Colombia
Colombia is the third-most populous country in Latin America, after
Brazil and Mexico. Thirty cities have a population of 100,000 or
more. The nine eastern lowlands departments, constituting about 54%
of Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a
density of less than one person per square kilometer (two persons
per sq. mi.). Ethnic diversity in Colombia is a result of the
intermingling of indigenous peoples, Europeans and Africans. Today,
only about 1% of the people can be identified as fully indigenous on
the basis of language and customs. |
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During the pre-Columbian period, the area now known as Colombia was
inhabited by indigenous societies situated at different stages of
socio-economic development, ranging from hunters and nomadic farmers
to the highly structured Chibchas, who are considered to be one of
the most developed indigenous groups in South America.
Santa Marta was the first permanent Spanish settlement founded in
1525. Santa Fe de Bogota was founded in 1538 and, in 1717, became
the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which included what
are now Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. Bogota was one of three
principal administrative centers of the Spanish possessions in the
New World.
On July 20, 1810, the citizens of Bogota created the first
representative council to defy Spanish authority. Full independence
was proclaimed in 1813, and in 1819 the Republic of Greater Colombia
was formed to include all the territory of the former Viceroyalty
(Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama). Simon Bolivar was elected
its first president with Francisco de Paula Santander as vice
president. Conflicts between followers of Bolivar and Santander led
to the formation of two political parties that have since dominated
Colombian politics. Bolivar's supporters, who later formed the
nucleus of the Conservative Party, sought strong centralized
government, alliance with the Roman Catholic Church and a limited
franchise. Santander's followers, forerunners of the Liberals,
wanted a decentralized government, state control over education and
other civil matters, and a broader suffrage.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, each party held the
presidency for roughly equal periods of time. Colombia maintained a
tradition of civilian government and regular, free, elections.
Notwithstanding the country's commitment to democratic institutions,
Colombia's history also has been characterized by widespread,
violent conflict. Two civil wars resulted from bitter rivalry
between the Conservative and Liberal parties: The War of a Thousand
Days (1899-1903) claimed an estimated 100,000 lives and La Violencia
(the Violence) (1946-1957) claimed about 300,000 lives. |
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