Colombia,officially the Republic of Colombia,is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north,Venezuela to the east and northeast,Brazil to the southeast,Ecuador and Peru to the south and southwest,the Pacific Ocean to the west,and Panama to the northwest. Colombia is divided into 32 departments. The Capital District of Bogotáis also the country's largest city. It covers an area of 1,141,748 square kilometers,and has a population of around 52 million. Colombia's cultural heritage—including language,religion,cuisine,and art—reflects its history as a Spanish colony,fusing cultural elements brought by immigration from Europe and the Middle East,with those brought by enslaved Africans,as well as with those of the various Indigenous civilizations that predate colonization. Spanish is the official state language,although English and 64 other languages are recognized regional languages.
Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio,also known as El Pibe,is a Colombian former professional footballer and sports commentator for Fútbol de Primera,who played as an attacking midfielder. In 2004,he was named by Peléin the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Cartagena,known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias,is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region,bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link in the route to West Indies provides it with important historical value for world exploration and preservation of heritage from the great commercial maritime routes. As a former Spanish colony,it was a key port for the export of Bolivian silver to Spain and for the import of enslaved Africans under the asiento system. It was defensible against pirate attacks in the Caribbean. The city's strategic location between the Magdalena and SinúRivers also gave it easy access to the interior of New Granada and made it a main port for trade between Spain and its overseas empire,establishing its importance by the early 1540s.
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine",Escobar was the wealthiest criminal in history,having amassed an estimated net worth of US$30 billion by the time of his death—equivalent to $70 billion as of 2022—while his drug cartel monopolized the cocaine trade into the United States in the 1980s and early 1990s.
César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo is a Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994,Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004 and National Director of the Colombian Liberal Party from 2005 to 2009. During his tenure as president,he summoned the Constituent Assembly of Colombia that enacted the Constitution of 1991.
Álvaro Uribe Vélez is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010.
The president of Colombia,officially known as the president of the Republic of Colombia or president of the nation is the head of state and head of government of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819,by the Congress of Angostura,convened in December 1819,when Colombia was the "Gran Colombia". The first president,General Simón Bolívar,took office in 1819. His position,initially self-proclaimed,was subsequently ratified by Congress.
Belisario Betancur Cuartas was a Colombian politician who served as the 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His presidency was noted for its attempted peace talks with several Colombian guerilla groups. He was also one of the few presidents to abstain from participating in politics after leaving office.
Andrés Pastrana Arango is a Colombian politician who was the 30th President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002,following in the footsteps of his father,Misael Pastrana Borrero,who was president from 1970 to 1974.
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 17th in the FIFA World Rankings. The team are nicknamed Los Cafeteros due to the coffee production in their country. Notably,the national team has been a symbol of nationalism,pride,and passion for many Colombians worldwide. Colombia is known for having a passionate fan base,and the team's dances during goal celebrations have been symbolic.
Alberto Lleras Camargo was the 20th President of Colombia (1958–1962),and the 1st Secretary General of the Organization of American States (1948–1954). A journalist and liberal party politician,he also served as Minister of Government,Minister of Foreign Affairs,and as Minister of National Education in the administrations of President Alfonso López Pumarejo. He briefly attended the National University of Colombia in Bogotáto study politics,but dropped out later to pursue journalism.
Virgilio Barco Vargas was a Colombian politician and civil engineer who served as the 27th President of Colombia serving from 7 August 1986 to 7 August 1990.
Ernesto Samper Pizano is a Colombian politician. Samper is a member of the influential Samper family. He served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998,representing the Liberal Party. From 2014 to 2017 he served as the Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
Jorge Marcelo Holguín Mallarino was a Colombian politician and military officer,two time Acting President of Colombia:June–August 1909 as interim president,and from November 1921 to August 1922. He also served a term as Minister of Foreign Affairs in which he signed the Holguín-Avebury treaty.
Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego is a Colombian economist,politician,and former guerrilla fighter who is the current president of Colombia since 2022. After taking office,Petro was considered by analysts as Colombia's first-ever left-wing president.
Philip Seth Goldberg is an American diplomat and government official who has served as United States ambassador to South Korea since 2022. He served previously as ambassador to the Philippines,Bolivia and Colombia and chief of the U.S. mission in UN-administered Kosovo during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. He has served in Washington as assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research. In 2022,he was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the U.S. ambassador to South Korea and was confirmed on May 5,2022 by the United States Senate through voice vote.
James David Rodríguez Rubio is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Greek Super League club Olympiacos and the Colombia national team. He has been praised for his technique,vision,and playmaking skills,and was often considered the successor to his compatriot Carlos Valderrama.
Iván Duque Márquez is a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the president of Colombia from 2018 to 2022. He was elected as the candidate from the Democratic Centre Party in the 2018 Colombian presidential election. Backed by his mentor,former president and powerful senator Alvaro Uribe,he was elected despite having been relatively unknown a year before the election. He ran on a platform that included opposing Juan Manuel Santos' peace agreement with the FARC guerilla group. After Duque's term came to an end,he was succeeded by Gustavo Petro on 7 August 2022,after Petro won the runoff round in the 2022 Colombian presidential election.
