Around The World Cultural Food Festival – Washington Monument, National Mall
Saturday, June 16, 2018, 11 AM – 7 PM
2018 Participating Countries
COLOMBIA
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia is a sovereign state largely situated in the northwest of South America, with territories in Central America. Colombia shares a border to the northwest with Panama, to the east with Venezuela and Brazil and to the south with Ecuador and Peru. It shares its maritime limits with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Since declaring independence on 20 July 1810 and achieving it in 1819, Colombia has changed its name seven times.
With an estimated 49 million people in 2017, Colombia is the third-most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Its population is heavily mestizo (of mixed European and Indian descent) with substantial minorities of European and African ancestry. This rich cultural mix makes the country’s foods, music, dance, and art diverse and unique.
The population is concentrated in the Andean highlands and along the Caribbean coast, also the population densities are generally higher in the Andean region.
Colombia is a highly urbanized country. The largest cities in the country are Bogotá with an estimated 8 million inhabitants, Medellín, with an estimated 2.5 million inhabitants, Cali, with an estimated 2.4 million inhabitants, and Barranquilla, with an estimated 1.2 million inhabitants. Cartagena highlights in the number of inhabitants and the city of Bucaramanga is relevant in terms of metropolitan area population
Colombia is divided into 32 departments and one capital district, Bogota, which is treated as a department (Bogotá also serves as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca). Departments are subdivided into municipalities, which are in turn subdivided into corregimientos in rural areas and into comunas in urban areas.
Colombia is nicknamed the “gateway to South America” because it sits in the northwestern part of the continent where South America connects with Central and North America.
Colombian territory also encompasses Amazon rainforest, tropical grassland and both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines. Ecologically, it is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries and the most densely biodiverse of these per square kilometer.
Even though it takes up less than one percent of the world’s land area, about 10 percent of all animal species live in Colombia.
Much of Colombia’s forest habitats have been undisturbed for many millions of years. This has given wildlife a chance to evolve into many different species. Animals from jaguars to caimans to poison dart frogs all call Colombia’s jungles home.
The economy is traditionally based on agriculture, particularly coffee and fruit production, but industries and services are increasing in importance.
Colombia is ranked third in the world in the Happy Planet Index.
Support the Festival ~ Please consider making a donation by clicking on the link below: