Colombia 🇨🇴
Colombia is a country in South America with a population of 51,874,024. Its capital is Bogotá. The official currency is COP, and the main languages are Spanish.
Quick facts
- Capital: Bogotá
- Continent: South America
- Population: 51,874,024
- Area: 1,141,748 km²
- Density: 45.4 people per km²
- Currency: COP
- Languages: Spanish
- ISO code: CO
Where Colombia sits
Colombia 🇨🇴 is one of 12 countries in South America, with its capital at Bogotá. It covers 1,141,748 square kilometres — 25th in the world — and is home to about 51,874,024 people, 28th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela and Chile. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Colombia compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Colombia sits closest to South Korea and Kenya. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Ethiopia and Bolivia.
At 45.4 people per square kilometre it is about 1.3 times below the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Spanish is an official language in 20 countries here, among them Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Costa Rica, and 15 others. The COP is used by Colombia and no one else.
To see Colombia next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Colombia
Bogotá stands about 2,640 m above sea level, so the capital is a city in the mountains. For the flag, remember 'big yellow': the top half is all yellow, and blue and red share the rest.
The flag of Colombia: yellow, blue and red
🇨🇴 The flag is three horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red, with the yellow stripe twice as wide as the other two. There are several readings of the colours. One is yellow for the gold in Colombia's land, blue for the sea and red for the blood spilled for freedom.
Region and neighbours
Colombia is a country in the northwest of South America, with the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It shares land borders with 5 countries: Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.
- Panama 🇵🇦 — capital Panama City
- Venezuela 🇻🇪 — capital Caracas
- Brazil 🇧🇷 — capital BrasÃlia
- Peru 🇵🇪 — capital Lima
- Ecuador 🇪🇨 — capital Quito
Three facts about Colombia
- Colombia is divided into 32 departments plus the Capital District of Bogotá.
- The name Colombia comes from the last name of the navigator Christopher Columbus.
- Colombia is one of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries.
Sources: Wikipedia: Colombia, Wikipedia: Flag of Colombia, Wikipedia: Bogotá, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Colombia
- South American capitals quiz — match Colombia to Bogotá
- South American flags quiz — spot the Colombia flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Colombia
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Colombia those are:
- South America map quiz — place it on a blank map
- South America flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- South America capitals quiz — match it to Bogotá
- Colombia capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Colombia
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Colombia
- Capital of Colombia: Bogotá — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 12 countries of South America
Nearby countries
- Argentina 🇦🇷 — capital Buenos Aires
- Bolivia 🇧🇴 — capital Sucre
- Brazil 🇧🇷 — capital BrasÃlia
- Chile 🇨🇱 — capital Santiago
- Ecuador 🇪🇨 — capital Quito
- Guyana 🇬🇾 — capital Georgetown
- Paraguay 🇵🇾 — capital Asunción
- Peru 🇵🇪 — capital Lima
- Suriname 🇸🇷 — capital Paramaribo
- Uruguay 🇺🇾 — capital Montevideo
- Venezuela 🇻🇪 — capital Caracas
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Colombia flag?
The flag of Colombia is three horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red, with the yellow stripe twice as wide as the other two. There are several readings of the colours. One is yellow for the gold in Colombia's land, blue for the sea and red for the blood spilled for freedom.
Which countries border Colombia?
Colombia shares land borders with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.
How can I remember the capital of Colombia?
Bogotá stands about 2,640 m above sea level, so the capital is a city in the mountains. For the flag, remember 'big yellow': the top half is all yellow, and blue and red share the rest.