With a total land area of 1,141,748 km2, the Republic of Colombia ranks as the fourth biggest country in South America and the 26th largest country in the world. Bogota, which is also the largest city in the country, serves as the nation’s capital. Governmentally, it takes the form of a presidential republic, and the current head of state is Alvaro Uribe Velez. It is projected that there were 44 million people living in Columbia as of the year 2008. (29th). The Colombian Peso is the national currency, and Spanish is the official language.
The great majority of Colombia’s territory was formerly inhabited by indigenous peoples who had traveled there from North and Central America. In the late 1490s, Spain began the process of colonizing the nation. Along with Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, Colombia eventually came to be a part of the New Granada. In 1810, they declared their independence from Spain, and Spain did not acknowledge their statehood until August 7, 1819. The nation is still being buffeted by political and economic upheaval. Because it resulted in the establishment of Panama as an independent nation in the year 1903, the “Thousand Days Civil War” is a very important historical event.
With a gross domestic product of close to 337 billion dollars in 2005, the economy of Colombia is the 29th largest in the world. Textiles, food processing, petrochemicals, coal, cement, beverage manufacturing, electrical goods, and airplane manufacturing are some of the major industries. The percentage of increase in Colombia’s GDP that year was one of the highest in all of Latin America. Beginning in the 1940s, the country’s tourist sector began to flourish, and that growth has only grown since that time. Among the most well-known celebrations are the Cali Fair, the Bogotá Summer Festival, the Barranquilla Carnival, and the Festival of the Flowers. According to estimates, approximately 80% to 90% of the population adheres to Roman Catholicism, making up approximately 95% of the Christian population. Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism are examples of other, less prominent religions.
CULTURE
With a total land area of 1,141,748 km2, the Republic of Colombia ranks as the fourth biggest country in South America and the 26th largest country in the world. Bogota, which is also the largest city in the country, serves as the nation’s capital. Governmentally, it takes the form of a presidential republic, and the current head of state is Alvaro Uribe Velez. It is projected that there were 44 million people living in Columbia as of the year 2008. (29th). The Colombian Peso is the national currency, and Spanish is the official language.
The great majority of Colombia’s territory was formerly inhabited by indigenous peoples who had traveled there from North and Central America. In the late 1490s, Spain began the process of colonizing the nation. Along with Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, Colombia eventually came to be a part of the New Granada. In 1810, they declared their independence from Spain, and Spain did not acknowledge their statehood until August 7, 1819. The nation is still being buffeted by political and economic upheaval. Because it resulted in the establishment of Panama as an independent nation in the year 1903, the “Thousand Days Civil War” is a very important historical event.
With a gross domestic product of close to 337 billion dollars in 2005, the economy of Colombia is the 29th largest in the world. Textiles, food processing, petrochemicals, coal, cement, beverage manufacturing, electrical goods, and airplane manufacturing are some of the major industries. The percentage of increase in Colombia’s GDP that year was one of the highest in all of Latin America. Beginning in the 1940s, the country’s tourist sector began to flourish, and that growth has only grown since that time. Among the most well-known celebrations are the Cali Fair, the Bogotá Summer Festival, the Barranquilla Carnival, and the Festival of the Flowers. According to estimates, approximately 80% to 90% of the population adheres to Roman Catholicism, making up approximately 95% of the Christian population. Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism are examples of other, less prominent religions.
LANGUAGE
One of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and Venezuela), Colombia is slowly evolving into a modern country that continues to make economic strides.
Colombia is one of the South American continent’s crown jewels because of its towering peaks in the Andes, pristine coastline along the Caribbean, mystifying Amazon jungle, obscure archaeological ruins, and cobbled colonial neighborhoods. The country is home to a plethora of picture-perfect cities and villages, all of which have been meticulously kept, and one of the most impressive examples of this is the historic district of Cartagena.
The people who call Colombia home are as diverse as the country’s many different ecosystems. The majority of Colombia’s people trace their ancestry back to one of three different ethnic groups: indigenous people, people of African descent who were brought to the country to work as slaves, and European settlers. This country’s rich cultural mixture has resulted in a culturally diverse society, one that features cuisine, art, and traditions that are every bit as varied as they are singular.
Introduction to the Many Different Languages Spoken in Colombia
Because more than 99.2 percent of Colombia’s population is fluent in Spanish, at first glance, the country may appear to be one of the most linguistically homogenous on the entire planet. However, the country’s Spanish, which linguists term “Colombian Spanish,” differs widely from the traditional Spanish spoken in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. Moreover, there are many regional dialects which subtly (and sometimes greatly) alter the type of Spanish spoken from one region to another—dialects that have developed over time as the makeup of specific regions have changed.
