Approximately one million immigrants entered the country during that time, although many of them eventually returned home. Colombia, officially Republic of Colombia, Spanish República de Colombia, country of northwestern South America. …the isthmus; but Panama was Colombian territory, and the Colombia Senate refused ratification of a treaty with the United States. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In July 2010, responding to Colombian accusations that Venezuela was sheltering FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia; Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) rebels, Chávez broke off relations with Colombia. 1948-1958. Updates? After a revolt, a treaty was signed with independent Panama that granted the United States exclusive use, occupation, and control of the Canal Zone in perpetuity. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Within two short centuries, Colombia became one of the most prominent headq… Copy link. A SHORT HISTORY OF COLOMBIA. In July 2000, the census reported the population to be 39,685,655, with the majority of people living in large cities in the center and the northern part of the country. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. This part of the lowland is called the Llanos Orientales (“Eastern Plains”) or simply the Llanos. La historia de Colombia hace referencia a los procesos que han marcado el devenir histórico de la actual República de Colombia, un país americano ubicado al noroccidente de América del Sur, con una superficie de 2 070 408 km² (1 141 748 km² corresponden a su territorio continental y los restantes 928 660 km² a su extensión marítima) y una población de 50 372 424. The steep and rugged Andean mountain masses and the high intermontane basins descend into plains that extend along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts and across the eastern interior toward the Orinoco and Amazon river systems. Colombia effectively achieved its independence from Spain by 1819, and the country was recognized by the United States in 1822, when President Monroe received a Colombian diplomatic representative in Washington. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. They were both part of the Chibcha language peoples. Although it is a distinct geomorphic unit and not a part of the Andes, some geologists have suggested that it might be considered an extension of the Cordillera Central, from which it is separated by the Mompós depression in the lower Magdalena valley. History of Colombia. The History of Colombia. The batholith contains gold-bearing quartz veins, which were the source of the placer gravels that gave rise to an active colonial mining economy. HISTORY How Coffee arrived in Colombia Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. The river eventually broke through the dam to leave the level floor of the Cauca valley at some 3,000 feet (900 metres) above sea level; today it is one of the nation’s most productive agricultural areas. It’s this history that has led to a blending of people and cultures unique in all of Latin America. Colombia History in 5 Minutes - Animation - YouTube. It is located on the Northwest coast of South America, bordered by Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. The most important of these is the savanna area called the Sabana de Bogotá. A year later Bogotá goes one step further, claiming independence, but in 1815 Spanish forces recapture the city. Construction on the Church of…, In Colombia the Torres del Parque (1965), by Rogelio Salmona, is a housing project with 294 units. Few countries boast such striking physical variety as does Colombia. Category:History of Colombia. The Spanish, having begun their colonization of the Caribbean, expanded their empire onto the continental mainland at the start of the 1500s. A region of great topographic uniformity, it is divided into two contrasting natural landscapes by a major vegetation boundary. The only American nation that is named for Christopher Columbus, the “discoverer” of the New World, Colombia presents a remarkable study in contrasts, in both its geography and its society. Its population is heavily mestizo (of mixed European and Indian descent) with substantial minorities of European and African ancestry. Colombia has had a turbulent history marked by slavery and appropriation of indigenous land during the Colonial period, and political instability, civil war and drug-related violence in recent years. By Tim Lambert. In southern Colombia the Amazonian rainforest, or selva, reaches its northern limit. Republic of Gran Colombia formed with Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. Beyond this point, near Pamplona, the cordillera splits into two much narrower ranges, one extending into Venezuela, the other, the Perijá Mountains, forming the northern boundary range between Colombia and Venezuela. From the shores of the Caribbean Sea inland to the lower spurs of the three major cordilleras extends a slightly undulating savanna surface of varying width, generally known as the Atlantic lowlands (also called the Caribbean coastal lowlands). It is a continuation of the Ecuadoran volcanic structure. A chronology of key events in the history of Colombia, from the Spanish conquest to the present Colombia’s history is as rich, surprising, startling and complex as its geography. Located in the northwestern part of South America, Columbia touches both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, bordering Ecuador and Peru on the south and Brazil and Venezuela on the east. When Colombia was slow to cooperate, Roosevelt, in 1903, covertly supported a Panamanian revolution engineered by officials of the French company. Early Colombia. A lesser topographic feature on the Pacific coast is the Baudó Mountains, separated from the Cordillera Occidental by the valley of the Atrato River, which empties into the Caribbean Gulf of Urabá; the Baudó Mountains represent a southward extension of the Isthmus of Panama. These features are interspersed with sandy beaches, along with barrier islands and brackish lagoons. Long before the arrival of the first Spanish explorers, Indian groups had settled in the area of present-day Colombia. From there it spread widely before disbanding a year later largely as a result of negotiations. 