80 Fun Facts About Colombia For Kids

Here at Kidadl, we love America!

From way up North all the way down to the tip of the South, there are so many rich cultures to discover and new places to explore. If you have children who are geography fans, or are just fascinated by the world around them, why not take a look at these amazing Nicaragua facts and Mexico City facts.

Or how about taking a trip to South America, to learn all about the Republic of Colombia, with this comprehensive collection of facts.

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Key Colombia Facts

Find out everything you need to know at a glance with these interesting facts about Colombia.

1. The country is officially called the Republic of Colombia.

2. Colombia's capital city, and largest city, is Bogotá.

3. A country in South America, it is home to over 50 million inhabitants.  

4. Columbia encompasses a variety of different landscapes including Amazon rainforest, mountains, deserts and grasslands.

5. 77.1% of Colombia's population live in urban areas.

6. Most Colombians, over 99% in fact, speak Spanish.

7. Colombia is extremely ethnically diverse, with a mixture of people descended from the original native inhabitants, Spanish colonists, people who were brought from Africa as slaves and 20th-century immigrants from Europe and the Middle East.

8. Colombia is home to some of the best coffee in the world, which is known for its quality and flavor.

9. The national flag of Colombia features three horizontal stripes of color, or tricolor. The top half is yellow, and the bottom half is split into two stripes, one blue and one red. The flag symbolizes Colombian independence from Spain.

Colombia Geography Facts

From the Andes mountains to the Amazon rainforest, find out more with these incredible facts about Colombia's geography.

10. Colombia is a transcontinental country, meaning it spans more than one continent - it is largely in the north of South America, but also has territories in North America.

11. Colombia has 1,000 miles of coast to the North which is bounded by the Caribbean Sea.  

12. Colombia has 800 miles of coast to the west which is bounded by the Pacific Ocean.

13. Colombia is bordered by five different countries: Panama on the North-West, Venezuela on the East, Ecuador and Peru on the South and Brazil on the South-East.

14. Colombia is the only South American country with coastlines and islands along both the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific ocean.

15. Colombia's capital city of Bogotá has over 7 million inhabitants.

16. Colombia is the third most populated country in Latin America, behind Brazil and Mexico.

17. The geography of Colombia has six main natural regions that each have their own unique characteristics.

18. The Andes mountain range runs through Colombia as well as Ecuador and Venezuela.

19. The Cordillera Central is the highest of the Andean mountain ranges found in Colombia.

20. Colombia's lowlands, including the Llanos savanna and Amazon rainforest, comprise over half of Colombia's overall territory, but they are home to less than 6% of the population.

21. Colombia's climate is classed as tropical and isothermal (it doesn't really have changing seasons) because of its proximity to the equator.

22. But Colombia does have five different climate zones for the different natural regions: tropical rainforests, savannas, steppes, deserts and mountain climate.

23. Colombia's mountain climate is sub-divided into five more categories: tierra caliente (hot land) tierra templada (temperate land) tierra fría (cold land), tierra helada (frozen land) and Páramo (alpine tundra).

24. The most important river system in Colombia is the Magdalena and it covers nearly a quarter of the surface of the entire country.

25. Bogotá has an altitude of 8,675 feet above sea level, which makes it one of the highest in South America.

26. The Caño Cristales, which translates in English as Crystal Channel, is a famous river located in the Serrania de la Macarena province of Meta. It is coloquially called the "River of Five Colors" or the "Liquid Rainbow," because of the bold and striking colors that are created by endemic plants on the river bed between July and November.

Colombia Biodiversity Facts

This South American country is home to some of the most amazing plants and animals in the world - find out more with these interesting facts about Colombia.

27. There are 17 megadiverse countries (nations that harbor the majority of Earth's species and high numbers of endemic species) in the world and Colombia is one of them.

28. Columbia has the second-highest level of biodiversity in the world - Brazil has the first highest.

29. Colombia ranks first in the world for number of bird species with over 1,900 species of bird, more than Europe and North America combined.

30. Colombia has between 40,000 and 45,000 plant species, equivalent to between 10 and 20% of total global species.

31. Approximately 10% of all species in the world live in Colombia.

32. Colombia is the second most diverse country in the world for freshwater fish.

33. Colombia has the most endemic, or native, species of butterfly in the world.

Colombia Economy And Politics Facts

These important facts about Colombia tell you all you need to know about the country's government and economy.

34. Colombia is the only NATO Global Partner in Latin America.

35. Colombia's economy is the third-largest in South America.

36. Colombia is part of the CIVETS group of leading emerging markets, alongside Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa.

37. Colombia's government is divided into three branches: the executive branch, headed by the President, the legislative branch, headed by the Congress and the judicial branch, headed by four high courts.

38. Colombia was one of the four founding members of the Pacific Alliance, which promotes the free movement of things like goods and services between its members.

39. Colombia's economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, particularly coffee and fruit.

Colombia History Facts

Discover the country's long and fascinating history with these interesting historical facts about Colombia.

40. The name "Colombia" is derived from the last name of Italian navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus who helped to colonize the Americas and create the modern Western world.

41. The region now covered by modern-day Colombia was originally inhabited by a number of indigenous tribes, namely the Muisca, Quimbaya, and Tairona.

42. When the Spanish arrived in 1499, they colonized the region and called it New Granada.

43. In the colonial era, Colombia's economy was based on gold mining.

44. Colombia gained independence from Spain on 20 July 1810.

Colombia Culture Facts

You're sure to enjoy these interesting facts about Colombian culture.

