Not to be confused with persons, places, and things called Columbia.

The Republic of Colombia (Spanish: , IPA ), is a country in northwestern South America. It's bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil, to the south by Ecuador and Peru, to the North by the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by Panama and the Pacific Ocean.

Origin and history of the name

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Colombia's name references the explorer Christopher Columbus. The name was conceived by the revolutionary Francisco de Miranda as a reference to the New World, especially to all American territories and colonies under Spanish and Portuguese rule. The name originally belonged to a short-lived republic consisting of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama (see Great Colombia). This republic collapsed in 1830 when Venezuela and Ecuador separated, and the Cundinamarca region which remained became a new country, the Republic of New Granada. In 1863 New Granada changed its name officially to United States of Colombia, and in 1886 adopted its present day name: Republic of Colombia.

More on [ Colombia ]

L.A. Times - Latin America

Tourists flee as Gustav churns toward Jamaica
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:38:00 -0700
Tourists and oil workers fled today as Gustav swamped eastern Jamaica on a path to hit the Cayman Islands with winds near hurricane force. Louisiana called a state of emergency and put the National Guard on standby, hoping to avoid the chaos of Hurricane Katrina three years ago.
Ecuador asks Colombia to send troops to border to contain rebels
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The nation says its neighbor must do more to prevent its civil conflict from spilling over. With no sign of a thaw in their frozen diplomatic relations, Ecuador this week called on Colombia to increase its military presence along their shared border to check the spillover of rebel groups, drug trafficking and war refugees.
Mexican Supreme Court upholds legalized abortion law
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The ruling applies to Mexico City, which is the only area in the nation that allows abortions in other than special cases. 'It's historic ... throughout Latin America,' a pro-choice advocate says. In a lopsided ruling, Mexico's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a year-old law in Mexico City legalizing abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Argentine ex-generals guilty of 'dirty war' death
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The two octogenarians are convicted in the 1976 disappearance of a provincial senator in northern Argentina. They are defiant before sentencing. A pair of octogenarian ex-generals who served during Argentina's "dirty war" against internal dissent were sentenced to life in prison Thursday after defiantly declaring they were innocent of the murder charges on which they were convicted.
World Briefing
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Guatemala: Abducted child freed / Brazil: Oil-tainted penguins found dead / Britain: Hacking suspect to be extradited /Australia: Burst tank caused jet blast / Indian Ocean: U.S., Pakistan meet Abducted American girl, 3, freed
12 decapitated bodies found in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The discovery is the first sign of a major outbreak of drug cartel violence in Yucatan. In a sign of the spreading violence in Mexico, 11 decapitated bodies were found late Thursday near the colonial city of Merida on the Yucatan peninsula, officials said.

UN News Centre - Americas

Haiti: UN agency helps contain damage wrought by deadly hurricane
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Initiatives by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Haiti are helping to rein in the damage wrought by Hurricane Gustav, which has claimed nearly two dozen lives so far across the Caribbean region.
Latin America and Caribbean record solid economic growth figures, UN reports
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Latin America and the Caribbean have posted positive economic gains for the sixth year in a row, despite the global downturn, with gross domestic product (GDP) rising nearly 5 per cent this year, according to the most recent estimates of the United Nations office in the region.
Haiti: UN helps provide relief after deadly tropical storm batters region
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
United Nations officials in Haiti are working with local authorities across the south of the impoverished Caribbean country to help bring relief after Tropical Storm Gustav pummelled the nation with torrential rains and heavy winds.

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