Some interesting facts about Colombia
 | Bogota, the largest city in Colombia, is the capital. The city lies on a mountain rimmed plateau near the center of the country at an elevation of 8660 feet downtown. It is only 4 degrees north of the equator, so the weather is moderate throughout the year. The average daily temperature is 48-72 degrees F. The city covers approximately 670 square miles and has a population estimated at 8,244,980 in the metropolitan area (2007 estimate). It is the third highest major city in the world after La Paz and Quito. |
 | The seat of the government of Colombia is near the center of Bogota in the Old Town area. Colombia has a Unitary Republic. The president and representatives are voted on by the people. Voting is permitted for people age 18 and older. The current president is Alvero Uribe Velez, presently in his second term as president. |
 | Colombia's Independence Day is July 20, 1810, the day they gained their independence from Spain. |
 | Colombia shares its borders with five nations and the Pacific Ocean. The five countries are Panama, Equador, Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela. |
 | The religion of Colombia is predominantly Catholic (94.5%). |
 | Bogota is very close to the same longitude as New York City, and is therefore due south of NYC. It has the same time as the U.S. east coast in the winter, and the same time as Minnesota from March to November. |
 | Transportation ranges from small taxis, buses and cars to bikes and horse drawn carts. An excellent Transmillenial express bus system is now in place and criss crosses the city of Bogota. On Sundays, a large street closes down so people of all ages can bike freely. |
The Colombian flag ("bandera" in Spanish) has the blue and red stripe equaling the width of the yellow stripe. The yellow represents the land, the blue represents the ocean, and the red represents the blood spilled by the patriots. When Spain ruled South America, these colors were flown by the freedom fighters in this region. |  |
