Colombia – the third country in the world on the natural diversity
The name of this country is a tribute to Christopher Columbus. Colombia is a state of South America with exits to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Neighbors of Colombia are Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Panama. In the pre-Columbian period, the southern part of the country was inhabited by the Incas, and then, until 1819, it remained a Spanish colony until, when together with Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador, it gained its independence by forming a new state of Gran Colombia.
Undoubtedly, it is obligatory to stop in the metropolis of Bogota, which is at an altitude of 2500 meters. Initially, the town was founded by the Spaniards and called Santa Fe, in 1538, in the very place where there was a lake before. Only later, after gaining independence, the city was renamed in Bogota. The city center, called Candelara, is amongst of the main attractions. The capital will pleasantly surprise you with a magnificent botanical garden, a fascinating planetarium and an astronomical observatory. Bogotá is also rich in numerous museums, which are at least 58 and which have a great value. For example, the Golden Museum of the Republic contains the largest collections of pre-Columbian artifacts.
Expand your horizons, learning the diversity of human heritage, when traveling to Colombia!
On the northern shore of the country you can visit Cartagena. The historic center of the city is surrounded by walls constructed by the Spaniards. Among the interesting places worth visiting is the Cathedral of the 16th centenary, the Church of San Domenico, the Palace of the Inquisition and more.
Diving lovers will not miss the chance to visit the coral reefs of the archipelago of Our Lady of the Rosary Cartagena. The archipelago consists of 27 small islands, endowed with an incredible variety of flora and fauna, and on the two largest islands you can enjoy beautiful beaches and mangroves.
An interesting fact is that one third of Colombia’s territory is covered by the Amazon rainforest, which is still inhabited by Aborigines. Visit this part of the country can start from the city of Leticia, located on the border with Brazil.
Colombia has 1600 km of the littoral of the Caribbean and 1,300 km of the shoreline of the Pacific coast.
The diversity of species of animals and plants in Colombia is indeed impressive, which ranks the country in third place in these indicators after Madagascar and Brazil. In addition, there are more than 165,000 species of butterflies, reptiles, amphibians and tropical fish of various kinds. It is because of such an incredible variety of flora and fauna that 36 national parks and 15 protected natural areas were created on the territory of the country to protect such unique biodiversity.
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