Alternative History
República de Colombia
Colombia
Timeline: The Sun of the Andes
OTL equivalent: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama
Flag of the Gran Colombia Coat of arms of Gran Colombia (1821)
National flag National coat of arms
Motto: 
Libertad y Orden
Anthem: 
Marcha Libertadora
Colombia The Sun of the Andes
Capital
(and largest city)
Bogota
Other cities Caracas, Guayaquil, Medellín and Panama City.
Official languages Spanish
Other languages Chibchan, Arawakan and Cariban languages, Quechua and Palenquero
Ethnic groups  White (Hispanic), Native American and African American (non-Hispanic)
Religion Secular (official), Roman Catholic, Protestants and Judaism
Demonym Colombian
Government Presidential republic
 -  President Jose Betancourt
Legislature Congress of Colombia
 -  Upper house Senate
 -  Lower house Chamber of Deputies
Key Events
 -  Independence of New Granada and Venezuela 1812 
 -  Establishment of Colombia 1816 
Area
 -  2,420,014 km2 
934,373 sq mi 
Population
 -   estimate 103,500,000 
Currency Colombian real -> Colombian peso ($)
Time zone UTC -5 (Western), UTC -4 (Eastern)
Date formats dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the right

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia (República de Colombia), is a sovereign country located on the northern coast of South America, extending into Central America. Established in the early 19th century following the dissolution of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, it emerged as a union of the territories of former Viceroyalty of New Granada. Despite facing early challenges, including regional rivalries and political divisions, Colombia has managed to maintain its unity, evolving into a semi-federal republic.

Colombia is bordered to the south with Andes-Tawantinsuyu and Amazonas and the Guianas to the east. it also claims the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, the Mosquito Coast, as well as most of Esequiba.

The formation of Colombia was initially inspired by the vision of Simón Bolívar, a key figure in the South American Revolutionary Wars of Independence (1811-1818). The country was founded with the intention of uniting various territories of the former Spanish New Granada into a single state, capable of defending the newly acquired independence and promoting the ideals of liberty and equality. The early years were marked by internal conflicts over governance and territorial disputes that put in peril its existence and the possibility of its dissolution.

History[]

Independence[]

Inspired by the Enlightenment and the successful American and French revolutions and acting on the French invasion of Spain in the capitals of New Granada and Venezuela the future patriots set up from Government Juntas in 1808. This marks the beginning of a fragmented approach to independence, with Cartagena and Bogotá setting up rival juntas, each claiming legitimacy over the other. By 1811 there is an open Patriot revolt in New Granada and Venezuela for independence.

Government[]

Colombia is presidential representative and democratic republic. In accordance with the principle of separation of powers, government is divided into three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. The executive branch is in charge of the President of the Republic (Presidente de la República) that is head of state and government. The President is directly elected to serve at maximum for two consecutive five-year terms. The Vice President is elected on joint ticket with the president. The Secretaries of State are appointed by the President and serves at the former's pleasure.

The legislative branch is represented nationally by the Congress of Colombia, a bicameral legislature omprising a Chamber of Representatives and Senate. The Senate is elected nationally and the Chamber of Representatives is elected in electoral districts. Members of both houses are elected to serve four-year terms.

The judicial branch is headed by four high courts, consisting of the Supreme Court which deals with penal and civil matters, the Council of State, which has special responsibility for administrative law and also provides legal advice to the executive, the Constitutional Court, responsible for assuring the integrity of the Colombian constitution, and the Superior Council of Judicature, responsible for auditing the judicial branch.

Colombian had a unique institution established as a fourth branch of the government, the Censors (Cámara de Censores). The Censors had the duty and task to supervise and censure other government officials. The Censors were directly elected from a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation to serve six-year term. Previously they appointed by an electoral college, different from the one that elected the electoral presidential college. On its dissolution the Congress gained the power to impeach the executive branch.

