FuegoMundo Cultural Series: Colombia

The latest in the FuegoMundo Cultural Series. Owner Masha and General Manager Manuel are both natives of Colombia!

Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW?

•    It holds a position in the 17 most mega-diverse countries of the world.
•    Colombia does not have varied seasons because of its location close to the Equator.
•    Colombia is the only country in South America to have a coast on both the Pacific & Atlantic Oceans.
•    Shakira, famous for her chart-topping music hits in the United States, was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia.
•    12% of the world’s coffee and 95% of the world’s Emeralds come from Colombia.
•    Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the famous writer and Nobel Prize winner, is from Colombia.
•    There are over 2,000 species of birds in Colombia, including our FuegoMundo Toucan.
•    Barranquilla, Colombia was designated one of the top food destinations in the world.
•    The Manager of FuegoMundo, Manuel, and the Owner of FuegoMundo, Masha, were both born in Barranquilla, Colombia.

PAST

The territory of what is now Colombia was originally inhabited by indigenous tribes until the arrival of the Spanish.  Independence from Spain was won in 1819, with independence declared in 1886.  Since the 1960s, government forces and anti-government insurgent groups have been engaged in the continent’s longest running armed conflict, primarily due to the drug trade.

PRESENT

Although insurgent attacks escalated in the 1990s, they have been decreasing since 2002 because the insurgents lack popular support.  Since 2006, the Colombian government has stepped up its efforts to reaffirm control throughout the country & decrease the influence of the illegal drug trade.  Colombia has become the 4th largest economy in South America.  The elected President in 2009, Álvaro Uribe, is one of the most pragmatic and intellectual presidents of Colombian contemporary history.

GEOGRAPHY & DEMOGRAPHICS

Colombia has the 3rd largest Spanish speaking population in the world with 45 million people.  It’s located to the northwest bordering Venezuela, Panama, & Ecuador.  The capital & largest city is Bogotá.  The country is geographically diverse with beaches, snow-toped mountains, volcanic ranges, the Andes Mountains & the Amazon rainforest.  A popular tourist destination is the ancient fortified Port city of Cartagena.  Carnaval is a famous festival celebrated every year on the streets of Barranquilla with dancing, costumes & parades.