1974-1990. References : Online Secondary Sources. The country has a tropical climate and also includes some mountains i… Watch later. 1830-1863. Colombia is named for Christopher Columbus. 1958-1974. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. The land where Colombia now stands has been home to people for more than 20,000 years. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). After 1958 the government tightened immigration controls to favour foreigners with high-level skills, yet during the 1960s Colombian labourers continued to move into…. COLOMBIA’S FIRST PEOPLE. We still know relatively little about the lives of Colombia’s original people. Shopping. Beyond Antioquia the lower, remote San Lucas Mountains extend northward toward the confluence of the Magdalena and Cauca rivers. Some 60 miles (100 km) south of Villavicencio the elongated, forested La Macarena Mountains rise 8,000 feet (2,500 metres) from the surrounding lowlands, an isolated tropical ecosystem. Crystalline rocks are exposed at several places on its flanks and are the foci of localized gold and silver deposits. …helped Panama to secede from Colombia and gave the United States a Canal Zone. Colombia strongly reflects its history as a colony of Spain. Benavides reduced the…, …the same time migration from Colombia to Venezuela also increased. 1863-1903. The capital of Colombia is the busy city of Bogota. Bibliographic and Print Sources: NARRATIVE For the country's earlier history, see History of the Viceroyalty of Peru, History of the Viceroyalty of New Granada 1819-1830. Among the government supported institutes are the National Museum of Colombia, and the Colombian Institute of Culture, both of which support artists while striving to preserve Colombia's rich history. More than one-third of its inhabitants live in the six largest metropolitan areas, of which Bogotá is the largest. Identify the one with the larger population. This slightly higher ground forms the watershed between the Amazon and Orinoco systems. Everywhere you go in Colombia, you will come across statues of famous figures and streets named after important people, and every time you pay for something there are high chances that you will use a bill or coin with some important historical Colombian on it. Before the Spanish. Barichara is a slow-paced marvel – its name means 'place of relaxation' in the regional … These tectonic forces, similar to those found elsewhere around the Pacific Rim, continue to operate, as is evidenced by the high frequency of often destructive earthquakes. Construction began at once on the Panama Canal, which Roosevelt visited in 1906, the first president to leave the country while in office. Probably the most historic civil in the history of Colombia is the “Thousand Days Civil War” that led to the establishment of Panama as a nation in 1903. For thousands of years before Europeans arrived Amerindians lived in what is now Colombia. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Narrow to the south, it broadens out in the high, unsettled massif of Sumapaz, with elevations up to 13,000 feet (4,000 metres). By this time the independence movement in Colombia is intimately connected with the campaign of Bolívar to liberate the whole of New Granada and establish Gran Colombia. The two main civilizations that formed were the Tairona and the Muisca peoples. In the central part of the plain, between the Guaviare and Caquetá rivers, the eroded rocks of the ancient Guiana Shield are exposed, producing a broken topography of low, isolated mountains, tablelands, and buttes with rapids in the streams. Corrections? In 1508, Vasco Nuñez de Balboa reached Colombia alongside Martín Fernández de Enciso. In History. Cartagena is a colonial city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Juan Manuel Santos. … in 1925, between Peru and Colombia in 1933, between Greece and its neighbours in 1947, between the Netherlands and Indonesia in 1947, between India and Pakistan in 1948, between Israel and its neighbours in 1949, between Israel, Great Britain, France, and Egypt, …a dangerous boundary controversy with Colombia over the port of Leticia on the upper Amazon and a finger of land giving access to the river, both of which had been ceded to Colombia in a treaty of 1922. Its mixture of cultures, ethnicities and customs makes Colombia a nation you simply must visit, a place where you’ll be received with open arms. The Andes are among the world’s most youthful mountain ranges and among the highest. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Colombia is a country full of history. The population is largely concentrated in the mountainous interior, where Bogotá, the national capital, is situated on a high plateau in the northern Andes Mountains. The capital is Bogotá. Although Colombia, for example, witnessed the enactment of anticlerical legislation and its enforcement during more than three decades (1849–84), it soon restored “full liberty and independence from the civil power” to the Roman Catholic church (1888). In Uruguay, British railway workers were the first to play, and in 1891 they founded the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (now…, In addition to importing formal and decorative aspects of European architecture, the ecclesiastical architecture of the New World also borrowed European construction methods, specifically adopting a phased approach to building that often spanned decades or even centuries. The fertile ash from their eruptions has produced the high, cool plateaus of Nariño department and the often steep slopes to the north that support much of Colombia’s coffee production. THE SPANISH CONQUEST. The museum visits in Colombia are a must to get a glimpse into their vast history. In Colombia, British engineers and workers building a railroad near Barranquilla first played football in 1903, and the Barranquilla FBC was founded in 1909. In 1538 they established the colony of New Granada, the area's name until 1861. Farther northeast beyond the deep canyons cut by the Chicamocha River and its tributaries, the Cordillera Oriental culminates in the towering Mount Cocuy (Sierra Nevada del Cocuy), which rises to 18,022 feet (5,493 metres). Several of the latter reach well into the zone of permanent snow, above 15,000 feet (4,600 metres). Since 1990: Gran Colombia 1819-1830. The geologic history of this northern sector is less well understood than that of the central and southern parts. The first bona-fide Spanish settlement was established in Santa Marta in 1525 and shortly thereafter in Cartagena. Coffee Shop Direct March 2021 YT V1. Colombia has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Colombia strongly reflects its history as a colony of Spain. It is divided into two parts by the deep transverse cleft of the Porce River, which occupies the U-shaped valley in which is situated the expanding metropolis of Medellín, Colombia’s second city. For events in a regional context, see Latin America, history of. The more accessible Atlantic lowlands, dominated by large livestock haciendas and a tri-ethnic population, have a distinctively different character. Sandstones and shales of the Paleogene and Neogene periods (about 65 to 2.6 million years ago) are also a part of the older basement that has been capped by ash and lava derived from some 20 volcanoes of the Quaternary Period (the past 2.6 million years). Two great river valleys, those of the Magdalena and the Cauca, separate them and provide avenues of penetration from the Atlantic coastal lowlands into the heart of the country. Colombia is a unitary republic. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. History There is something immediately transcendent about setting foot in stunning Barichara, arguably Colombia's most picturesque colonial village: its rust-orange rooftops, symmetrically cobbled streets, whitewashed walls and pot-plant-adorned balconies contrast with a backdrop of cinematic Andean green. Aug 7, 1819. Two years later they would found Darien, the first permanent European settlement on the American mainland. Dotted with hills and with extensive tracts of seasonally flooded land along the lower Magdalena and the Sinú rivers, it surrounds the inland portion of the Santa Marta Mountains. In 1564 Colombia was made a captaincy-general. In Venezuela, on the other hand, the government of Antonio…, Colombian cut flowers were a highly successful example, promoted from the late 1960s through special incentives such as tax rebates; Colombia became the world’s second leading flower exporter. Despite this, the largely homogenous culture is a rich artistic blend of Spanish customs, tribal heritage and Afro-Caribbean traditions. Cartagena is famous for its castles, culture, history and colourful buildings. It is clear, however, that the entire cordillera has been thrust up through the subduction of the crumpled eastern margin of the Nazca Plate and, to the north, the Caribbean Plate under the more rigid but lighter South American Plate, which has been forced westward by the spreading Atlantic seafloor. Colombia (/ k ə ˈ l ʌ m. b i ə / ; ... History. Colombia: A Brief History Timeline created by caitlinthompson. The eastern lowland extends from the Venezuelan boundary along the Arauca and Meta rivers in the north to the Peruvian-Ecuadoran border stream, the Putumayo, some 600 miles (1,000 km) to the south and from the base of the Cordillera Oriental eastward to the Orinoco-Negro river line, a distance of more than 400 miles (650 km). To avoid war Benavides returned the territory to Colombia. In the cooler mountains, at intermediate elevations, modern cities are juxtaposed with traditional rural landscapes where mestizo farmers cultivate their small plots of coffee, corn (maize), and other crops. A wide range of features characterize the country’s two coastlines. It is known for its jungle wildlife, with animals like the toucan and other tropical birds; the colibri, a colorful hummingbird; butterflies; and various forms of tree frogs and other amphibians. This quiz will show you two countries. Its 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of coast to the north are bathed by the waters of the Caribbean Sea, and its 800 miles (1,300 km) of coast to the west are