45. The traditional national sport of Colombia is called Tejo, a team sport that involves launching objects at a target which contain gunpowder and explode on impact.

46. The most popular sport in Colombia is soccer, and the national team are currently number 10 in the FIFA World Ranking.

47. Colombia has more than 180 indigenous languages and dialects, belonging to linguistic groups such as Arawakan, Chibchan, Cariban, Tupi-Guaraní, and Yurumanguí.

48. Most of Colombia is Roman Catholic because of its colonial Spanish roots, but religious freedom is guaranteed by the country constitution.

49. The Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, or Festival of Blacks and Whites, celebrated over a week in early January is a major event in Southern Colombia and has earned UNESCO designation.

50. The Carnaval del Diablo, or Festival of the Devil, is held on odd-numbered years by the town of Rio Sucio. It combines indigenous pagan with Catholic beliefs and features feasts, costumes, dancing, music and poetry to ward off bad spirits.

51. Easter is the biggest festival of the year in Catholic Colombia and Popaya, widely considered to be the religious center of the country, is home to a parade where people carry large wooden platforms depicting scenes from the bible through the streets: it is regarded by many as the finest in South America.

Colombian Food Facts

Colombia is home to so many ingredients and people, so their food is some of the most diverse in the world. Find out more with these cool facts about Colombia and its cuisine.

52. Colombian food is influenced by the ethnically diverse people who live there - it combines indigenous and European traditions with a strong Afro-Caribbean influence.

53. Because Colombia is so biodiverse, it also has a wide variety of ingredients that can be used in cooking, depending on the region.

54. Arroz con Pollo, rice and chicken with a variety of vegetables, is a popular dish.

55. One of Colombia's national dishes is a traditional Andean dish that originated from Bogotá, called Ajiaco. It is a soup or stew containing chicken, corn and potato flavored with guasca, a local herb.

56. Another of Colombia's national dishes is Bandeja Paisa. It's a traditional dish from Antioquia and contains different meats, including chicken, ground beef and chorizo, vegetables, beans and rice topped with a fried egg.

57. In Narino, a traditional dish is broiled guinea pig served with potatoes!

58. Because Colombia is a tropical country, it produces a huge variety of fruits including recognizable fruit like passion fruit, oranges and bananas, and not so recognizable ones, such as Soursop, Sweet Granadilla and Lulo, which look similar to tomatoes.  

59. Street-side fruit stands, selling both whole fruit and juices, are very popular along the coast of the Caribbean Sea.

60. Colombian people typically drink coffee "tinto," meaning black with sugar or panela (unrefined cane sugar) on the side, or as café con leche, which is half coffee and half hot milk.

61. In 2011 UNESCO declared the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, an area of the Paisa region also known as The Coffee Triangle, a World Heritage site.

Famous Colombians

The country of Colombia has plenty of talent - read on to find out all about Colombia superstars.

62. Shakira is a Colombian singer, songwriter and philanthropist - she has won numerous awards and is one of the world's best-selling music artists.

63. Sofia Vergara is a Colombian actress who has starred in many film and television programmes - between 2013-2019, she was the highest-paid actress in American television.

64. John Leguizamo is an award-winning Colombian actor, stand-up comedian, producer, playwright and screenwriter.

65. Radamel Falcao García Zárate is a Colombian professional footballer and captain of the Colombia national team, who is sometimes known as "El Tigre" or The Tiger.

66. Carlos Vives is a grammy-award winning Colombian singer, songwriter and actor who was a judge on La Voz, the Spanish-language version of the TV show The Voice.

Fun Facts About Colombia

Kids will love these fun facts about Columbia what makes the country so special.

67. Colombia's official motto is “Libertad y Orden” which means “Freedom and Order.”

68. Colombia's national flower is an orchid called "Cattleya trianae" because its colors are similar to the national flag.

69. Colombia's national tree is the wax palm, which is the world's tallest palm tree - it can live for over 100 years and grow up to 200ft tall.

70. Colombia's national horse is a breed called "Paso Fino" which descended from the horses brought by the Spanish over 500 years ago.

71. Colombia's national hat is the Sombrero and they are made by the indigenous Zenu people from cana flecha, a special type of cane.

72. Colombia's national jewel is the emerald. Colombia accounts for almost 60% of the world's emerald market, and the Gachala emerald, one of the world's largest emeralds, was mined in Colombia in 1967.

73. Colombia's national bird is the Andean vulture.

74. Colombia have invented some incredible eco-friendly technology, including a solar-powered cell phone charger and unbreakable earphones!

75. Colombia is famous for the mountain range that runs through it, the Andes. The Andes is the longest continental mountain range in the world, and has the second-highest peak in the world.

76. La Chorrera is Colombia's highest multi-drop waterfall.

77. The Colombian city of Cartagena's old town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 because of its Colonial-era buildings and huge churches.

78. Medellin, the second-largest city in Colombia, is commonly called 'the city of eternal spring' because of its warm climate.

79. Possibly Colombia's most famous national park, Tayrona National Park is home to 108 mammal, 300 bird, 31 reptile and 401 sea and river fish species, as well as 770 plant species.

80. Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Park is the only underwater park in Colombia and features crystal clear waters ideal for snorkelling.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 80 fun facts about Colombia for kids then why not take a look at interesting facts about Bolivia, or fun facts about Peru?