In addition to the Spanish language, there are numerous more languages that may be heard in Colombia, however these languages are only spoken by small pockets of the population. There are 65 Amerindian or tribal languages recognized by the Colombian government, as well as two Creole languages (Creole English and Palenquero), and the gypsy language known as Romani. Additionally, Standard English has official status on the San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina Islands.
The Ethnologue database lists a total of 101 languages for the country of Colombia, making it, according to that estimate, one of the most linguistically diverse nations in both the Americas and the world. Although Spanish is by far the most common language in Colombia, the database also lists a total of 101 languages for the country. The exact number of languages that are spoken is difficult to pin down. This is primarily due to the fact that some linguists consider certain languages to be independent languages, while others may view them as different varieties or dialects of the same language. As of the year 2015, language experts have provided their best estimate that there are approximately 70 different languages spoken throughout the country. Most of these languages belong to the Chibchan, Tucanoan, Bora–Witoto, Guajiboan, Arawakan, Cariban, Barbacoan, and Saliban language families. There are currently about 850,000 speakers of native languages.
Pre-colombian artifact from the “Muso de Oro” in Bogota
The 65 indigenous languages that exist today in Colombia can be regrouped into 12 distinct language families, with 10 of these languages isolated, or not yet classified.
These indigenous languages include the great linguistic family Chibchan, of probable Central American origin; the great South American families Arhuaco, Cariban, Quechuan and Tupian; seven families only present at the regional level (Chocó, Guahibo, Saliba, Macu, Witoto, Bora, and Tucano). The ten isolated languages are: Andoque, Awa-cuaiquer, Cofán, Guambiano, Kamentsá, Páez, Ticuna, Tinigua, Yagua, and Yaruro.
These indigenous languages, coupled with the languages brought by the slaves and the different dialects of the conquistadors, have formed a highly fascinating blend of languages inside Colombia.
The languages that are spoken by the various ethnic groups in the different regions and districts of Colombia are considered official languages as per the Colombian Constitution. In some locations in Colombia, non-Spanish languages are also the medium of education in school; and other schools are bilingual, delivering teaching in both Spanish and the ethnic language of the particular district.
Spanish is the official language in Colombia.
About the Spanish Language in General
The overwhelmingly most common language spoken in Colombia, Spanish is a Romance language of European origin. Latin, along with French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian, all contributed to the development of its grammar. It also includes some elements of Greek, Arabic and Germanic language influences, though these influences are mostly only visible in the vocabulary.
Sentences and words in the Spanish language can often be very long and complex, so complex that not native speakers of this Romance language may have great difficulty in mastering the wide array of tenses. Understanding the distinction between the Spanish verbs “ser” and “estar,” which both mean “to be,” is another challenge for people who do not speak Spanish as their native language.
In Spanish, meanings of phrases can be expressed through intonation, for example politeness, anger or affection. However, one must be careful, because the tone one uses can often change the meanings of the same words. When speaking the language, natives like to use diminutives and augmentatives. These suffixes vary a lot depending on the region.
Spanish in Colombia
According to linguists, the Spanish spoken in Colombia is slightly (and sometimes greatly) different than the Spanish spoken in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries.
Some consider the Spanish spoken in Colombia to be among the most elegant and sophisticated in all of South America. It is characterized by an almost musical intonation and clear pronunciation. There are many different dialects of Spanish throughout the country, and all of these have been greatly influenced by the diverse ethnic background of the Colombian people. The extensive use of the second person singular pronoun “usted” for formal and informal situations (“vos” is also common in some regions) as well as the diminutive “ico” (Chico-chiquito) are general characteristics of the language.
In general, the Colombian form of Spanish can be defined as a grouping of the various varieties of the language spoken in Colombia. The term is of more geographical than linguistic relevance, since the dialects spoken in the various regions of Colombia are quite diverse. The speech of coastal areas tends to exhibit phonological innovations typical of Caribbean Spanish, while highland varieties have been historically more conservative. The Caro y Cuervo Institute, located in the country’s capital of Bogotá, is the main institution in Colombia promoting the scholarly study of the language and literature of both Colombia and Spanish America generally. The educated speech of Bogotá, a generally conservative variety of Spanish, holds high popular prestige among Spanish-speakers throughout the Americas.
Graffiti in Medillin
Spanish Slang in Colombia
The slang speech of Colombia is very popular and frequently used in popular culture, especially in the barrios of the country’s big cities. In the Paisa region and Medellín, the local slang is termed “Parlache.” Many slang expressions have spread outside of their original areas to become commonly understood throughout the country.Overview and History of Costa Rica
