History of Colombia in Timeline

Colombia is a South American country with a diverse landscape and a population of approximately 52 million. Bogotá serves as its capital and largest city. Colombia's culture is a blend of European, African, and Indigenous influences, reflecting its colonial history. Spanish is the official language, but several other languages are also spoken. Colombia is divided into 32 departments. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast, Brazil to the southeast, Peru and Ecuador to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest.

1902: Defeat of Liberal Party

In 1902, the Thousand Days' War came to an end with the Liberal Party's rebellion against the Nationalist government being defeated by nationalist forces.

1903: Panama Secession

In 1903, Panama seceded from Colombia with the backing of the United States and France, resulting in Colombia's present borders.

1903: Secession of Panama

In 1903, the Department of Panama seceded, leading to its political independence, influenced by the United States' intentions regarding the Panama Canal.

1921: Payment from the United States for Panama

In 1921, The United States paid Colombia $25,000,000, for redress of President Roosevelt's role in the creation of Panama, and Colombia recognized Panama under the terms of the Thomson–Urrutia Treaty.

June 1934: League of Nations awards disputed area to Colombia

In June 1934, the League of Nations awarded to Colombia the territory disputed with Peru after a war which ended with a peace deal brokered by the League of Nations.

1938: Urban population 31% of the total

In 1938, the urban population accounted for 31% of the total population of Colombia.

1939: Seven books of poetry published under the name Stone and Sky

Between 1939 and 1940 seven books of poetry were published under the name Stone and Sky in the city of Bogotá that significantly influenced the country.

1940: Seven books of poetry published under the name Stone and Sky

Between 1939 and 1940 seven books of poetry were published under the name Stone and Sky in the city of Bogotá that significantly influenced the country.

1947: Colombia was world amateur champion

Colombia was world amateur champion in 1947 and 1965.

April 1948: Assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán

In April 1948, the assassination of Liberal presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán ignited riots known as El Bogotazo, leading to widespread violence throughout the country.

1965: Colombia was world amateur champion

Colombia was world amateur champion in 1947 and 1965.

1970: Economic Growth

Colombia's market economy grew steadily from 1970.

1973: Urban population nearly 60%

By 1973, Colombia's urban population had increased to nearly 60% of the total.

1974: Lowest homicide rate until 2016

In 1974 Colombia had the lowest homicide rate until 2016.

1982: ONIC founded at first National Indigenous Congress

In 1982, the Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia (ONIC) was founded at the first National Indigenous Congress.

1989: Peace Negotiations and Demobilization

In 1989, some guerrilla organizations decided to demobilize after peace negotiations with the Colombian government.

1989: Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention

In 1989, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention was established.

July 1991: New Constitution Promulgated

On 4 July 1991, a new Constitution was promulgated in Colombia, generating positive changes for Colombian society.

1991: Civil Law

Colombia operates a system of civil law, which since 1991 has been applied through an adversarial system.

1991: Colombia ratified the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention

In 1991, Colombia signed and ratified the current international law concerning indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989.

1991: Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion

In 1991, the Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, ensuring equality for all faiths and churches before the law.

1993: Health standards in Colombia improving since the 1980s

Healthcare reforms have led to massive improvements in the healthcare systems of the country, with health standards in Colombia improving very much since the 1980s and the coverage by the social and health security system improving from 21% (pre-1993) to 96% in 2012.

1994: Peace Negotiations and Demobilization

In 1994, some guerrilla organizations decided to demobilize after peace negotiations with the Colombian government.

1997: Édgar Rentería champion of the World Series

Édgar Rentería was champion of the World Series in 1997 and 2010.

1998: Economic Growth

Colombia's market economy grew steadily until 1998.

1999: Recession

In 1999, Colombia suffered a recession, experiencing its first full year of negative growth since the Great Depression.

2000: Archaic Period

Around 2000 BCE, during the Archaic Period, traces of early human occupation have been found at Puerto Hormiga and other sites in Colombia.

2001: Colombia was the champion of the Copa América

Colombia was the champion of the 2001 Copa América, in which they set a new record of being undefeated, conceding no goals and winning each match.

2002: Álvaro Uribe Elected President

In 2002, Álvaro Uribe began his presidency, during which he adopted the democratic security policy.

2003: Film Act passed

Colombian film industry was growing with support from the Film Act passed in 2003.

2004: Constitutional Amendment

In 2004, Colombia implemented a constitutional amendment that changed the one-term limit for presidents to a two-term limit.

