Natural resources are abundant in Colombia, and the country's culture reflects the indigenous Indian, Spanish, and African origins of its population.
However, it was also devastated by a protracted conflict that involved armed groups, drug cartels, and flagrant human rights abuses that lasted for decades until 2002.
A major producer of gold, silver, emeralds, platinum, and coal, Colombia is the fourth-largest country in South America and one of the most populous countries on the continent. However, the country is also distinguished by a highly stratified social structure.
Gustavo Petro is in charge.
Senator Gustavo Petro, a former rebel leader and mayor of the nation's capital Bogota in the 1980s, won the June 2022 presidential election by a slim margin to become Colombia's first left-wing leader.
The country, which had been governed by moderates and conservatives for decades, underwent a significant change as a result of the outcome.
Colombian journalists have long endured intimidation from paramilitaries, drug traffickers, and rebel groups.
Despite the signing of peace agreements in 2017, threats to the media continue, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Few privately held companies control the majority of the media. The main source of news is television.
Online access is unrestricted, but low infrastructure and expensive access are barriers to its uptake.
1525 . - Colombia is conquered by Spain.
1819 . At Boyaca, Simon Bolivar triumphs over the Spanish. Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela join forces to form the Republic of Gran Colombia.
1829-30 . - The breakup of Venezuela and Ecuador causes the dissolution of Gran Colombia, leaving modern-day Colombia and Panama as a separate state known as Nueva Granada.
1848-9 . - The emergence of the Liberal and Conservative parties, whose frequently violent rivalry comes to dominate Colombian politics.
1899-1902 . - In "The War of the Thousand Days," between Liberals and Conservatives, there are approximately 120,000 fatalities. The state of Panama gains independence.
1948-57 . - "La Violencia": The Liberal-Conservative Civil War results in the deaths of between 250,000 and 300,000 people before it is put an end when the two parties form the National Front coalition.
1964-1971 . - The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and other left-leaning guerrilla organizations spring up.
2016 . - The government and Farc rebels sign a historic peace agreement that puts an end to 52 years of hostilities.
2022. Former insurgent Gustavo Petro becomes Colombia's first left-leaning president.
