Colombia (
IPA
:
/kəˈlʌmbɪə/
) officially the Republic of Colombia (
Spanish
:
República de Colombia
(
help
·
info
)
,
IPA
:
reˈpuβlika ðe koˈlombja
), is a country located in the northwestern region of
South America
. Colombia is bordered to the east by
Venezuela
and
Brazil
;
to the south by
Ecuador
and
Peru
;
to the North by the
Atlantic Ocean
, through the
Caribbean Sea
; to the north-west by
Panama
; and to the west by the
Pacific Ocean
. Besides the countries in South America, the Republic of Colombia is recognized to share maritime borders with the
Caribbean
countries of
Jamaica
,
Haiti
, the
Dominican Republic
and the
Central American
countries of
Honduras
,
Nicaragua
, and
Costa Rica
.
Colombia is the
th largest nation
in the world and the fourth-largest country in South America (after
Brazil
,
Argentina
, and
Peru
), with an area more than twice that of
France
. In Latin America, it is also the country with the third largest population after Brazil and Mexico.
The territory of what is now Colombia was inhabited by indigenous peoples which migrated from North and Central America; the
Calima people
,
Muisca
,
Nariño people
,
Quimbaya civilization
,
San Agustín civilization
,
Sinú people
,
Tayrona
,
Tierradentro civilization
,
Tolirna
and
Tumaco people
which neighbored to the south with the
Incas
.
The Spanish arrived in the year , and initiated a conquest period against the indigenous peoples rushing for gold and other resources and subsequently began a colonization period founding towns and established direct economic trade with the
Spanish empire
.
Colombia was then known as Department of Cundinamarca, emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in (with Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela) with the name of "New Granada", which it kept until when it became the "
Grenadine Confederation
".
Differences between conservatives and liberal factions arose leading to a two year civil war in , the "
United States of Colombia
" was created, lasting until , when the country finally became known as the Republic of Colombia. Liberals and Conservatives engaged in a
Thousand days civil war
once again that led to the
separation of Panama
. The political tensions continued and violence broke out once again in leading to a period called
La Violencia
.
Since the s conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the s.
The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about , but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence.
More than , former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities.
Colombia is a standing
middle power
with the second largest Spanish speaking population of the world after
Mexico
.
It is largely recognized for its culture and is also one of the largest manufacturers in South America. Colombia is also one of the most ethnically diverse nations in South America, the result of large-scale migrations during the th century which has caused a dramatic population growth since then. Colombia is considered to be among of the most
megadiverse countries
in the world.
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