2005: Improvement in Security, Stability, and Rule of Law

Since 2005, Colombia has experienced significant improvement in security, stability, and rule of law, as well as economic growth and development.

2005: Piloto public library Latin America's largest archive of negatives

The Piloto public library has Latin America's largest archive of negatives, containing 1.7 million antique photographs covering Colombia 1848 until 2005.

2006: Produced 15 tons of gold per year

Between 2006 and 2017, Colombia produced 15 tons of gold per year until 2007.

2006: Census indicated ethnic groups

The Federal Research Division estimated that the 86% of the population that did not consider themselves part of one of the ethnic groups indicated by the 2006 census.

2007: Economic Growth

In 2007, Colombia experienced economic growth reaching 7%.

2007: Gold production increased significantly

In 2007, Colombia's gold production increased significantly.

2007: Foreign tourist visits at 0.6 million

In 2007, foreign tourist visits numbered 0.6 million.

February 2008: Demonstrations Against Outlawed Groups

In February 2008, millions of Colombians demonstrated against FARC and other outlawed groups.

2009: Uribe's Approval Rating

In 2009, former President Álvaro Uribe's approval rating peaked at 76%.

June 2010: Juan Manuel Santos wins Presidential Election

In June 2010, Juan Manuel Santos won the presidential election with 69% of the vote.

2010: End of Álvaro Uribe's presidency

In 2010, Álvaro Uribe's presidency ended, and he was constitutionally barred from seeking re-election.

2010: Édgar Rentería champion of the World Series

Édgar Rentería was champion of the World Series in 1997 and 2010.

2011: "Borders for Prosperity" plan launched

In 2011, President Juan Manuel Santos launched the "Borders for Prosperity" plan to fight poverty and combat violence from illegal armed groups along Colombia's borders through social and economic development.

2012: Largest populations of internally displaced persons

As of 2012, Colombia had the world's largest populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs), estimated to be up to 4.9 million people.

2012: Healthcare systems improved

2012: Record of 66.1 tons of gold extracted

In 2012, Colombia beat the record of 66.1 tons of gold extracted.

June 2014: Santos wins re-election

In June 2014, Juan Manuel Santos won re-election with nearly 51% of the vote.

2014: Urban population stood at 76%

By 2014, the urban population in Colombia stood at 76% of the total.

2014: Recognized in the Global Green Economy Index (GGEI)

In 2014, Colombia's commitment to renewable energy was recognized in the Global Green Economy Index (GGEI), ranking among the top 10 nations in the world in terms of greening efficiency sectors.

2015: Seventy-two cities with populations of 100,000 or more

As of 2015, Colombia had seventy-two cities with populations of 100,000 or more.

2015: Congress approved the repeal of a 2004 constitutional amendment

In 2015, Colombia's Congress approved the repeal of a 2004 constitutional amendment that changed the one-term limit for presidents to a two-term limit.

2015: Public spending on education was 4.49% of GDP

In 2015, public spending on education as a proportion of gross domestic product in Colombia was 4.49%.

2015: Life expectancy was 74.8 years

In 2015, the life expectancy in Colombia was 74.8 years.

November 2016: Revised Peace Deal Signed

In November 2016, the Colombian government and the FARC signed a revised peace deal, which the Colombian congress approved, after a previous referendum was unsuccessful.

2016: Colombian health care institutions ranked among the top in Latin America

A 2016 study conducted by América Economía magazine ranked 21 Colombian health care institutions among the top 44 in Latin America.

2016: Homicide rate lowest since 1974

Colombia registered a homicide rate of 24.4 per 100,000 in 2016, the lowest since 1974, the same year the government signed a peace agreement with the FARC.

2016: Military Expenditure

In 2016, 3.4% of Colombia's GDP went towards military expenditure, placing it 24th in the world.

2016: Population growth rate estimated to be 0.9%

In 2016, Colombia's population growth rate was estimated to be 0.9%.

2016: Annual inflation 5.75% YoY

In 2016, annual inflation was 5.75% YoY, a point of comparison for the subsequent year's rate.

2016: Infant mortality was 13.1 per thousand

In 2016, the infant mortality rate in Colombia was 13.1 per thousand.

2016: Tourism contributed US$5,880.3bn to GDP

In 2016, tourism's contribution to GDP was US$5,880.3bn (2.0% of total GDP) and generated 556,135 jobs (2.5% of total employment).

2016: Government aimed to build 7,000 km of roads

The Colombian government aimed to build 7,000 km of roads between 2016 and 2020.

