Ms. Soles Social Studies Lesson 22 South America: COLUMBIA

What do we want to learn about Colombia? 1)Physical Features 2)Brief History 3)Current Government 4)Economy 5)The People 6)Cultural Characteristics

Flag of Colombia

Where in the world is COLUMBIA?

Identify Physical Features:

Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by Panama and the Caribbean Sea; and to the west by Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. Including its Caribbean islandsVenezuelaBrazilEcuadorPeruPanama Caribbean SeaPacific Ocean

Part of the Ring of Fire, a region of the world subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, Colombia is dominated by the Andes mountainsRing of Fireearthquakesvolcanic eruptions Andes

East of the Andes lies the savanna of the Llanos, part of the Orinoco River basin, and, in the far south east, the jungle of the Amazon rainforestsavanna Llanos Orinoco River basinjungle Amazon rainforest Bogota Savanna

To the north the Caribbean coast, generally consists of low-lying plains. Caribbean coast The Caribbean Region of Colombia detailed in the dark red area with territorial waters

Would you like to get a look at this area UNDERWATER ? deos/281-Diving-With-Silky- Sharks-inIsla-De-Malpelo

In this satellite image, the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta is the greenish area at top, bordered by the Caribbean Sea on the left.Caribbean Sea

Glaciers in Colombia

History of Colombia: Pre-Columbian Approximately 10,000 BC, hunter- gatherer societies existed near present-day Bogotá (at "El Abra" and "Tequendama") which traded with one another and with cultures living in the Magdalena River Valley.hunter- gathererEl AbraMagdalena River

Within Colombia, the two cultures with the most complex systems were the Tayronas in the Caribbean Region, and the Muiscas in the highlands around Bogotá, both of which were of the Chibcha language family. The Muisca people had one of the most developed political systems in South America, after the Incas.Tayronas Caribbean Region Muiscas ChibchaIncas

Colonial Columbia Spanish explorers made the first exploration of the Caribbean littoral in 1499 led by Rodrigo de Bastidas.Rodrigo de Bastidas In 1508, Vasco Núñez de Balboa started the conquest of the territory through the region of UrabáVasco Núñez de Balboa

Jiménez de Quesada (1495 – 16 February 1579) was a SpanishSpanish explorerexplorer And conquistadorconquistador in ColombiaColombia.

Quesada led soldiers into the mountains in search of El Dorado. They were attacked by the native Chibchas. They were eventually defeated and Quesada called the colony begun, “New Granada”. A Chibcha town was turned into the capital, Bogota.

Colombia’s Independence Since the beginning of the periods of Conquest and Colonization, there were several rebel movements under Spanish rule, most of them either being crushed or remaining too weak to change the overall situation.

A successful rebellion was led by Simón Bolívar, who finally proclaimed independence in 1819.

Simón Bolivar Simón Bolivar and other heroes of the Independence of Colombia in the Congress of CúcutaCongress of Cúcuta

After a two-year civil war in 1863, the "United States of Colombia" was created, lasting until 1886, when the country finally became known as the Republic of Colombia.two-year civil warUnited States of Colombia

As internal civil conflicts continued, in 1903, the United States hoping to contribute to stability, began plan to construct the Panama Canal.

Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a 77- kilometre (48 mi) ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade, built from 1904 to 1914.Spanishship canal PanamaAtlantic OceanPacific Ocean

Modern Columbia 1921 to the late 1940’s: Relatively Stable Government Late 1940’s to Early1950’s: Bloody Conflict between Political parties 1953 – 1964: More Violence between Political Parties 1964 to late 1970’s: Parties ruled Jointly

Emerging in the late 1970s, powerful and violent drug cartels further developed during the 1980s and 1990s. They exerted political, economic and social influence in Colombia during this period. These cartels also financed and influenced different illegal armed groups throughout the political spectrum.drug cartels

Some enemies of these allied with the guerrillas and created or influenced paramilitary groups. paramilitary groups

The new Colombian Constitution of 1991 was ratified after being drafted by the Constituent Assembly of Colombia. The constitution included key provisions on political, ethnic, human and gender rights.Colombian Constitution of 1991Constituent Assembly of Colombia

In recent years, the country has continued to be plagued by the effects of the drug trade, guerrilla insurgencies. Colombian presidents have attempted to negotiate solutions, as well as using military actions, which, with US aid, led to improved conditions.drug tradeguerrilla insurgencies

The government of Colombia takes place within the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic as established in the Constitution of According to separation of powers, government is divided into three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.presidentialrepresentative democraticrepublicConstitution of 1991separation of powers

Colombia’s Economy Colombia has one of the largest coal open mine pits in the world in the region of Cerrejon in the Guajira Peninsula. It also has oil rigs and natural gas extraction in the eastern plains. Colombia is the main producer of emeralds and an important participant in gold, silver, iron, salt, platinum and uranium extraction.Cerrejon Guajira Peninsulaemeralds

Tourism in Riohacha, the capital of La Guajira RiohachaLa Guajira

Economic Growth

The People of Colombia Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians multiethnicSpanish nationSouth America ColombiaRoman CatholicEuropeans AfricansAmerindians

With approximately 43.6 million people in 2006, Colombia is the third-most populous country in Latin America.Latin America Colombian people at the Cali's Fair

More than two-thirds of all Colombians live in urban areas – a figure significantly higher than the world average. The literacy rate (94 percent) in Colombia is also well above the world average, and the rate of population growth is slightly higher than the world average.

Indigenous Peoples Before the Spanish colonization of the region that would become the country of Colombia, the territory was the home to many different indigenous peoplesindigenous peoples. Today more than fifty different indigenous ethnic groups inhabit Colombia.

The Wayuu represent the largest indigenous ethnic group in ColombiaWayuu

Most of these immigrants have settled in the Caribbean Coast; Barranquilla (the largest city in the Colombian Caribbean Coast) and other Caribbean cities have the largest population of Lebanese, Jewish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese and Gypsy descendants. There are also communities of U.S. American and Chinese descendants. Barranquilla JewishGypsyU.SAmerican Chinese

Let’s explore Columbian culture in the coastal city of Cartagena!

Look for such elements of culture: 1)Religion 2)Architecture 3)Music 4)Foods 5)Entertainment deos/1337-Cartagena

Our visit to Colombia is over! We must prepare for another South American country! Guess which one! Hints: It is located on the Pacific Coast side, descendants of the Incas live and try to maintain their culture! ADIOS AMIGOS!

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