washed by the Pacific Ocean. Christopher Columbus came to America leading the Spanish. At the Great Colombian Massif of the Cordillera Central, near the San Agustín Archeological Park, the Cordillera Oriental (“Eastern Range”) branches off in a more decidedly northeasterly direction. The colony thrived … The first people had many groups, cultures, and languages. The history of Colombia includes the settlements of indigenous peoples, like : Quimbaya Civilization, the Muisca Confederation, and Tairona Chiefdoms. In Uruguay, British railway workers were the first to play, and in 1891 they founded the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (now… Read More; history of Latin American architecture After Colombia gained its independence from Spain, internal issues regarding politics and territorial divisions continue to take place. From there the Cordillera Occidental fingers north into the three distinct serranías of Abibe, San Jerónimo, and Ayapel, forested ranges that drop gradually toward the piedmont plains of the Caribbean littoral. At the Pasto Massif, near the Ecuadoran border, the mountains divide into the Cordillera Occidental (“Western Range”), which runs parallel to the Pacific coast, and the Cordillera Central (“Central Range”), which, with its numerous volcanoes, forms the backbone of the system in Colombia and runs generally southwest to northeast. In addition to these traditional institutes, local governments and private transportation companies support local artists by hiring them to colorfully decorate city and town buses. The first Spaniard to land in the area was Alonso de Ojeda in 1500. The following treatment focuses on Colombian history from the time of European settlement. It enjoyed a brief boom of…. The historic walled city remains alongside the ultramodern skyscraper-filled Bocagrande. The highest are Mount Huila (18,865 feet [5,750 metres]), southeast of Cali, and the Ruiz-Tolima complex (some 17,700 feet [5,400 metres]) between Manizales and Ibagué. History of Colombia : Narrative. North of Mount Ruíz, near Sonsón in the department of Antioquia, the volcanic Cordillera Central gives way to the deeply weathered, granitic Antioquia batholith (an exposed granitic intrusion), a tableland averaging some 8,000 feet (2,500 metres) above sea level. The isolated Santa Marta Mountains are an imposing fault-bounded granitic massif rising to 18,947 feet (5,775 metres) at the “twin peaks” of Cristóbal Colón and Simón Bolívar, the highest point in the country (for a discussion of the height of the Santa Marta Mountains, see Researcher’s Note: Heights of the “twin peaks” of the Santa Marta Mountains); the massif ascends abruptly from the Caribbean littoral to snow- and ice-covered summits. Elsewhere the crest is much higher, reaching 12,992 feet (3,960 metres) at Mount Paramillo in the department of Antioquia. Two passes at elevations less than 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) between Cali and Buenaventura on the Pacific coast mark the lowest depressions in the range. Colombia's numerous museums are essential in preserving and providing information about Colombia's rich cultural history be it their indigenous heritage or Spanish, French and British Colonial influence. Here is a brief history of this fascinating city. The United States established a diplomatic mission in Colombia in 1823. Bogota was founded in 1538. Which Country Is Larger By Population? The Atlantic lowlands spread out southward behind it. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Colombia, history of Latin America: Economic agenda and patterns of growth, history of Latin America: Preindependence phenomena, Latin American architecture: Seventeenth- and 18th-century architecture in Ecuador, Colombia, and Cuba, Latin American architecture: Contemporary architecture, c. 1965–the present, tunnels and underground excavations: Heavy ground, canals and inland waterways: The Panama Canal, United States: Building the Panama Canal and American domination in the Caribbean, Panama: Secession from Spain and union with Gran Colombia, Venezuela: Immigration and ethnic composition. 1918-1948. While the Aztecs and the Incas built empires that extended control over vast regions of pre-Columbian America, Colombia was settled by a number of smaller groups of peoples such as the Tayronas and the Muiscas. In Colombia, British engineers and workers building a railroad near Barranquilla first played football in 1903, and the Barranquilla FBC was founded in 1909. Info. 1903-1918. Online Primary Sources. Colombia is bordered by Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Cordillera Central is the highest of the Andean ranges of Colombia, rising to an average height of 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). As with most other Spanish conquests in the Americas, the Spanish conquistad… Other major changes since the adoption of the constitution is the adoption of an adversarial model for Colombia's courts. The Colombian cordilleras belong to the northern portion of the great Andean mountain system, which extends along the Pacific coast of South America. He gave the name of "Colombia" to what is today "America". Steep and articulated bays, inlets, capes, and promontories accentuate the shoreline on the Pacific side toward the Panama border and on the Caribbean side where the sea beats against the base of the Santa Marta Mountains. With a population of over 45 million people, Colombia has the second largest population in South America, after Brazil.