COLOMBIA

Colombia is a South American Country. It is bordered to the North by the Caribbean Sea, to the South by Peru and Ecuador, to the West by the Pacific Ocean and to the East by Venezuela and Brazil.

The territory covers 1,138,914 square km.

The population counts 44,500,000 inhabitants. The density is 39 inhabitants per square km.

The capital city is Bogotá, which counts 8 million inhabitants.

Bogotá, Medellin, Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena.

International Airport "Rafael Nunez" - Cartagena.

The most outstanding Pre-Columbian cultures were the Tayrona, Sinú, Muisca, Quimbaya, Tierradentro and San Agustin. Alonso de Ojeda, a companion of Christopher Columbus, landed here in 1499 and was so stunned by the wealth of this land that he started the expeditions of the Spaniards eager to take possession of these treasures. Though they initially tolerated the Spaniards, the Indians rebelled when the colonists tried to enslave them, but they were defenceless against the means and the weapons used by the conquerors who in 1544 occupied almost the whole country and incorporated it into the viceroyalty of Peru. After two centuries Colombia became a part of a federation including the territories of the present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.
Towards the end of the XVIII century the first movements for independence started, but it wasn't until 1819 that Simón Bolívar and his army appeared and independence was achieved. After ten years the union was anyway undermined. Political currents, born in the independence struggle, gave birth in the XIX century to no less than 50 insurrections and eight civil wars. During the insurrection dated 1948 nearly 300,000 people died. After a military coup in 1957 the two parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, got back to power and agreed to share their political power. They ruled till 1991. Such a political monopoly encouraged the birth of Marxist guerrilla groups and of paramilitary death squads who fought against any group that opposed the drug cartels in Medellín and Cali. As opposition, a new constitution was approved which strengthened government control. In that year, Pablo Escobar, head of the Medellín cocaine cartel surrendered. He escaped a few months later, but was located and killed in 1993. Drug trafficking continues to grow, bringing in an estimated 20 billion US dollars a year. The government suspended the peace procedures with the guerrilla men. In August 2002 president Uribe declared the state of emergency to support direct actions against the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), who continued anyway with their demobilizing actions, such as the kidnapping of the Senator Mrs. Ingrid Betancourt. The conflicts keep on dividing the country. In 2006 president Alvaro Uribe obtained a large election consensus thus winning the absolute majority of the seats. Such a condition should give to the country a stability guarantee.

The 20th of July (1810, Holiday for Independence from Spain).

Presidential Republic.

Spanish is the official language. There are many native locally spoken languages, such as quechua, chibcha, and the languages of the Arawak group.

Catholic religion is the most professed with more than 90%. Other widespread religions are Protestantism and Animism.

Six hours behind Italy; seven hours behind when the Daylight Saving Time is in use.

No visa is required for tourist period of staying shorter than 90 days. Passports of Italian citizens visiting Colombia are stamped at their arrival in the country. It is officially required to have a return ticket, but often this is not to be displayed.

The country's monetary unit is the Colombian Peso (COP).

CHECK THE CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE

The main international credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.

No vaccination is required to visit the tourist areas of Colombia, but yellow fever vaccination is recommended if you decide to visit the Amazon forest. Before leaving it is advisable to drawn an insurance contract covering illnesses and accidents.

Being Colombia close to the Equator, the average temperature does not undergo big changes during the whole year. Thermal conditions vary obviously according to the altitude: the higher you go, the colder it gets. There are two seasons: verano (the dry season) and invierno (the rainfall season). The best period to visit Colombia is the dry season. Most of the Colombians are on holiday in the period included between the end of December and the middle of January, so booking hotels in this period is quite difficult. 
 
CHECK THE WEATHER FORECASTS IN REAL TIME

The voltage is 110v. American-style sockets with 2-pin flat plugs. It is advisable to bring an adaptor with you.

