a republic in NW South America: inhabited by Chibchas and other indigenous peoples before Spanish colonization in the 16th century; independence won by Bolí var in 1819; became the Republic of Colombia in 1886; violence and unrest have been endemic since the 1970s. It consists chiefly of a hot swampy coastal plain, separated by ranges of the Andes from the pampas and the equatorial forests of the Amazon basin in the east. Language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Bogotá. Pop: 49 065 615 (2017 est). Area: 1 138 908 sq km (439 735 sq miles)