Republic of Colombia
South America
Vibrant · Lush · Warm
Colombia (officially Republic of Colombia) is a country located in South America. Its capital city is Bogotá, with other major cities including Medellín and Cali. With a population of approximately 51.2M, the main language spoken is Spanish. The country covers an area of 1,141,748 km². The official currency is the Colombian peso ($). Traffic drives on the right side.
Colombia is the only country in South America with coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Bogotá serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Colombia, positioned in South America. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Bogotá transformed from one of Latin America's most dangerous cities in the 1990s into a liveable urban success story through investments in public libraries, the TransMilenio bus system, and the Ciclovía — a weekly road closure for cyclists that inspired similar programmes across the world and which now draws 1.5 million participants each Sunday.
With a population of approximately 51.2M, Colombia is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Spanish, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Colombia is reached via the dialling code +57. Colombians rebuilt their country's international image after decades of association with drug cartels and violence — a process driven partly by García Márquez's Nobel literature legacy, partly by the extraordinary cycling achievements of riders like Nairo Quintana and Egan Bernal who are national heroes of an intensity rarely seen outside of football countries.
Colombia spans 1,141,748 km², in the South America subregion of Americas. Geographically centred around 4.0°N, 72.0°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Americas convention.
The official currency is the Colombian peso ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Colombia's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC-05:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
The emblematic dish of Colombia is Bandeja Paisa. Bandeja paisa from Antioquia — a platter combining red beans, white rice, ground beef, chicharrón, fried egg, plantain, chorizo, and avocado — is Colombia's most emblematic dish and a nutritional monument to the caloric demands of mountain farming communities, now consumed in cities as both comfort food and cultural statement.
Football / Cycling holds a special place in the heart of Colombia's national identity. Cycling is Colombia's athletic soul, born in the geography of the Andes where altitude training is simply daily life — the country's climbers have won multiple Tour de France titles and transformed from rural couriers into millionaire champions, with Egan Bernal's 2019 Tour victory at age 22 announced by the president as a national holiday.
The highest point in Colombia is Pico Cristóbal Colón, rising to 5,730 metres above sea level. The Cocora Valley in the Coffee Region shelters the world's tallest palm trees — the Quindío wax palm, Colombia's national tree, growing to 60 metres in Andean cloud forest — while the broader Eje Cafetero landscape of volcanic peaks and coffee plantations was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2011.