Colombia,officially the Republic of Colombia,is a country primarily located in South America with insular regions in North America. 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 hosting the main financial and cultural hub. Other major urbes include Medellín,Cali,Barranquilla,Cartagena,Santa Marta,Cúcuta,Ibagué,Villavicencio and Bucaramanga. It covers an area of 1,141,748 square kilometers and has a population of around 52 million. Its rich cultural heritage—including language,religion,cuisine,and art—reflects its history as a colony,fusing cultural elements brought by immigration from Europe and the Middle East,with those brought by the African diaspora,as well as with those of the various Indigenous civilizations that predate colonization. Spanish is the official language,although Creole,English and 64 other languages are recognized regionally.
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. Valderrama is considered by many to be one of the greatest South American players in history and one of the best players of his era. In 2004,he was named by Peléin the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia –People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in 1966 from peasant self-defense groups formed from 1948 during the "Violencia" as a peasant force promoting a political line of agrarianism and anti-imperialism. They are known to employ a variety of military tactics,in addition to more unconventional methods,including terrorism.
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord,narcoterrorist,and politician who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine",Escobar was one of the wealthiest criminals 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 is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The president heads the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Military Forces of Colombia.
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.
The Colombia national football team,nicknamed Los Cafeteros, 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 9th in the FIFA World Rankings. The team are nicknamed Los Cafeteros due to the coffee production in their country. 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 President of Colombia twice,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).
Leonel de Jesús Álvarez Zuleta is a Colombian football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current manager of Ecuadorian Serie A club Emelec.
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 politician and former guerrilla who is the 34th and current president of Colombia since 2022. Upon inauguration,he became the first left-wing president in the recent history of Colombia.
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 a voice vote.
James David Rodríguez Rubio is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger,and also the captain of 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.
Roy Leonardo Barreras Montealegre is a Colombian politician and 2018 presidential candidate,he had served as senator from 2010 to 2023 and President of the Senate of Colombia from July 2022 to May 2023. In addition to senator,Barreras served as chairman of former governing party,the Union Party for the People. He entered politics in 2006 when he was elected as a member of the Chamber of Representatives.
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 Álvaro 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 guerrilla 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.
