1820 Departments
The initial country subdivision of Gran Colombia was into three departments, without larger districts or smaller provinces. They were:
The Republic of Gran Colombia was a former independent country in northern South America, a post-Spanish colonial country that existed from 1819 to 1831. Its initial subdivisions, created in 1820, were revised and expanded in 1824 to 12 departments.
The initial country subdivision of Gran Colombia was into three departments, without larger districts or smaller provinces. They were:
The Northern District (Spanish : Distrito del Norte) was in present-day Venezuela and Brazil. Its departments and provinces were:
The Central District (Spanish : Distrito del Centro) was in present-day Colombia and Panama. Its departments and provinces were:
Control of a strip of the Mosquito Coast along the Atlantic Ocean (in present-day Costa Rica and Nicaragua) was disputed with the British and the Federal Republic of Central America.[ citation needed ]
The Southern District (Spanish : Distrito del Sur) was in present-day Ecuador, and north of Marañón River in present-day Perú. Its departments and provinces were:
Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá, known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho", was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828. A close friend and associate of Simón Bolívar, he was one of the primary leaders of South America's struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire.
Departments of Colombia refer to the administrative divisions of Colombia. As of 2024, the unitary republic is made up of thirty-two departments. Each department has a governor and an assembly, elected by popular vote for a four-year period.
The Congress of Angostura was convened by Simón Bolívar and took place in Angostura during the wars of independence of Colombia and Venezuela, culminating in the proclamation of the Republic of Colombia. It met from February 15, 1819, established the new independent-from-Spain nation on December 17, was interrupted by further independentist activity, and reconvened on July 31, 1821, when the Congress of Cúcuta began its sessions. The Angostura assembly consisted of twenty-six delegates representing Venezuela and New Granada.
The Ecuadorian–Peruvian territorial dispute was a territorial dispute between Ecuador and Peru, which, until 1928, also included Colombia. The dispute had its origins on each country's interpretation of what Real Cedulas Spain used to precisely define its colonial territories in the Americas. After independence, all of Spain's colonial territories signed and agreed to proclaim their limits in the basis of the principle of uti possidetis juris, which regarded the Spanish borders of 1810 as the borders of the new republics. However, conflicting claims and disagreements between the newly formed countries eventually escalated to the point of armed conflicts on several occasions.
The Ecuadorian War of Independence, part of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early 19th century, was fought from 1809 to 1822 between Spain and several South American armies over control of the Real Audiencia of Quito, a Spanish colonial jurisdiction which later became the modern Republic of Ecuador. The war ended with the defeat of the Spanish forces at the Battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822, which brought about the independence of all the lands of the Real Audiencia of Quito.
The flag of Gran Colombia was based on Francisco de Miranda's tricolour, which served as the national flag of the First Republic of Venezuela. The general design of the Gran Colombian flag later served as the model for the current flags of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, which emerged as independent nations at the breakup of Gran Colombia in 1831.
The Gran Colombian–Peruvian War of 1828 and 1829 was the first international conflict fought by the Republic of Peru, which had gained its independence from Spain in 1821, and Gran Colombia, that existed between 1819 and 1830.
The Congress of Cúcuta was a constituent assembly where the Republic of Colombia was created. The Congress elected Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander president and vice-president, respectively.
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.
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 claimed the Essequibo region. 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 Real Audiencia of Quito was an administrative unit in the Spanish Empire which had political, military, and religious jurisdiction over territories that today include Ecuador, parts of northern Peru, parts of southern Colombia and parts of northern Brazil. It was created by Royal Decree on 29 August 1563 by Philip II of Spain in the city of Guadalajara. It ended in 1822 with the incorporation of the area into the Republic of Gran Colombia.
The constitutional history of Colombia is the process of formation and evolution of the different constitutions that Colombia has had since its formation.
The Department of the Isthmus was one of the departments of the Republic of Gran Colombia. It was created in 1824 and named after the Isthmus of Panama. It covered the territory of what is now the country of Panama and some disputed coastal territories farther northward along the Caribbean shoreline of present-day Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Venezuela Department was one of the three departments of Gran Colombia until 1824.
The coat of arms of Gran Colombia was adopted in 1821.
The dissolution of Gran Colombia and the disintegration of its political structures and central government created three independent countries: the Republic of Venezuela, the Republic of Ecuador and the Republic of New Granada.
The Free Province of Guayaquil was a South American state that emerged between 1820 and 1822 with the independence of the province of Guayaquil from the Spanish monarchy. The free province had a provisional government and constitution until its annexation by Gran Colombia in 1822. Its successor was the Department of Guayaquil forming part of Gran Colombia.
The Spanish province of Guayaquil had been separated from the Viceroyalty of Peru and in those days it only depended legally on the court of the Real Audiencia de Quito. About a decade later, the Departments of Guayaquil, Azuay, and Ecuador separated from Gran Colombia forming the current Ecuador.
The 1827 Guayaquil uprising, also known as the Guayaquil Department rebellion, was a rejection of the centralist policies of Gran Colombia. This was one of the first separatist rebellions in the country of Gran Colombia before it dissolved in 1829.
The October 9 Revolution was a successful revolt against the Spanish Empire in Guayaquil on October 9, 1820. It was led by the General Antonio José de Sucre and directed by Simón Bolívar. The revolt established a revolutionary junta and created the Free Province of Guayaquil, an independent state. The independence of Guayaquil revived the war of independence of the Real Audiencia de Quito as part of the Spanish American wars of independence. Prominent events in the revolution include the uprising of the Spanish garrison in the city of Guayaquil and the control of the Pacific by the Liberating Expedition of Peru, under the command of José de San Martín.
Luis Urdaneta Farías was a Venezuelan soldier and revolutionary who participated in several military campaigns of the Spanish American Wars of Independence. Initially part of the troops loyal to the Spanish Empire, he switched sides during the conflict. He participated and played a leading role in the independence of Guayaquil. He fought in several battles under the command of Marshal Antonio José de Sucre in the Southern Campaign and in the Gran Colombia–Peru War. He insurrectioned against Juan José Flores' attempted separation of the Southern District from Gran Colombia.
