COLOMBIA

Colombia is a northwestern South American country.  Colombia's population ranks second to Brazil's huge population.  Its landscape and climate have vast differences ranging from snowcapped peaks of the Andes Mountains to hot lowland plains.  It's hot in southern Colombia because the equator runs there.  It's chilly in northern Colombia because of  the higher elevation.  The differences in climate allow farmers to grow many kinds of crops, including coffee, rice, bananas and potatoes.  Colombia produces more coffee than any other country.

Colombia's population is distributed unevenly.  Most of the people live in Bogotá, Colombia's capital, in the middle of the Andes Mountains. 

Colombia's economy has long depended heavily on agriculture though manufacturing is growing rapidly in popularity.  Colombia has huge supplies of natural materials used in industry and sources of energy.  During the 1500's, Colombia's natural wealth was in gold.  This attracted Spanish explorers and they conquered most of the Indians.  The Indians were the original inhabitants of Colombia.
After many wars and civil wars Colombia became a democratic country even though it had a history of democratic government.  Colombia got its name after Christopher Columbus, the nation's original name was República de Colombia.
Colombia is a beautiful place to visit and to live in.  I would highly recommend taking a look at Colombia.

By KatherineE.
source: English WorldBook 99

Have a look at some of the beautiful places from Katherine's home country . . . 
 
 


The Cordillera Central, Andes Mountains
The central range of the Andes is the principal mountain system in Colombia. The Andes comprise three principal and parallel ranges: the Cordillera Oriental, the Cordillera Central, and the Cordillera Occidental.

A beautiful home in
Cartagena, Colombia

Sunset at Santa Marta
Important Cities of Colombia



The most important cities of Colombia are Bogota (the capital), Medellin, Cali and Cartagena.
The capital, Bogota, is a big city with a population of five million people, Medellin and Cali with million each, other large cities are Cartagena Bucaramanga, Cucuta, Manizales, Pereira, Santa Marta and Ibague.
The full name of Colombia’s capital is Santa Fe de Bogota, after its original Indian name, Bacata, meaning “beyond the cultivated lands”.

Colombia’s second largest city is Medellin, known for its textile industry. Just outside Medellin is El Ranchito, one of the world’s outstanding collections of orchids.  Medellin was founded in 1616 and settled in the late 1600s by Spaniards who came to mine the gold deposits and, today many natives are descendants of these settlers. Medellin is called the “city of eternal spring”; this city has an agreeable climate and a dramatic mountain vista.
In Medellin they have a lot of flower festivals and exhibitions, and bullfights are a favorite pastime of the citizenry.  Medellin is a beautiful city.

Cali was founded in 1536, Cali is another one of Colombia’s old cities, but it has experienced exceptional growth over the last couple of decades.
Cali is a manufacturing and distribution center that lies on the edge of cauca the country’s vital agricultural valley.  The valley is responsible for 20% of Colombia’s industrial out put, comprised mostly of paper and sugar production. Cali has very pleasant climate all year, with significant rainfall during its two rainy seasons. Some of Colombia’s most hopeless slams are in Cali.

 Cartagena is one of the most picturesque towns of the South America and has some of the finest examples of 16th century architecture in the Western Hemisphere.  The contrasts between old and new part of Cartagena are of varied styles.  Many are brightly-colored two- story homes with attractive gardens, patios, and balconies. Within the old section of Cartagena remain seven fortresses that previously protected the harbor and the city.  Street vendors and women carrying trays on their heads preserve the flavor of this picturesque place.

 I’ve been to Bogota a couple of times. I like that city because compared with Cali (the city that I was born in), Bogota is twice as big, has a lot of more places to go to, and it has a lot of people in the street. The last time I visited Bogota was one month before I came to the U.S.A.  It was a very nice experience because my mom went with me and visited all the friends and family that we have there.