From the world’s highest trees to a national sport played with gunpowder, these are the most interesting facts about Colombia.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Colombia
Population: 49,588,357 (2024 est.)
Area: 1,138,910 sq km
Capital city: Bogotá
Major languages: Spanish (official), 65 official Indigenous languages
Major religions: Christianity (63.6% Roman Catholic, 17.2% Protestant)
Time zone: UTC-5 (SA Pacific Standard Time)
Fun facts about Colombia
1. Colombia is located northwest of South America and borders Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Panama by land.
2. Colombia is the fourth-largest country in Latin America by area and the third-largest by population.
3. Colombia is pronounced with “oh” sound, as in Co-lom-b-ia, not with a U sound.
4. Explorer Christopher Colombus arrived in the region in 1492, and the Spanish soon colonized Colombia. The area was known as the Kingdom of New Granada under Spanish rule.
5. A century after colonization, which led to the displacement and enslavement of indigenous people, only 10% of the original population remained.
6. San Basilio de Palenque in Colombia was the first “free town” of the Americas. The inhabitants, known as cimarrones or maroons by the Spanish, escaped slavery and managed to survive during colonial times.
7. Colombia is the only country named after Christopher Columbus.
8. Colombia has the third-largest Afro-descendant population in Latin America, following Brazil. About one-fifth of the population have African and European roots.
9. Colombia’s flag features three horizontal stripes. The top stripe is yellow and takes up half of the flag’s height, symbolizing the country’s wealth and resources. Below it are two equal-sized stripes: the middle one is blue, representing the seas, while the bottom stripe is red, signifying the blood shed for independence.
See how Colombia’s flag compares to other South American flags.
10. The FARC is the largest of Colombia’s rebel groups, estimated to have 10,000 armed soldiers. The FARC has been linked to several assassinations, drug trafficking, and rebelling against the government, and supposedly received support from the Cuban government, Fidel Castro.
11. Medellín in Colombia earned the title of “Murder Capital of the World” in 1993. This was around the same time drug lord Pablo Escobar used Medellín as a base for the cartel, which controlled 60% of the cocaine supply.
12. The Colombian government declared an official end to the conflict with FARC in 2017 after the ceasefire agreement. FARC handed over their weapons and were given permission to transition to a political party.
13. Colombia’s minimum wage equals $4 per hour, or $11,107 per year, when measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Although lower than in many OECD nations, Colombia’s PPP-adjusted wage reflects a cost of living that’s also significantly lower.
14. In 2022, Colombia was the second largest exporter of coffee, after Brazil.
15. Colombia had a positive net migration of roughly 141,600 in 2024, the highest in South America. The country remains one of the main destinations for those fleeing Venezuela’s ongoing economic and political crisis.
16. Colombia has large deposits of coal and oil, which were their top exports in 2022.
17. One of the most famous cultural events is the four-day Carnival of Barranquilla, which is recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It takes place before Lent and is thought to be the second-largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro.
18. Colombia is the world’s second most biodiverse country, surpassed only by Brazil. This means that it has a wide variety of animal and plant species.
19. In fact, Colombia is home to approximately 10% of the world’s species.
20. Thanks to the Amazon, Colombia has the third biggest forest area in South America, with more than half of the land considered forest.
21. Colombia is the second-most densely populated country in South America after Ecuador.
22. Regarding employment, approximately 58% of Colombians aged 15 to 64 hold paid positions, which is lower than the OECD average employment rate of 66%.
23. In the last three decades, Medellín has seen a dramatic decrease in its homicide rate, dropping from 381 homicides per 100,000 residents in 1991 to just 23 per 100,000 residents by 2017. Cities in the US, such as St. Louis in Missouri and Baltimore in Maryland, have over double this rate.
24. Colombia’s estimated depression rate of 2.80% is the lowest in the Americas and among the lowest worldwide.
25. Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, ranks 4th globally for environmental security in the Safe Cities Index. The city has earned recognition for its extensive 600 km cycling lane network and its membership in the C40 Cities network, which tackles the global climate crisis.
26. Tejo is a treasured national sport of the country that has been played for generations. The game involves taking turns throwing a steel disk at a ringed board about 18 meters away. If you hit the center of the ring or bull’s eye, you are awarded points. Around the ring are paper pouches filled with gunpowder; if you hit those, you will hear an explosion, which is also a point grabber.
27. Colombia is home to 59 national parks and protected areas.
28. Parque Nacional Natural Serranía del Chiribiquete, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the world’s largest national park protecting a rainforest, at 4.3 million hectares.
29. At certain times of the year, Colombia’s Caño Cristales at Parque Nacional Serranía de La Macarena transforms into a stunning array of colors, showcasing vibrant reds, blues, yellows, oranges, and greens thanks to the aquatic plants and algae. It is a natural phenomenon that happens nowhere else.
30. Another interesting national park, Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza, contains 60 lagoons, which account for 80% of the capital city’s water supply.
31. Colombia is the largest producer of emeralds in the world.
32. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the highest coastal mountain range in the world (5,775 m or 18,946 ft above sea level).
33. Colombia’s lost city, called Ciudad Perdida or Teyuna by the indigenous culture group, was built over 1,000 years ago deep within the jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. It is 600 years older than Machu Picchu in Peru.
34. Colombia launched an emergency plan in 2022 to stop the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. Norway and Germany donated $25 million USD in support of the plan.
35. Colombia’s national tree, the wax palm, is also the world’s tallest palm species. Found in the Cocora Valley, these impressive trees can reach heights of up to 60 meters and are a significant source of national pride.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.