Calling Italy from Colombia is rather simple: dial 0039, then the Italian area code - including zero for fixed net numbers - and the number you wish to call (for example: to call a fixed net telephone number in Milan just dial 0039 02 59 .... ; to call a mobile phone number just dial 0039 329 42...).
To call Colombia from Italy, dial the international code for Colombia 0057, followed by the area code and by the number you wish to call. The GSM network perfectly works in the whole country, but since rates vary according to the operator, it is advisable to get informed about costs before departure to avoid having a bad surprise as soon as you come back to Italy.

Checking or sending e-mails will not be a problem. Each hotel is supplied with internet points which can also be found outside the hotels in the main cities.

There are no restrictions to take pictures or make amateur videos for private use. As in any other country, it is advisable to politely ask local people for their permission before taking pictures of them.

In Bogotá handicrafts shops are everywhere. Women will be attracted by the wonderful high quality emeralds, sold at reasonable prices. There are many emerald sellers, but it is advisable to refer only to authorized shops where the purity and the value of the stones are granted. In Bogotá it is possible to visit the emerald market located at the south-west corner of Avenida Jiménez and Carrera 7. Also the reproductions of Pre-Columbian jewelleries are wonderful and cost less. Interesting articles are also the handworks in leather, copper and wood. In Santa Fè of Bogotá the best places for shopping are the shops «Artesanias de Colombia», in the city centre, San Diego, and in the northern area of the city on the carrera 15 between the calles 74 and 77. Medellin too is an ideal place for shopping. The shopping malls to be visited are El Tesoro, the Camino Real, the Unicentro, the San Diego and the Oviedo. Anyway, anywhere you go you will find nice souvenirs.

The Colombian cuisine is rather simple and varies within the areas. It is based on the use of local products, such as beans, potatoes and corn. In the hinterland the menu mainly foresees dishes with roasted or stewed pork and bovine meat served with beans, rice and potatoes. Coast-living people usually fish, rice, meat and poultry with coconut milk. Shellfish, lobsters and squids are very good. The "sancocho" (a soup) is considered the country traditional dish. Anywhere you will find refreshing fruit juices of tamarind, banana,
"papaya", "chirimoya", "maracuyà", "lulo", "curuba", "granadilla", "pitahaya", which are mixed with milk (the "sorbete") or with water (the "batido"). Together with soft drinks people drink the national beer, which is quite light, the ron and the aguardiente. It is anyway impossible to start or end the day without the well-known Colombian coffee, which is nowadays considered one of the best in the world.

Bogotá is special also for the variety of international restaurants which offer to the customers the possibility to taste dishes from all over the world. The numerous bars, small but comfortable or more elegant and sophisticated, are an invitation to have a drink accompanied by music. A good place where to have dinner, drink and dance is the Zona Rosa in the neighbourhood of the calle 82 between the carrera 15 and 11. On the calle 94 and on the Avenida Pepe Sierra there are also some modern discos. The Caribbean music is welcomed in Bogotá and in many clubs it is possible to listen to singer groups specialized in salsa, meringue, son and reggae. The clubs located on the carrera 5 between the cale 26 and 28, near Plaza de Toros, are not to be missed. Here the atmosphere is informal and Bohemian. On the street leading to La Calera, a few minutes away from Bogotá, there are bars and restaurants offering a wonderful sight of the city.

The religious feasts are those of the Catholic countries:
1st January: New Year Holiday
6th January: Epiphany
19th March: Saint Joseph
April: Thursday before Easter and Good Friday
May (variable): Ascension
May or June (variable): Corpus Domini
29th June: Saint Peter and Paul
15th August: Assumption
1st November: All Saints
8th December: the Immaculate Conception
25th December: Christmas

The other festivals are:
1st May: Labour Day
20th July: Independence Day
June (variable): Feast of the Sacred Heart
7th August: Battle of Boyacá
12th October: Day of the Race (Columbus Day)
11th November: Independence of Cartagena

In spite this country holds 16 of the 22 most longed for natural resources in the world, among them oil, gold, platinum, emeralds and fertile lands, 60% of the Colombian people live in poverty. Two million and a half of families are homeless and three million children are without schools. Rich people, on the contrary, are really rich: 1% of the population holds more than the half of the Colombian land. Colombia is the land of mules and Maserati...

