Written by:undefined undefined
Published: 01-09-2022
Colombia, located at the northern tip of South America, is a country of lush rainforests, towering mountains and coffee plantations. There is so much to this country. Let’s explore it a little more!
Salento
Drinking coffee in Colombia is a cheesy affair. Here, for an unknown reason, people put blocks of salty cheese into their coffee when they finish drinking it and eat the mushy blobs of coffee-soaked cheese.
Colombia is not only baked by the tropical sun from above but also fried from down below. It lies above the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region where volcanoes and earthquakes are as natural as birds and bees. The ring is 40,000km long, with more than 450 volcanoes.
Notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar reportedly offered to pay Colombia’s national debt of $10bn to improve his reputation and escape the crosshairs of justice.
Colombia’s ‘second city,’ Medellin, was once the murder capital of the world, with 17 murders every day in 1991. It has since undergone a renaissance and is now one of the country’s leading cultural hubs.
Cartagena Sunset
Colombia is the world’s leading producer of Emeralds. The most delicate emerald, a green gemstone, is found only in Colombia. The country has more than 150 mines churning out high-quality emeralds.
Colombia’s national sport is tejo. It involves throwing metal pucks or discs (tejo) which contain gunpowder and explode on impact. The game originated among indigenous groups around 500 years ago and was declared the national sport under the law in 2000.
Colombia suffered from a 52-year-long conflict between the government and left-wing Farc rebels between the government and left-wing rebels, Farc. In 2016 a historic peace accord was signed. However, a few weeks later, voters rejected the deal in a national referendum, and a new agreement must be drawn.
Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, after only Brazil, which is ten times its size. It is one of only 17 “megadiverse” countries in the world.
Cocora Valley
Aracataca, the birthplace of author Gabriel García Márquez, once held a referendum to rename the town ‘Aracataca-Macondo’ after the fictional town of Macondo from his famous book One Hundred Years of Solitude. Unfortunately, the referendum failed due to low turnout.
Colombian women don’t hesitate to change their bodies if they’re dissatisfied. The country is currently the 5th most popular hub for cosmetic surgery.
Following on from the above, store mannequins have enormous breasts, reflecting the country’s preoccupation with curves.
It is mandatory for radio and public television in Colombia to play the national anthem every day at 6 am and 6 pm.
Salento
Almost 60% of the Amazon rainforest lies in Brazil, 13% in Peru, and 10% in Colombia.
Colombia is on the equator, so expect much heat and sun!
The theme of most children’s games, El Dorado, is a mythical city in ancient Colombia. Legend has it that a king used to spray himself with gold powder and then jump off a golden boat into a lake to appease an undersea god.
Colombia is home to the bizarre but wonderful Caño Cristales – a colorful body of water known as ‘The River of Five Colours’ or ‘The Liquid Rainbow.’ The multicolored waterway is a series of rivers, waterfalls and streams within the Parque Nacional Natural Sierra de La Macarena.
Caño Cristales
Colombia shares land borders with five countries: Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela.
The local government periodically imposes a ‘Dry Law’ during significant events such as World Cup matches and elections, prohibiting alcohol consumption from stemming public violence.
Bogota has South America’s largest network of bicycle routes: over 300km stretching from slum areas and suburbs to the city center.
The country’s name is pronounced Col-o-mbia, not Col-u-mbia. Many non-Spanish speakers get this wrong.
San Andres
Colombia is the only country in South America that has coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
One of the most interesting facts about Colombia is that it was the happiest country in the world according to the 2013 and 2014 Barometer of Happiness and Hope.
Colombia is named after the explorer Christopher Columbus.
Despite its reputation as a drug-peddling dangerous place, in reality, it’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world with a diverse nation that is helpful, hopeful and deeply endearing.
