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You might wonder what compels many
to write so emphatically the name of our country. Well, no less than
seventy five percent of the letters, faxes and e-mails that we
receive, are usually addressed to the Embassy of "ColUmbia".
The confusion comes from the
difference in spelling in English and Spanish of the name of the
discoverer of America, Italian Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher
Columbus), the person after whom our country is named. In Spanish we
spell his name "Cristobal Colón", and it is only natural for us to
spell our country's name "Colombia". For English speakers,
and in particular for U.S. residents, it is only natural to spell
our name with a "U", after all, that is the spelling of the city in
South Carolina, the Nation's Capital, the prestigious University in
New York, and many cities in the States of Maryland, Indiana,
Oregon and Florida among others. However, please do not forget that
our official name is "The Republic of Colombia"
Official name: Republic of Colombia
Capital: Bogotá, Distrito Capital
Population: 39.3 million (July 1999 Estimate)
Area: 1,141,748 sq.kms. (446,000 sq.mi.)
Currency: Peso.
Independence Day: July 20. Government: Democratic Republic.
Official Language: Spanish.
Religion: 95% of the population is Roman Catholic
President 2002-2010: Alvaro Uribe Velez
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