Colombia is a beautiful country, and it is also the country i am living in. In 1863 Colombia was given its name. The name was chosen in honor of Christopher Columbus, even though Columbus never visited Colombia. Alonso de Ojeda, was the first European to set foot on Colombia in 1499, Alonso de Ojeda explored Sierra Navada de Santa Marie and was very surprised by the wealth of the Indians and their stories. These stories gave birth to the legend of El Dorado. Three-fourths of Colombia is situated in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the same size as France, Spain, and Portugal combined. Colombia claims two islands San Andres and Providence. Colombia is located in the northern corner of South Canal. It is bordered by Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil. The Eastern half of Colombia is low jungle area. The Southern pacific is covered in marshy lowlands. Some of the Andes Mountains run into Colombia. The southern sector of Colombia runs through the Equator. Colombia is the leading exporter of petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, and cut flowers. It is rich in minerals and energy. It is the lead producer of emeralds and is the second largest producer of platinum and gold in South America. Colombia is also the World’s largest producer of cocaine. Colombia produced many emeralds. They believed that the gemstones contained special powers such as healing, making one smarter, revealing the truth, and the power to block spells. Colombia is located at the north of South America and it has a population of 49,46 million people and it has been increasing as the years pass by. It is the second-most populous country in South America after Brazil. The Demography of Colombia is characterized for being the third-most populous country in Latin America, after Mexico and Brazil. Colombia experienced rapid population growth like most countries, but four decades of an armed conflict pushed millions of Colombians out of the country. However, a rebound economy in the 2000s in urban centres (perhaps the most urbanized Latin American nation) improved the situation of living standards for Colombians in a traditional class stratified economy. Colombia has 32 departments and a Capital District. Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly, elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods. Departments are country subdivisions and are granted a certain degree of autonomy. At The moment i am living in a city named Barranquilla which is the capital of the Atlantico department. Barranquilla is a very unique city with great culture. Every year Barranquilla celebrates something called “The Carnivals” on the month of February or March. Barranquilla's Carnival is one of Colombia's most important folkloric celebrations, and one of the biggest carnivals in the world. The carnival has traditions that date back to the 19th century. Four days before Holy Month, Barranquilla decks itself out to receive national and foreign tourists and joins together with the city's inhabitants to enjoy four days of intense festivities. During the carnival, Barranquilla's normal activities are paralyzed because the city gets busy with street dances, musical and masquerade parades. Barranquilla's Carnival includes dances such as the Spanish paloteo, African congo, and indigenous mico y micas. Many styles of Colombian music are also performed, most prominently cumbia, and instruments include drums and wind ensembles. The Carnival of Barranquilla was proclaimed a Cultural Masterpiece of the Nation by Colombia's National Congress in 2002. Every year Barranquilla is filled with tourists at around these celebrations. I love the neighbourhood i live in even though the streets get busy sometimes since it is a popular section here in Barranquilla and since all malls are located near by. The good part is that it is easier to get anywhere and most people i know live around me as well.