Colombia is a fascinating country. It has a horrible reputation, it's true, but there are endless rewards for the visitor: friendly people, great food, stunning natural beauty, picturesque towns and cities, archaeological ruins, a great variety of climates, and a sense of entrepreneurship and progress.
Colombia is the fourth-largest Spanish-speaking country in area after Argentina, Mexico and Peru. Its population is over 40 million, most of whom live either in the Andes mountains area in the center of the country or on the Caribbean coast.
Colombia is in the northwest corner of South America and is the only South American country with coasts on both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Its climate varies from desert on the Guajira peninsula in the extreme northern part of the country to the wettest jungle in South America on the Pacific Coast. It includes five regions: the Caribbean (sometimes called the Atlantic) coast, the Pacific Coast, the Andean region, the eastern savannah or Llanos, and the Amazon jungle. Its southern tip reaches the Amazon River, where it has a small port town named Leticia.
The main climate-maker in Colombia is the Andes Mountains, which run the entire length of the country and in Colombia consist of three separate mountain ranges: the Western Range, the Central Range and the Eastern Range (Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera Oriental, respectively). There is also a separate mountain range on the northeastern coast called the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, which seem to rise out of the sea. The Sierra Nevada has the highest mountain peaks in Colombia, the tallest being Pico Cristobal Colon or Christopher Columbus Peak, at over 18,000 feet in elevation.
The Andes area, which contains the largest cities (Bogota, the capital; Medellin; and Cali), has a variety of climates because of the elevations. Bogota is over 8,500 feet above sea level and as a result has a cool climate (highs generally in the mid to upper 60's, lows in the mid-40's) year round. Medellin is slightly warmer and has been dubbed the city of eternal spring; Cali's climate is warmer and appropriate for one of its favorite pastimes, salsa dancing. The Andean region is also home to most of the country's coffee crop, grown in the areas surrounding the cities of Pereira, Armenia and Calarca. The photo of the wax palm trees, the national tree of Colombia, was taken from this coffee-growing region in July 2007, in a sector called the Valle de Cocora (Cocora Valley).
Plaza Mayor of Villa de Leiva
Hotel Caribe, Cartagena
Typical house in coffee country
Colombia's People
Racially, Colombia's people are as varied as its geography. The largest number of Colombians are mestizo, or a mixture of Spanish and indigenous peoples. There are also a significant amount of whites and mulattos (combination white and black), followed by blacks and indigenous peoples. Most of the mestizos and whites live in the Andean region, while most of the blacks and mulattos live on the coasts. The indigenous peoples live in remote areas in all of the regions of Colombia.
Colombian Food
Colombian food is varied and has a number of notable dishes. One of the main staples for breakfast is the flat corn cake known as the arepa. Though it's made of corn, it doesn't resemble the Mexican tortilla. It is served usually with hot chocolate or coffee.
For Colombians, lunch is often the biggest meal of the day. A noteworthy Colombian dish is ajiaco, a stew that consists of chicken, potatoes, and a small piece of corn on the cob. A little bit of sour cream is often added to it, as are capers. Rice and avocados are served with it as well.
Another delicious Colombian dish is arroz con pollo, or rice with chicken. The chicken is cut up into small parts and mixed in with the rice, which also includes small pieces of carrots and peas.
Other side dishes that are often served with the main dishes are ripe or unripe plantains, kidney beans, chicharrones or pork rinds, green beans or other foods.
Colombia's well-known coffee is so mild that you can drink it black. It is served at many times of the day and is the main thing that Colombians will offer you when you go their houses to visit. They will often say a term that people from other Spanish-speaking countries often misunderstand: "Le provoca un tinto?" which means "Do you want a cup of black coffee?" to Colombians but could mean to someone else, "Does red wine make you fight?" Black coffee is usually served in small demitasse cups.
Colombians also enjoy coffee with milk, but in their case they will fill the cup halfway with coffee and the rest with hot milk, in the "cafe au lait" style of the French. For this type of coffee, you would order "cafe con leche," but you will also hear the term "perico" to mean a smaller cup of coffee with milk than a cup of cafe con leche. Colombians love fresh bread to accompany their coffee, and the panaderias or bread bakeries are a common sight.
Selling roast suckling pig at the feast of St. Peter in El Espinal
Copyright 2011 by Michael Esposito. All rights reserved. Todos los derechos reservados. E-mail: meesposito@gmail.com This site updated October 9, 2011/Este sitio fue ampliado el 9 de octubre de 2011 Santa Fe Travel: a division of L & M Travel - Michael Esposito: IC Travel Specialist of L & M Travel - CST# 2043262-40 L & M Travel IC Agent