1) Bogotá and its thousand contradictions
2) The colonial city of Guatavita and the famous Laguna de Guatavita, sacred site for the Muisca people and origin of the El Dorado legend.
3) Cartagena de Indias, legendary city for its history and beauty, rich in churches, monasteries, squares, building and elegant houses.
4) The Caribbean coast near Cartagena: Mompós, the beaches of the Parque Nacional Tayrona.
5) The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, which is the highest coastal mountain chain in the world.
6) La Ciudad Perdida ('the lost city'), ancient city built by the Tayronas (group of Amerindians), today very important archaeological site
7) In the north-western region the most ancient city is Santa Fe de Antioquia, which is located 80 km. north-west of Medellin, it is extremely evocative.
8) In the south-west region: the archaeological sites of San Agustín and Tierradentro and the colonial city of Popayán, rich in ancient statues, tombs and barrows.
9) San Andrés and Providencia: archipelago of islets in the Caribbean Sea. In San Andrei duty free shopping is possible. The coral reefs are wonderful.
10) The beaches of Playa Larga and El Valle, 250 km. far from Medellin. They are close to the tropical jungle.

1) Trekking in the region from Nabusímake to Pico Colón in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
2) The Islas del Rosario, 30 km. off the coasts of Cartagena, and Isla Barú, the peninsula south of Cartagena, are the ideal places for snorkelling and diving.
3) San Andrés and Providencia are diving ideal places.
4) Leticia is the starting point for adventurous explorations of the Amazon forest.
5) Cartagena, Santa Marta, Tolù or Coveñas are organized for sailing trips; there are clubs where boat renting is possible throughout the whole year.

Food and Water - It is advisable to drink water from sealed bottles or cans.

Tips - Tips are almost compulsory in elegant restaurants (10%) and are expected anywhere else.

Drugs - The penalties for people holding, transporting, offering or buying drugs vary according to the quantity (from a minimum of 4-year jail for 1 kilo of drugs). The trials are usually held with rapidity only in case of clear evidences or confession (which allows the penalty to be reduced up to 50%). Colombian jails do not usually follow the European standards and the release (release on bail) can be agreed only after half of the sentence has been served; the former prisoner is anyway obliged to remain in the Country till the sentence has expired.

Safety - the Country is still featured by high violence levels as a consequence of armed conflicts (for the presence of guerrillas and paramilitaries) and common and organized crimes (narcotraffickers); statistical data show nowadays a certain improvement degree. In all main cities (Bogotà, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga and Cucuta) there are area where particular precautions are required, while other residential districts are considered to be safer. As for tourist areas on the Caribbean coast (Cartagena and S. Marta), where micro-crimes have recently increased, it is advisable to use the highest prudence outside the crowded and controlled tourist villages, thus avoiding peripheral and isolated areas. On the contrary in some other tourist areas (Islands of San Andrés and Providencia and in the Amazon region of Leticia) risks of violence are inexistent.
The number of tourist policemen is increasing; they can be easily recognized because they wear a uniform with the writing Policia de Turismo around the arm. They are units suitably trained to meet any sort of need a tourist may have and they are kind and well disposed.

Via S. Sebastianello, 9
00187 Rome (Italy)
Phone: 0039 06 6789 107/6790 902
Fax: 0039 06 6788 436
Email: croma@minrelext.gov.co

Via G. Pisanelli, 4 - Rome (Italy)
Phone: 0039 06 3612 131
Fax: 0039 06 3225 798
www.embajadadecolombia.it

Calle 93 B n. 9-92 - Bogotà
Phone: 0057 1 2187 206/2186 604/2186 680
Fax: 0057 1 6105 886
E-mail: ambbogo.mail@esteri.it