20th July: Colombia Independence Day

Colombia declared independence from Spain, on this date in 1819. 10 things you might not know about Colombia:

1. It's diverse, in most senses of the word. It rates second in the world for biodiversity, after Brazil, which is ten times bigger. The wildlife here comprises 10% of the animal species on Earth, including over 1,900 species of bird, more than in Europe and North America combined; 2,000 species of marine fish; more endemic species of butterfly than anywhere else and and approximately 7,000 species of beetle. This is probably a direct result of a diversity of habitats. Colombia has 314 types of ecosystem including rainforest, high mountains and desert. It has 58 national parks, as many as the USA, covering 11% of the country. Diversity extends to the population as well, as it includes people descending from the original native inhabitants, Spanish colonists, Africans originally brought to the country as slaves, and 20th-century immigrants from Europe and the Middle East.
2. The capital, Bogotá, is 8,360ft above sea level, making it the highest city in the world with a population of over 3 million.
3. The second city, Medellin, was once the murder capital of the world with 17 murders a day in 1991, although it's nothing like as bad now. While on the subject of crime, Colombia is known for its drug lords. They have been known to do pretty well - one of them, Pablo Escobar, was allegedly so rich that he offered to pay off Colombia's national debt of $10bn.
4. Cuisine is naturally quite diverse, too. A couple of the strangest things Colombians consume are “hormigas culonas”, a type of ant with a large abdomen, fried with salt and sold in the street. Catching them isn't easy and hunters must wear protective clothing to avoid being stung - but a kilo of them is worth a day's wage. The other is hot Chocolate with Cheese in it.
5. Exports include 60% of the world's emeralds and 70% of the cut flowers imported by the US.
6. Colombia is home to a liquid Rainbow. That is the nickname given to the Caño Cristales, sometimes called the most beautiful river in the world, because it is so colourful. From July to November the river bed is Yellow, Green, blue, Black, and red. The red colour is caused by Macarenia clavigera, a type of riverweed.
7. There is a tie for the highest mountain. Pico Cristobal Colon and Pico Simon Bolivar are both 5775 m tall.
8. The national sport is Tejo, a team sport which involves throwing a puck at a target.
9. The Flag consists of three stripes, the top one takes up half the flag and is yellow representing the gold found in the country, or the sunshine, according to some sources, and the other two stripes, taking up a quarter each, are blue (for the sea) and red (for the blood shed in the fight for independence.
10. The tallest palm tree in the world, the Quindio Wax palm, is Colombia's national tree. The national flower is the orchid Cattleya trianae and the national bird is the Andean condor.