Colombia, or formally, the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia , is the northwesternmost country 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; and to the west by Panama and the Pacific Ocean. Colombia is also the only country in South America that borders both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.
Colombia is a large and physically diverse nation. It is the fourth-largest country in South America (after Brazil, Argentina, and Peru), with an area seven times greater than that of New England; more than twice that of France; or just slightly smaller than Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington States combined. Its vast territory is one of great physical contrasts, ranging from the towering, snowcapped peaks of the Andes to the hot, humid plains of the Amazon River Basin. Not only is Colombia large in area, but it also has a large population, containing more people than any other South American country except Brazil. The nation's population is not evenly distributed. Most of the people live in the mountainous western third of the country, where Bogotá, the capital, and most of Colombia's other large cities are located.
Colombia is divided into thirty-two departments and one capital district
1 Amazonas
2 Antioquia
3 Arauca
4 Atlántico
5 Bolívar
6 Boyacá
7 Caldas
8 Caquetá
9 Casanare
10 Cauca
11 Cesar
12 Chocó
13 Córdoba
14 Cundinamarca
15 Guainía
16 Guaviare 17 Huila
18 La Guajira
19 Magdalena
20 Meta
21 Nariño
22 Norte de Santander
23 Putumayo
24 Quindío
25 Risaralda
26 San Andrés and Providencia
27 Santander
28 Sucre
29 Tolima
30 Valle del Cauca
31 Vaupés
32 Vichada
33 Bogotá* (Distrito Capital)
tourism
Colombia has one festival for every day of the year. During the most famous festivals (such as the Cali Fair, the Barranquilla Carnival, the Iberoamerican Theater Festival and the Flower Festival) is when the most tourists come to Colombia. Many people also come into Colombia during Christmas time and the celebrations surrounding the Independence of Colombia. Even though Colombia has been plagued with travel warnings because of FARC and other guerillas groups, it has continued to attract more tourists in recent years. The apparent cause appears to be the current hard line approach of President Álvaro Uribe to push rebels groups farther away from the major cities and other tourist sites that may attract international visitors. Since President Uribe took office in 2002, he has notably increased Colombia's stability and security by significantly boosting its military strength and police presence throughout the country. This apparently has achieved fruitful results for the country's economy, particularly international tourism. In 2006, tourism officials are expecting approximately 1.5 million international visitors to visit Colombia, an astonishing increase of about 50% from the previous year. Even Lonely Planet, a world travel publisher, has picked Colombia as one of their top 10 world destinations for 2006.[4] The World Tourism Organization reported in 2004 that Colombia achieved the 3rd highest percentage increase of tourist arrivals in South America between 2000 and 2004 (9.2%). Only Peru and Suriname had higher increases during the same period.
