- Bogotá, Medellín, Calí, and Barranquilla, each located in a distinct geographical region. Colombia's industries include textiles and clothing, leather products, processed foods and beverages, paper and paper products, etc. They also cultivate and produce various crops such as sugar cane, coconuts, bananas, rice, coffee, and flowers and much more.
The department of Antioquia is situated in northwestern Colombia. It has an estimated population of 4,500,000 as of June 1990. Antioquian towns are known for their traditional architecture,
which includes a plaza or park right in the middle of the town. A church, public
buildings, and private homes lie around this plaza. Commonly, the mayor's office
lies exactly opposite the church in the main plaza. The narrow, quiet streets
are lines with old-fashioned houses whose doors, windows, and balconies
exemplify the Spanish colonial tradition. Large double door entryways and
central patios beautifully decorated with a variety of plants and flowers may be
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During
the pre-Colombian period, Indians mostly primitive hunters or nomadic farmers,
inhabited the area now known as Colombia. But the first permanent settlement in
Santa Marta was established in 1525. In 1549, the area was established as a
Spanish colony with the capital at Santa fe de Bogotá. Total independence was
proclaimed in 1813, and in 1819 the Republic of Greater Colombia was formed.