2017: Around 2,100 km of duplicated highways

At the end of 2017, the country had around 2,100 km of duplicated highways.

2017: Extracted 52.2 tons of gold

In 2017, Colombia extracted 52.2 tons of gold.

2017: Annual inflation closed at 4.09% YoY

In 2017, annual inflation closed at 4.09% YoY, compared to 5.75% YoY in 2016. The average national unemployment rate in 2017 was 9.4%.

2017: 26.9% of the population living below the poverty line

In 2017, the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) reported that 26.9% of the population were living below the poverty line, with 7.4% in "extreme poverty".

2017: Government declared a cancer research and treatment center as a Project of National Strategic Interest

In 2017, the government declared a cancer research and treatment center as a Project of National Strategic Interest.

2017: Foreign tourist visits predicted to rise to 4 million

It was predicted that in 2017 foreign tourist visits would rise to 4 million, an increase from 0.6 million in 2007.

June 2018: Iván Duque Wins Presidential Election

In June 2018, Iván Duque, the candidate of the right-wing Democratic Center party, won the presidential election in Colombia.

August 2018: Start of Ivan Duque's presidential term

In August 2018, Ivan Duque's term as Colombia's president began.

August 2018: Iván Duque Sworn in as President

On 7 August 2018, Iván Duque was sworn in as the new President of Colombia, succeeding Juan Manuel Santos.

2018: Forest Landscape Integrity Index

Colombia had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.26/10, ranking it 25th globally out of 172 countries.

2018: UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

In 2018, Colombia signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

2018: 5th largest coal exporter

In 2018, Colombia was the 5th largest coal exporter in the world.

2018: Census reported ethnic composition

In 2018, the census reported that the "non-ethnic population" constituted 87.6% of the population.

2018: Ethnic groups in Colombia - 2018 Census

The entry notes information pertaining to ethnic groups in Colombia according to the 2018 census.

February 2019: Venezuela cuts off diplomatic relations with Colombia

In February 2019, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro cut off diplomatic relations with Colombia after Colombian President Ivan Duque had helped Venezuelan opposition politicians deliver humanitarian aid to their country.

August 2019: Colombia offered citizenship to Venezuelan refugee children

In August 2019, Colombia offered citizenship to more than 24,000 children of Venezuelan refugees who were born in Colombia.

2019: 20th largest petroleum producer

In 2019, Colombia was the 20th largest petroleum producer in the world, with 791 thousand barrels/day.

January 2020: Colombia Rejects Maduro's Proposal

In January 2020, Colombia rejected Nicolás Maduro's proposal that the two countries restore diplomatic relations.

November 2020: Discovery of Pictographs

In November 2020, a site including pictographs under study at Serranía de la Lindosa was revealed, with the age of the pictographs suggested as being 12,500 years old.

2020: Population of 50 million

In 2020, Colombia had an estimated population of 50 million people.

2020: Exports based on coal and petroleum exceed 40%

In 2020, more than 40% of Colombia's exports were based on coal and petroleum, and the country was the 19th largest oil exporter in the world.

2020: Murder rate decreased to 22.6

In 2020, the murder rate decreased to 22.6.

2020: Government aimed to build 7,000 km of roads

The Colombian government aimed to build 7,000 km of roads between 2016 and 2020.

April 2021: Protests Start

On 28 April 2021, protests started in Colombia when the government proposed a tax bill.

2021: 204,389 km of roads

In 2021, Colombia had 204,389 km of roads, 32,280 km of which were paved.

June 2022: Gustavo Petro Wins Election

The 19 June 2022 election ended in a win for Gustavo Petro.

August 2022: Petro Sworn in as President

On 7 August 2022, Petro was sworn in as the country's first leftist president.

2022: Colombian hospitals among the best in Latin America

In 2022, 26 Colombian hospitals were among the 61 best in Latin America.

2022: Gustavo Petro elected president.

In 2022, Colombia elected Gustavo Petro, who became its first leftist leader.

2023: Latinobarómetro estimates ethnic composition

A study by Latinobarómetro in 2023 estimates that 50.3% of the population are Mestizo, 26.4% are White, 9.5% are Indigenous, 9.0% are Black, 4.4% are Mulatto, and 0.4% are Asian.

2023: GDP

According to International Monetary Fund estimates, in 2023, Colombia's GDP (PPP) was US$1 trillion, 32nd in the world and third in South America, after Brazil and Argentina.