States of Colombia existed from February 27, 1855, in the Republic of New Granada and the Granadine Confederation, where they were called "federal states". In the United States of Colombia they were called "sovereign states" (though they were not at all sovereign states in the modern sense of the word).
In 1886, Colombia was reorganized into a unitary republic (i.e. present-day Republic of Colombia), by abolishing the states and dividing the country into somewhat less autonomous departments with their own departmental governments; some of which were modelled after former states.
The centralist structure that came to be in the Republic of New Granada after the disestablishment of Gran Colombia and that was ratified by the constitution of 1843, was soon challenged; particularly the provinces of Azuero, Chiriquí, Panamá, and Veraguas, who were demanding an autonomous status. The Constitution of 1853 opened the way so that on February 27, 1855 Panamá State could be created within the Republic of New Granada.
Soon others followed suit, regionalism was too strong, and in order to prevent a breakup like the one Greater Colombia had, with Venezuela and Ecuador leaving the union, congress allowed the creation of other federal states:
The Law of June 15, 1857, created the other states that would go on to form the Granadine Confederation:
The nation was formed by the union of these Sovereign States which were confederated in perpetuity to form a Sovereign Nation, free and independent under the name of the “Granadine Confederation”.
In 1858 the new constituency, made up in its majority of conservatives, convened and signed the Constitution for the Granadine Confederation of 1858, [4] confirming Bogotá as its Federal Capital.
On July 12, 1861, after raising in arms against the constitutional government of the president Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, the general Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera created the Tolima State, carved out of Cundinamarca State. This was confirmed and legalized by the rest of the states of the Colombian Union, by means of Article 41 of the Pact of the Union on September 20, 1861, reaffirming the legality of the institutionalism of Tolima [5]
The United States of Colombia was divided into nine federal states, called "sovereign states" under the constitution of 1863. The internal territorial division of the states were defined by the legislature of each state. The states were as follows: [6]
State | Capital | Subdivision |
---|---|---|
Antioquia | Medellín | Departments |
Bolívar | Cartagena de Indias | Provinces |
Boyacá | Tunja | Departments |
Cauca | Popayán | Municipalities |
Cundinamarca | Bogotá | Departments |
Magdalena | Santa Marta | Departments |
Panamá | Panamá | Departments |
Santander | Pamplona, Bucaramanga, El Socorro | Departments |
Tolima | Purificación, Neiva, Natagaima, Guamo, Ibagué | Departments |
The capitals of Santander and Tolima changed several times.
The Colombian Constitution of 1886 converted the states into departments, the presidents became renamed as governors. [7]
Boyacá is one of the thirty-two departments of Colombia, and the remnant of Boyacá State, one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia".
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.
United States of Colombia was the name adopted in 1863 by the Constitución de Rionegro for the Granadine Confederation, after years of civil war. Colombia became a federal state itself composed of nine "sovereign states.” It comprised the present-day nations of Colombia and Panama and parts of northwestern Brazil. After several more years of intermittent civil wars, it was replaced by the more centralist Republic of Colombia in 1886, predecessor to modern Colombia.
The First Republic of New Granada, known despectively as the Foolish Fatherland, is the period in the history of Colombia immediately following the declaration of independence from Spain in 1810 and until the Spanish reconquest in 1816. The period between 1810 and 1816 in the Viceroyalty of New Granada was marked by such intense conflicts over the nature of the new government or governments that it became known as la Patria Boba. Constant fighting between federalists and centralists gave rise to a prolonged period of instability that eventually favored Spanish reconquest. Similar developments can be seen at the same time in the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Each province, and even some cities, set up its own autonomous junta, which declared themselves sovereign from each other.
The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1810 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as la Patria Boba. It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada, roughly corresponding to the territory of modern-day Colombia. The government was a federation with a parliamentary system, consisting of a weak executive and strong congress. The country was reconquered by Spain in 1816.
The Granadine Confederation was a short-lived federal republic established in 1858 as a result of a constitutional change replacing the Republic of New Granada. It consisted of the present-day nations of Colombia and Panama and parts of northwestern Brazil. In turn, the Granadine Confederation was replaced by the United States of Colombia after another constitutional change in 1863.
The Colombian Civil War began on 8 May 1860 and lasted until November 1862. It was an internal conflict between the newly formed conservative Granadine Confederation and a more liberal rebel force from the newly seceded region of Cauca, composed of dissatisfied politicians commanded by General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, its former president. The Granadine Confederation, created a few years earlier in 1858 by Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, was defeated in the capital Bogotá, with Mosquera deposing the newly elected president Bartolomé Calvo on July 18, 1861. Forming a provisional government, with himself as president, Mosquera continued to pursue the conservative forces until their final defeat in 1862. The resulting formation of the new United States of Colombia would have significant cultural and economic consequences for Colombia.
The Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia. The Supreme Court of Colombia is the highest authority in regard to the interpretation of administrative law, constitutional law, and the administration of the judiciary.
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, northwestern Brazil, and Guyana. 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.
The constitutional history of Colombia is the process of formation and evolution of the different constitutions that Colombia has had since its formation.
Colombia is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered by Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. With a population of over 45 million people, Colombia has the second largest population in South America, after Brazil. The capital is Bogotá.
Antioquia State was one of the states of Colombia. Today the area of the former state makes up most of modern day Antioquia Department, Colombia.
Bolívar State was one of the states of Colombia. Today the area of the former state makes up most of modern-day Bolívar Department, Sucre Department, Córdoba Department and Atlántico Department in northern Colombia.
Boyacá State was one of the states of Colombia.
Cauca State was one of the states of Colombia.
Santander State was one of the states of Colombia. Today the area of the former state makes up most of modern-day areas of the Santander Department and Norte de Santander Department in northeastern Colombia.
Cundinamarca State was one of the states of Colombia. It was created on 15 June 1857 as Estado Federal de Cundinamarca, in 1858 was recognized as Estado de la Federación, and in the constitution of 1863 renamed as Estado Soberano of the United States of Colombia.
The Panama State, officially known as the Federal State of Panama from 1855 to 1863, and as the Sovereign State of Panama from 1863 until 1886 when it was dissolved, was established as one of the states of the Republic of Gran Colombia established in 1821 after independence from the Spanish Empire and was later part of the Republic of New Granada, the Granadine Confederation, and the United States of Colombia. The state was established on 27 February 1855 and lasted until 1886 when it was replaced by the Department of Panama. In 1903, the territory of the Panama State achieved independence as the Republic of Panama.
Ageratina tinifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is found in the Andes from southern Colombia to Venezuela, where it typically occurs in the transition zone of high Andean forests and páramo vegetation.