Colombia was one of the three countries that
emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being
Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow
the Colombian Government escalated during the 1990s, undergirded in
part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly
and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence,
the movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary
to overthrow the government. An anti-insurgent army of paramilitaries
has grown to be several thousand strong in recent years, challenging
the insurgents for control of territory and illicit industries such
as the drug trade and the government's ability to exert its dominion
over rural areas. While Bogota continues to try to negotiate a settlement,
neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their
borders.
Colombia is slightly less than three times the
size of Montana. The climate is tropical
along the coast and eastern plains and cooler in the highlands. |
