Colombia
Country in South America, bounded N by the Caribbean Sea, W by the
Pacific Ocean, NW corner by Panama, E and NE by Venezuela, SE by Brazil,
and SW by Peru and Ecuador.
Government
The 1991 constitution, with 397 articles, and one of the longest in
the world, provides for a president, elected by universal suffrage for
a four-year term, and a bicameral congress consisting of a 102-member
senate, 99 elected nationally and three on a regional basis, and a 161-
member house of representatives, elected nationally by universal suffrage.
Both senators and deputies serve four-year terms. The president, who
is head of both state and government, appoints a cabinet and presides
over it. Although it does not have a fully federal system, Colombia
is divided into 32 departments and one capital district, enjoying considerable
autonomy, with governors appointed by the president and locally elected
legislatures.
History
Until it was conquered by Spain in the 16th century, the area was inhabited
by the Chibcha Indians. From 1538 Colombia formed part of a colony known
as New Granada, comprising Colombia, Panama, and most of Venezuela.
In 1819 the area included Ecuador and became independent as Gran Colombia,
a state set up by Simón Bolívar. The founding president of Colombia,
General Francisco de Paula Santander, imposed strong central control
over the disparate regions of the new state. Regional rebellions, such
as the revolt of the supremos (1839-42), were put down by later rulers.
In 1886, President Rafael Nú ñez imposed a centralist and authoritarian
constitution on the nation. Not until 1930 was there a peaceful change
of the party in power, when Enrique Oleya won the presidency.
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