Colombia

COLOMBIA

COLOMBIA• Colombia a tropical country of

incredible diversity and charm. Its varied geography, its history full of mystery and adventure, its people and cultures have fascinated the world for centuries.

• Famous for its excellent coffee and the purity of its emeralds, Colombia is also the land of the legend of El Dorado and the magical world of Macondo

GEOGRAPHY Colombia is a unitary republic of America located in the northwestern region of South America. It consists in a social and democratic state of law whose form of government is presidential. It is politically organized into 32 decentralized departments. The capital of the republic is Bogotá.

Colombia is the only country in South America with coastlines on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, with a land area of 1'141 .748 km2 and 928,660 km2 of maritime domains.

It shares borders with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador maritime borders with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Located at 4 degrees south latitude 12 degrees north latitude and between 67 ° and 79 ° west longitude, is an equatorial country whose climate is determined by the trade winds, humidity and altitude above sea level: the higher the altitude the temperature is lower.

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

FLAG OF COLOMBIA• Created by the General Francisco de Miranda,

the Colombia flag flew for the first time on March 12, 1806 in the port of La Vela. It was officially adopted on November 26, 1861. It is inspired by the primary colors: yellow, blue and red.

THE ANDEAN CONDOR, large and majestic flight, is considered the national bird. This national bird can fly up to 300 km in a single day. Its plumage is almost entirely black, with metallic reflections and a whitish band above the wings, and a white collar at the base of the neck. The males have a fleshy red crest on the head.

COAT OF ARMS 

The coat of arms of the Republic of Colombia The Coat of Arms of the Republic was adopted on May 9, 1834. It consists of three horizontal stripes. The condor, bird of our Andes, symbolizes freedom. Granada is a gold open with stem and leaves of gold, reminiscent of New Granada, A side you see two cornucopias: the right contains gold and silver coins and tropical fruits on the left. Symbolize wealth and prodigality of the national soil. In between, on a background of platinum a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom lies. In the lower third, in marine waters, two ships with sails you appear on either side of the Isthmus of Panama, which symbolizes the two oceans that bathe the country.

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

THE CATTLEYA ORCHID TRIANAE, popularly known as "flor de mayo" or "lily May" 1936 is the national flower of Colombia. It is named in honor of Colombian naturalist José Jerónimo Triana, and is typical of temperate heat floor (between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level and 17 to 24 degrees Celsius).

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

NATIONAL TREE In the Quindio department of the Coffee and more precisely, in the Valley of cocora, the wax palm grows, characterized by its strength, longevity and stature, since it reaches seventy feet high.

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

NATIONAL ANTHEM

It was composed in 1887 with lyrics by Rafael Nuñez and music by Italian composer Orestes Sindici to commemorate November 11 Independence of Cartagena. Law 33 of October 28, 1920, signed by President Marco Fidel Suárez gave official.

REGIONS OF COLOMBIA

AMAZON REGION

•The region is framed by the Andes mountains to the west and extends eastward to the borders with Brazil and Venezuela, from north to south extending from the Guaviare and Vichada and Putumayo rivers to the Amazon.

• In Amazonia livestock in the foothills, the subsistence farming and logging develops.

• Songs and tunes, plus profane dances and magical character are characterized.

• Among the most popular dishes prepared with egg tortoise with tortoise turtle. Like to eat monkey, tapir, capybara, boa which consume as smoked loin with lemon, vinegar, potatoes, etc.

ANDEAN REGION

• This region is named after the mountain range of the Andes, which to the north of South America consists of the nodes in the Colombian Massif Pastoy three ridges calls (in Colombia) Western, Central and Eastern.

• The Andean region has most of the country's water resources and the most productive agricultural land. Its subsoil oil, emeralds, salt and other mineral resources are exploited

• Due to the great climatic diversity and history of the settlements, there are different sub-cultural groups in this region.

• The Andean region has a diverse cuisine, depending on geographic location different dishes like santafereño ajiaco (Bogotá), the paisa (Antioquia), the mute Santander and suckling pig (Tolima and Huila) are presented.

CARIBBEAN REGION

The Caribbean Region is composed of a continental plain called Caribbean or Atlantic Coast and the Colombian waters and island territories in the Caribbean sea.Due to the diversity of the climate of the region is very large variety of animal and plant species are found in it . Many of these species are threatened with extinction ( such as manatees and guartinaja ) .The inhabitants of the Colombian Caribbean are the result of the racial and cultural mix of Aboriginal peoples since ancient times inhabited the region, with white individuals of Spanish nationality who arrived in the Colombian Caribbean in 1499 , who in turn introduced individuals in America various black African tribes as slavesYou can taste many dishes as sancochos tarpon , bocachico , phase, pigeon pea , chicken , rib , oxtail , tripe , of beans ( black head , zaragoza ) , nicknamed cheese, rundown ; fish like crappie the bocachico , tarpon, mullet , snapper, sierra, the goat , seafood like shrimp , lobster, etc.Atlantic stand industrial, commercial, financial and transportation activities.

INSULAR REGION

• The island region of Colombia covers all the islands that comprise the country, these islands are classified into two types according to their position and origin, Continental and Oceanic calling them.

• The region is characterized by defined periods of rain and dry weather. The archipelago is in his second wild, wet and rainy permanent majority, making it abundantly rich in terms of flora and fauna.

• The main source of income of the Colombian island region is tourism. San Andres Island has one of the major resorts in the country, which is visited annually by domestic and foreign.

• Typical dishes of San Andrés are made with fish, lobsters, crabs and snails served with bananas, coconut, coconut milk and cassava. The most famous dish is rondón, which is a kind of pan fish slowly cooked in coconut milk, cassava, fish snails.

ORINOCO REGION

• The Orinoquía is a geographic region of Colombia determined by the Orinoco River basin , and located in the eastern part of the country is also known as the Llanos Orientals . It is an ecosystem that is characterized by a plateau .

• The economy of the Plains is primarily based on ranching and oil extraction . In the plains of Arauca is Caño Limón, one of the main oil births Colombia .

• The Colombian Llanos is the dominant subculture in the region and well distinguishable characteristics. The Lone Worker is dedicated to raising livestock ( the quintessential cowboy Colombia ) given the vastness of the plains that allow raising cattle .

• One of the most typical dishes of this region is the veal plains or castor , which is prepared by roasting cuts of beef in Chuzos ( Varas wood ) buried in a circle around a campfire . Other special dishes are hallaca , tamal filled with turtle meat and vegetables, stick to the bottom , a preparation of bean veguero flesh burrowing rice containing oxtail and vegetables

PACIFIC REGIONPacific region of Colombia is located to the west of the country , bordering the Pacific Ocean, from which it takes its name.It is a region with a vast ecological wealth , hydrographic , mining and forestry which are found in national parksDominate the territory south hills of medium height , as Baudo mountains of the Serrania del Darien , and the foothills of the western mountains .The inhabitants of the Colombian Pacific are about 1.5 million. [Citation needed] Today, it is the only region of Colombia with an absolute majority of Afro-Colombian communities about 90% . The Pacific culture has variety from north to south , the north and south Chocó plain Pacific .Traditional dishes from the Pacific region are: Arepas and Choco white yam cake , donuts, fish soups , rice atollado smoked meat , dried cod - smooth, bocachico fish flakes, stuffed avocados , shrimp ceviche or shrimp , breaded fish , seafood casserole , fish Choco luloThe economy of the Pacific region is based on industrial fishing, mariculture (cultivation of marine organisms for food products ) , timber extraction for domestic and international markets , industrial gold and platinum mining , ranching and agriculture (mainly the industrialization of banana and plantain) .