A glance at the map shows you that Colombia is in the middle of many things: for instance, geographically in the middle of the Americas, climatically in the middle of the tropics and historically in the middle, between the Aztecs and Incas, or later, between the Spanish interests and those of other European nations in the Caribbean. Add to that, the variation in altitudes from sea level to 18,000ft., and you have the setting for a country of exceptionally rich and diverse cultural, racial and natural features.

Colombia has been a republic since the Independence wars of the early 19 th century, which ended over 300 years of colonial administration by the Spanish Crown. Originally, its territory, as “Nueva Granada”, included much of what are now Venezuela and Panamá.

Today, it has a mainland area of some 440,000 square miles, plus the San Andrés archipelago off the coast of Nicaragua, and several smaller islands in the Pacific and Caribbean.

The official language is Spanish, and the currency is the Peso ($) or (COP).

Bogotá was founded in 1538 by the Spanish conquistadores, a tiny settlement of twelve huts in the foothills of the Andes.

Today, it is a metropolis with a population of more than 6 million; and all that is left of the Colonial era is a sector of a few blocks in the Historic Center.

Just as Colombia is "in the middle" of the Americas, Bogotá is also "in the middle" of Colombia: it is located on a fertile, green plain ( sabana ) at an altitude of 8,200 ft ., half way up from the blue waters of the Caribbean to the highest snowy peaks of the Andes; it is in the geographical heart of the country, and indeed, all roads lead there; and as the nation´s capital, it is the center of government, finance, and academic and cultural activity.