50 Fun Facts About Colombia

Colombia's name comes from the surname of which explorer?

Ironically he never set foot on the Colombian mainland.

On what date in 1810 was Colombia's Declaration of Independence issued, now its national day?

Independence was only secured in 1819 after the Battle of Boyacá on 7 August.

Which department of Colombia seceded in 1903 to become an independent country?

The United States backed the split, and canal construction began the following year.

Colombia's currency shares its name with several other Latin American countries. What is it?

Its ISO code is COP; a coffee in Bogotá runs to a few thousand of them.

Colombia's population is roughly how large?

That makes it the second most populous Spanish-speaking country after Mexico.

Besides Spanish, how many other languages does Colombia officially recognise regionally?

They include Creole English on the islands of San Andrés and Providencia.

Where does Bogotá, at about 2,640 metres, rank among the world's capitals by elevation?

Only La Paz and Quito are higher; visitors are often advised to take the first day slowly.

Which Spanish conquistador founded Bogotá in 1538 after conquering the Muisca?

Belalcázar founded Cali two years earlier, and Federmann arrived hunting for El Dorado.

The golden Muisca raft in Bogotá's Gold Museum was found in 1969 in what kind of place?

It was cast in a gold-silver-copper alloy by the lost-wax method sometime between 1295 and 1410.

In which Colombian city did Simón Bolívar die of tuberculosis in 1830?

He had been the first president of Gran Colombia and gave Bolivia its name.

In which year was Cartagena founded by Pedro de Heredia?

Its walled city and fortress became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Which one-eyed, one-legged Spanish commander led the defence of Cartagena against Admiral Vernon's 25,000 men in 1741?

Sir Francis Drake had successfully sacked the city back in 1586, which is why the walls were built.

Medellín, Colombia's second city, is nicknamed the City of what?

Temperatures hover around 22 °C all year in the Aburrá Valley.

Medellín is home to which transport first for Colombia?

Its Metrocable gondolas link hillside barrios to the metro, and the Wall Street Journal named it Innovative City of the Year in 2013.

Who parades through Medellín carrying huge floral displays on their backs during the Feria de las Flores?

The name comes from the wooden 'silleta' frame once used to carry people and goods over the mountains.

In 2003 UNESCO named which Colombian festival a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage?

Its opening Battle of Flowers parade dates from 1903, and its motto is 'Quien lo vive es quien lo goza'.

The hooded Marimonda costume of Colombia's biggest carnival resembles a cross between which two animals?

Its floppy ears and long nose were meant to mock the city's elite.

In which town was Gabriel García Márquez born in 1927?

It is widely taken as the model for Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude.

In which year did García Márquez win the Nobel Prize in Literature?

One Hundred Years of Solitude has sold more than fifty million copies; he died in Mexico City in 2014.

Shakira was born in which Colombian city?

Her father is of Lebanese descent, and her name means 'grateful' in Arabic.

Which 2006 single became Shakira's first number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

Her Laundry Service album had already sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.

Fernando Botero, born in Medellín, is famous for a style of art called Boterismo. What is its trademark?

Twenty-three of his bronze sculptures fill the Plaza Botero in his home city.

Colombia ranks third in world coffee production behind which two countries?

Its Coffee Cultural Landscape in Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda became a World Heritage Site in 2011.

Colombia's three great emerald-mining districts are Muzo, Coscuez and which other?

Colombia is historically the world's largest emerald producer and the only source of rare 'trapiche' stones with spoke-like inclusions.

Caño Cristales, the 'River of Five Colours' in Meta department, turns red because of what?

Rhyncholacis clavigera clings to the riverbed and shows its colour best from late July to November.

Colombia's national sport, tejo, involves throwing a metal disc at a clay board fitted with what?

The 'mechas' explode on impact; the game descends from a Muisca pastime played with a golden disc.

On the Colombian flag, which colour occupies the entire top half?

It stands for the country's gold and riches; the design came from Venezuelan patriot Francisco de Miranda.

Colombia's flag closely resembles those of which two neighbours, all once part of Gran Colombia?

Colombia's version was officially adopted by law on 26 November 1861.

Colombia's national tree, found in the Cocora Valley, holds what world record?

It can reach 45 metres and occasionally 60, and has been legally protected since 1985.

Colombia's national flower, an orchid, was chosen partly because its lip shows what?

Cattleya trianae was nominated in November 1936 for an exhibition organised in Argentina.

Which volcano's 1985 eruption sent mudflows that buried Armero, killing some 23,000?

It was the second-deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th century after Mount Pelée in 1902.

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, a top Colombian site, is built how far underground?

The church that opened in 1995 replaced the 1954 original, which was closed for safety.

Bandeja paisa, the huge platter of beans, rice, chicharrón, egg and plantain, comes from which region?

A 2005 proposal to make it the national dish as 'bandeja montañera' met resistance from other regions.

Ajiaco, Bogotá's signature chicken soup, gets its distinctive flavour from which herb?

It uses three kinds of potato and is served with capers, cream, corn and avocado.

Colombian aguardiente is a sugarcane spirit flavoured with what?

It is the Andean region's favourite drink; the Caribbean coast prefers rum.

Vallenato music is built around the accordion, the caja drum and which scraped instrument?

UNESCO listed vallenato as intangible heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2015; Carlos Vives took it global.

Cumbia, born on Colombia's Caribbean coast, is traditionally danced in pairs while the dancers hold what?

The rhythm fuses Indigenous flutes, African drums and Spanish influence, and spread across all of Latin America.

President Juan Manuel Santos won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his deal with which guerrilla group?

Voters narrowly rejected the first version in a referendum; a revised accord passed Congress that November.

In 2019 Egan Bernal became the first Colombian, and first South American, to win which race?

At 22 he was its youngest winner since 1909, and he added a second Grand Tour in 2021.

Nairo Quintana, 'El Cóndor de los Andes', became the first Colombian to win which Grand Tour in 2014?

He added the Vuelta in 2016 and twice finished second in the Tour de France.

How many goals did James Rodríguez score to win the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup?

His chest-and-volley against Uruguay also won the Puskás Award for goal of the year.

In Disney's Encanto, what is the Colombian family whose members each receive a magical gift called?

Their living house, Casita, was inspired partly by the animated house in Beetlejuice.

Colombia's Caribbean island of San Andrés lies roughly how far from the mainland?

It is much nearer Nicaragua; the ICJ confirmed Colombian sovereignty over the islands in 2007, and locals speak an English Creole.

Colombia is one of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries and ranks where for overall biodiversity?

Per square mile it has the highest biodiversity of any country on Earth.

Which Colombian shortstop won World Series titles in 1997 and 2010?

Baseball is popular in Caribbean cities like Cartagena and Barranquilla, and Colombia was world amateur champion in 1947 and 1965.

Colombia won which tournament in 2001 without conceding a single goal?

They also won every match; football is the country's most popular sport even though tejo is the official national one.

How many departments is Colombia divided into, in addition to the capital district?

Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta and Buenaventura also hold special district status.

Colombia was the only Latin American country to send combat troops to which war?

Under president Laureano Gómez, Colombian troops were noted for their resistance at Old Baldy.

The assassination of which Liberal candidate on 9 April 1948 triggered the Bogotazo riots?

The riots spread nationwide into La Violencia, a period that claimed at least 180,000 lives.

Which Colombian engineer invented the first external artificial pacemaker with internal electrodes?

Colombia also produced the microkeratome technique underlying LASIK surgery and the Hakim valve for hydrocephalus.