Colombia

Colombia is a Spanish speaking country located on the northwestern tip of South America.

The Colombian government has for decades been engaged in armed conflict with anti-government insurgent groups like The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and has struggled with the illegal drug trade. Violence has ended in recent years due to the peace deals with FARC and a decline in drug production and trafficking.

Colombia is rich in natural resources and is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet, but has struggled with commercial exploitation of its forests.

Interesting Facts About Colombia

• Notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar reportedly offered to pay off Colombia’s entire national debt of more than $10bn to improve his reputation with the country’s leaders and escape the cross hairs 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 major renaissance and is now one of the country’s main cultural hubs. Safety in Colombia has improved tremendously since these days!
• Colombia is touted as the second most biodiverse country in the world. Ranking after only Brazil which is 10 times its size. It is one of only 17 “megadiverse” countries in the world and owes that to its multitude of different climates.
• Colombia is the only country in South America that has coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
• The country’s name is pronounced Col-o-mbia, not Col-u-mbia. Many non-Spanish speakers get this wrong.

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