Santa Marta

CAPITAL CITY OF Colombia: Bogota
LANGUAGE OF Colombia: Spanish
CURRENCY OF Colombia: Colombian peso (COP)
COMMENTS ABOUT Colombia:
Colombia is the only country in South America with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Cities : Bogota, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Manizales, Medellin, Santa Marta, Cali, Leticia
Best Places : San Agustin, Tierradentro, Isla Gorgona, Ciudad Perdida
Visa / Passport : Most Western countries don't need a visa. American citizens do not need a visa unless they are staying for more than 90 days.
Eat : Empanadas, sancocho de gallina, sancocho, ajiaco, Bandeja paisa,paella, tamarindo, mangoes, guanabanas, lulo, mangostinos, tamales, envuelto, coffee, bocadillo, arequipe, papas saladas, papas chorriadas
Calling Code : +57
Time Zone : UTC -5
Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Colombian Government escalated during the 1990s, undergirded in part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence, the movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to overthrow the government. An anti-insurgent army of paramilitaries has grown to be several thousand strong in recent years, challenging the insurgents for control of territory and the drug trade, and also the government's ability to exert its dominion over rural areas. While Bogota steps up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.
CLIMATE OF Colombia: The climate is tropical along coast and eastern plains; cold in the highlands; periodic droughts. Colombia is an equatorial country, so there are no seasons in the common sense of the word. Temperatures do not vary much throughout the year.
RELIGION OF Colombia: Roman Catholic 90%
POPULATION OF Colombia: 42,310,775 (July 2004 est.)>
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF Colombia: Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflict, but seems poised for recovery. Other economic problems facing President URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil and coffee, face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are depressed. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by URIBE, which includes measures designed to reduce the public-sector deficit below 2.5% of GDP in 2004. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector, and GDP growth in 2003 was among the highest in Latin America.