Colombia

Tuesday, 29 January 2019

Colombia is a lot more than guys selling drugs. Unfortunately, because of its bloody past, people only know the old stories about drugs, FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), and Pablo Escobar.

But I'm going to update your information about this fantastic country.

Interesting facts about Colombia.

The name "Colombia" is derived from the last name of the explorer Christopher Columbus.

Colombia is a great country to spend cheap Caribbean holidays.

Colombia shares land borders with five countries: Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela.

Not lazy, but fun loving: Colombia, with 18 national holidays, came second in the "countries with the most national holidays" list, but don't be wondering about that because India could top that with 21 national holidays.

The economy of Colombia is mainly dependent on manufacturing and agricultural exports such as bananas, cut flowers, sugar, coffee, oil and coal. Manufacturing exports include textiles, chemicals, garments, and metal products.

The 2nd highest coastal mountain range in the world: Another interesting fact about Colombia is the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. These mountains on the Caribbean coast are isolated from the range of mountains. For the indigenous groups (Arhuacos, Wiwas, Kogis and Kankuamos) living there, the mountain is considered sacred and access is not open to the public. However, some companies organize The Lost City Tour.

Colombia is the only country in South America that has a coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The Pacific region is very humid with one of the highest precipitation rain in the world. This part of Colombia is not touristy yet and offer unique landscapes made of black beaches and lush vegetation. Boats are the common modes of transport to move from one place to another. The Caribbean coast is one of the most visited places by tourists and foreigners because is easy to visit the old city in Cartagena and explore Tayrona Park in Santa Marta.

The city of Bogota, capital of Colombia is at an altitude of 2640 m,. It is one of the highest capitals in the world. With more than 8 million inhabitants and at an average of 2640 m above sea level, it's the third highest capital in South America (After La Paz and Quito). Because of its elevation, Bogota is located in Cold land. The temperature drops at night.

Colombia is one of the seventeen megadiverse countries who possess the highest number and diversity of animals and plants on earth. Colombia represents more than 10% of all the species (Fauna and Flora) on earth. Colombia has more than 1880 species of birds and 71 of which being endemic, and it is ranked at the first place for avian biodiversity.

There are the tallest palm trees in the world: Salento is not only famous for its delicious red coffee beans, but you will have a panoramic view of a vast valley where giant wax palm trees are popping up like mushrooms. Some can measure up to 60 m.

Colombia, "the land of a thousand rhythms" because with such a large number of communities and many different musical influences coming from Africa, Europe, and modern America, each region has composed its own musical styles.

The most popular sport in Colombia is football (soccer). Other popular and successful sports of Colombia include roller-skating, weightlifting, baseball, boxing, motorsport and cycling, but the traditional national sport of Colombia is called Tejo - Tejo is an explosive game: Two teams face off by throwing iron disks into a box full of clay. The team with the closest iron disks from the center of the box gain points. And you don't know the best yet. They put small paper balls full of gunpowder (called little bombs) on the clay, so you have to target these "little bombs" to get more points and make an explosion with the impact - like a firecracker.

Colombia is the third producer of coffee in the world: After Brazil and Vietnam.

Colombia is the world's leading producer of Emeralds. The finest quality emerald, a green gemstone, is found only in Colombia. The country has more than 150 mines churning out high-quality emeralds.

A Nobel Laureate, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most famous writers in South America. He is known for popularising Magic realism, a literary style where magical elements appear in realistic situations. Bestsellers like A Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera have been translated into many languages.

Caño Cristales - the "River of Five Colours" or the "Liquid Rainbow", is a river in Colombia located in the Serrania de la Macarena province of Meta. This river bed changes colour between yellow, green, blue, black, and especially red, beginning the end of July and through November.

The national anthem is considered the second most beautiful national anthem in the world after France.

Colombia does not have the 4 seasons because of its proximity to the equator. Its climate is tropical and isothermal, with temperatures that vary very little during the year.

And to finish:  the slogan "Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay" has increased the number of foreign visitors coming to Colombia.