Colombia was originally inhabited by various tribes, hunter-gatherers, and farmers. The two main civilizations that formed were the Tairona and the Muisca peoples. They were both part of the Chibcha language peoples. These civilizations were organized in tribes, each ruled by a chief or cacique. They were fairly developed societies, just behind the nearby Incan civilization of Peru.
The first Europeans to arrive were the Spanish, who founded the first settlement of Santa Marta in 1525. A few years later, in 1538, Bogota was founded and grew into a large city which would later, in 1717, become the capital of the local Spanish interests including what is today Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela.
In 1813 Colombia declared independence from Spain. In 1819 they formed the Republic of Greater Colombia. Military hero Simon Bolivar was the first president. The country has experienced two major civil wars. The first lasted from 1899 to 1903 and was called The War of a Thousand Days. The second civil war took place from 1946 to 1957 and was called La Violencia, which means The Violence.
The Geography of Colombia
Total Size: 1,138,910 square km
Size Comparison: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
