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.

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