Colombia

📖 In short

Colombia is a country in northwest South America, the only one on the continent facing both the Atlantic and the Pacific. It has mountains, forests and beaches, and its capital is Bogotá, high in the mountains.

🤩 Did you know?

Colombia produces most of the world's emeralds.
The capital is Bogotá, more than 2600 meters above sea level.
The official language is Spanish, and the currency is the peso.
Colombia is named after the explorer Christopher Columbus.

🗂️ Fact file

Colombia's flag was adopted in 1861. It has three stripes: yellow for the gold of the New World, red for the blood shed for independence, and blue for the Atlantic Ocean.

The coat of arms, adopted in 1834, is topped by a condor (a vulture), and shows a pomegranate, two horns (plenty and fertility), the cap of liberty and the Isthmus of Panama (once part of Colombia).

Capital: Bogotá.
Official language: Spanish.
Official name: Republic of Colombia.
Currency: The peso.
Area: 1,138,914 km².
Population: 2000 estimates: 37,822,000 people. Official 1993 census: 33,109,840 people.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 Land of emeralds

Colombia is the world's biggest producer of emeralds, a beautiful shiny green gemstone.

🔍 Coffee and flowers

Colombia grows coffee on the slopes of its green mountains, and its coffee is famous worldwide. It also exports colorful flowers to many countries.

💡 Lots of birds

Colombia has a huge number of bird species, more than almost any other country, including tiny hummingbirds and colorful parrots.

🎯 A river of five colors

Colombia has a river called “Caño Cristales” that turns red, yellow, green and blue in some months because of little plants on its bed, so it's called “the liquid rainbow”.