Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with an insular region in North America. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the southeast, Ecuador and Peru to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and Panama to the northwest. Colombia comprises 32 departments and the Capital District of Bogotá, the country's largest city. It covers an area of 1,141,748 square kilometers (440,831 sq mi), with a population of 50 million. Colombia's rich cultural heritage reflects influences by various Amerindian civilizations, European settlement, African slaves, as well as immigration from Europe and the Middle East. Spanish is the nation's official language, besides which over 70 languages are spoken.
Bogotá, officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital of Colombia, and one of the largest cities in the world. The city is administered as the Capital District, as well as the capital of, though not part of, the surrounding department of Cundinamarca. Bogotá is a territorial entity of the first order, with the same administrative status as the departments of Colombia. It is the political, economic, administrative, and industrial center of the country.
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, and José Santacruz Londoño. They broke away from Pablo Escobar and his Medellín associates in the late 1980s, when Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera joined what became a four-man executive board that ran the cartel.
Avianca Costa Rica S.A., formerly known as LACSA, minority owned by the Synergy Group, is the national airline of Costa Rica and is based in San José. It operates international scheduled services to over 35 destinations in Central, North and South America. The airline previously used the TACA/LACSA moniker when it was a subsidiary of Grupo TACA. Since May 2013, following Avianca's purchase of Grupo TACA, Avianca Costa Rica became one of seven nationally branded airlines operated by Avianca Group of Latin American airlines.
The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir is an Israeli all-weather multirole combat aircraft based on the French Dassault Mirage 5, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-built version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine.
Colombia is a unitary republic made up of thirty-two departments and a Capital District. Each department has a governor (gobernador) and an Assembly, elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods. Departments are country subdivisions and are granted a certain degree of autonomy.
The Colombia national football team represents Colombia in men's international football and is managed by the Colombian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Colombia. They are a member of CONMEBOL and are currently ranked 16th in the FIFA World Rankings. The team are nicknamed Los Cafeteros due to the coffee production in their country.
Aerovías de Integración Regional S.A., d/b/a LATAM Airlines Colombia, and formerly known as LAN Colombia, is a Colombian airline. It is the second-largest air carrier in Colombia. It operates scheduled regional domestic passenger services, as well as a domestic cargo service. Its main hub is El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá.
Ropa vieja is a dish with regional variations in Latin America, the Philippines, and Spain. It normally includes some form of stewed beef and tomatoes with a sofrito base. Originating in Spain, it is known today as one of the national dishes of Cuba. The name ropa vieja probably originates from the fact that it was often prepared using food left over from other meals.
The Suzuki GS500 is an entry level motorcycle manufactured and marketed by the Suzuki Motor Corporation. Suzuki produced the GS500 and GS500E from 1989 on and the fully faired model, GS500F from 2004 on. The GS500 is currently being produced and sold in South America. The GS500 has been described in the motorcycle literature as a best buy and an excellent first bike, with adequate if not exciting power for more experienced riders.
The Colombian Air Force is the air force of the Republic of Colombia. The Colombian Air Force is one of the three institutions of the Military Forces of Colombia charged, according to the 1991 Constitution, working to exercise and maintain control of Colombia's airspace and to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order. It is one of the largest air forces in the Americas and has increased its activity due to important roles in the fight against narco-terrorism. Its main force includes 21 IAI Kfirs as defense fighters and 14 Cessna A-37 Dragonfly plus 24 Embraer 314 Super Tucano for counterinsurgency.
Tejo, also known, to a lesser degree, as turmequé, is a traditional throwing sport in Colombia. It is characteristic for its use of small targets containing gunpowder, which explode on impact.
Semana is a weekly magazine in Colombia.
Gran Colombia, or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. It included present-day Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela, along with parts of northern Peru and northwestern Brazil. The terms Gran Colombia and Greater Colombia are used historiographically to distinguish it from the current Republic of Colombia, which is also the official name of the former state.
Marta Lucía Ramírez Blanco is a Colombian lawyer, politician, and the current Vice President of Colombia, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. In 2018, Ramírez became the first woman elected to serve as Vice President of Colombia, running on a ticket with Iván Duque Márquez. In 2021, after the resignation of her predecessor Claudia Blum, she was pronounced chancellor by the president Iván Duque Márquez.
EasyFly S.A. is a regional carrier that operates in Colombia. Its main focus is to serve intermediate cities and those not served by other carriers. Operations started in October 2007, with one British Aerospace Jetstream 41 aircraft. Its main base is El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá. Alfonso Ávila, the founder of EasyFly, was also one of the founders of Aero República in 1992.
Colombia–Japan relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Colombia and Japan. The relationship was officially established in 1908, only interrupted between 1942 and 1954 with the surge of World War II. Relations are mostly based on commercial trade that has favored Japan interests, cultural exchanges and technological and philanthropic aid to Colombia.
ANNCOL is a non-commercial alternative news agency based in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1996 by Latin American and European journalists and maintains inttermitently a web portal since May, 1998. Its aims are "... to inform about Colombia... to be a voice for the voiceless sectors of Colombia and to provide a platform for ... actions of popular movements, trade unions and the progressive communities of the Latin American countries... that are fighting against neoliberalism and the exploitation of the people".
The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia is a government agency of the Colombian Ministry of Transport. It is the agency in charge of regulating civil aviation, the aviation industry, and of managing the Colombian airspace. Aerocivil is also in charge of managing and controlling all of Colombia's public airports. It is headquartered in the new Aerocivil building on the property of El Dorado International Airport. Previously it was located on the fourth floor of the main terminal building of the airport.
Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias is an epic poem written in the late sixteenth century by Juan de Castellanos.