Heads of State and Government[]

President New Granada (1812-1817)
  • 1812 Junta de Gobierno
  • 1812 Manuel de Bernardo Álvarez del Casal
  • 1812 José Miguel Pey y Andrade (Centralist)
  • 1812 Antonio Nariño (Centralist)
  • 1814 Camilo Torres Tenorio
  • 1815 Triumvirate
  • 1815 Antonio Nariño (Centralist)
  • 1817 Simon Bolivar
  • 1817 (union of Venezuela and New Granada in Colombia)
President Venezuela (1812-1817)
  • 1812 Junta de Gobierno
  • 1812 Triumvirate
  • 1812 Francisco de Miranda
  • 1812 Simón Bolivar
  • 1817 (union of Venezuela and New Granada in Colombia)
President Colombia (1817 to date)
  • 1817- Simon Bolivar (Centralist)
  • 1817 Francisco de Paula Santander (Liberal Federalist) Acting President 1817-1821
  • 1821 Simon Bolivar (Centralist) Resigned
  • 1828 Domingo Caycedo (Conservative Centralist) Provisional President
  • 1828 Francisco de Paula Santander (Liberal Federalist)
  • 1830 Domingo Caycedo (Conservative Centralist)
  • 1830 José Antonio Páez (Conservative)
  • 1831 Domingo Caycedo (Conservative)
  • 1831 Joaquín Mosquera (Conservative) Deposed by Liberal Coup of 1833
  • 1833 Francisco de Paula Santander (Federalist, later Progressive Democrat) Came to power after Liberal Coup of 1833
  • 1837 José María Obando (Progressive Democrat, later Liberal Party, PLC)
  • 1841 Vicente Azuero (PLC)
  • 1845 Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera (PLC)
  • 1849 José Hilario López (PLC)
  • 1854 José María Obando Deposed by Conservative Coup of 1856
  • 1854 José Antonio Páez (Conservative Party PCon)
  • 1864 Carlos Soublette (PCon) Deposed by Liberal Coup of 1867
  • 1867 Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual (PLC) Provisional President
  • 1868 Rafael Núñez (National Party, PN)
  • 1873 (...)

Administrative Divisions[]

Colombia is organized in 12 departments, the Bogota Capital District and 5 national territories. Each department has a Governor, named by the President, and a Departmental Assembly responsible for legislating on regional matters. The departments are further divided into provinces and cantons or municipalities. The Bogota Capital District and national territories, meanwhile, are administered by officials appointed by the President.

Bogotá, Distrito Capital (Capital District)
Departments
  1. Apure (Barinas)
  2. Azuay (Cuenca)
  3. Boyacá (Tunja)
  4. Cauca (Popayán)
  5. Cundinamarca (Bogotá)
  6. Ecuador (Quito)
  7. Guayaquil (Guayaquil)
  8. Istmo (Panamá)
  9. Magdalena (Cartagena)
  10. Orinoco (Cumaná)
  11. Venezuela (Caracas)
  12. Zulia (Maracaibo)
National territories
  1. Territory of the Galapagos
  2. Territory of San Andrés and Providencia
  3. Canal District of Panamá
  4. Eastern Amazonas Territory
  5. Southern Amazonas Territory

Economy[]

Petroleum is Colombia's main export, representing over 45% of Colombia's exports and also the world's second-largest proven oil reserves, behind only Arabia. The state-owned industrial and commercial company Empresa Nacional Colombiana de Petróleos (ENCOLPetro) in charge of exploring, extracting and commercialising the nation's hydrocarbon resources.

The Panama Canal (Canal de Panamá), one of the engineering wonders of the world, is an artificial 82-kilometre waterway in the Canal District of Panamá that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, cutting across the Isthmus of Panama.

The primary agricultural products of Colombia are coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, wheat, soybeans, cotton, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, animal and vegetable oils, vegetables, fique, panela, forest products; and shrimp. In the production of beef and chicken meat, Colombia is among the 10 largest producers in the world

Colombia also has one of the largest shipbuilding industries in the world outside Asia.

Wealth is poorly distributed and Colombia is among the most unequal societies in the world,