La Granadina

Grenadine Confederation Confederación Granadina
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Libertad y Orden "Liberty and Order"
Anthem: Marcha Granadina "Granadine March"
La Granadina (dark green)
Capital and largest city	Bogotá
Official languages	Spanish
Recognised regional languages	Raizal Creole
Indigenous languages	Various
Ethnic groups (1965)	90% White/Mestizo 5% Afro-Granadine/Raizal 4% Indigenous 1% Other
Religion (1965)	92% Christian 7% Nonreligious 1% Other
Demonym(s)	Granadine (Granadino/a)
Government	Federal presidential republic
• President	José Barrios Méndez
• President pro tempore	Guillermo Cáceres Fuentes
Legislature	Congress of the Confederation
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Area
• Total	12,500,000 km2 (4,800,000 sq mi)
Population
• 1965 census	24,645,891
Currency	Peso (CGP)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Granadine Time)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+57

The Granadine Confederation (Spanish: Confederación Granadina), generally known as La Granadina (lit. "The Granadine"), is a transcontinental country spanning South and Central America. Spanning over a million square kilometres, the La Granadina is home to nearly 25 million people, making it the third most populous country in the Western Hemisphere. La Granadina is a federal republic, composed of nine states and a two districts. It borders Ecuador and Peru to the east, Brazil to the south, Venezuela to the east, and the United Republic of Central America to the north. It boasts extensive coastlines along both the Atlantic and Pacific, while the Granadine Canal connects the two oceans.

La Granadina has been home to many indigenous peoples and cultures since at least 12,000 BCE. The Spanish first landed in La Guajira in 1499, and by the mid-16th century, they had colonized much of the present-day Confederation, and established the New Kingdom of Granada, with Santa Fé de Bogotá as its capital. Independence from the Spanish Empire was achieved in 1819, with what is now La Granadina emerging as Gran Colombia – "Greater Colombia". After the secession of Ecuador and Venezuela, the core of the former state became the unitary and centralist Republic of New Granada, until it was reformed as a loose federation in 1858. A number of civil conflicts and military coups plagued the new Granadine Confederation, resulting in the creation of a society increasingly divided between supporters of the Liberal and Conservative factions. This conflict came to a head in 1927, when the Battle of Bogota levelled nearly half of the Granadine capital. During the 1930s and 40s, therefore, leaders of the two groups held negotiations in a process that became known as the conciliacion, during which limited power-sharing agreements were implemented. With the beginning of the Cold War, however, tensions have again flared up, with the two factions competing not only politically but also militarily.

La Granadina is officially governed as a federal presidential republic. Executive power is vested in the President and his ministers, as well as the President pro tempore, who replaces the President if he is removed from office, and serves as a check on the President's power. Legislative power is exercised by the bicameral Congress. The nine large states all have substantial powers, including several exclusive competencies, while the two much-smaller districts are less autonomous. While elections in La Granadina are considered to be competitive, they are not free and fair by international standards; rather, they serve as a theatre for the political and military conflict between the Liberals and Conservatives, with each faction trying to assert dominance by assuming control of political offices.

Name

The Granadine Confederation is named after New Granada, the name given to the area by the Spanish. The term "New Granada" itself derives from the City of Granada (Arabic: Ġarnāṭa). "La Granadina", the more common name for the country, derives from the nominalized adjective form of the word "Granadine".

History

Main article: Timeline of Granadine History

La Granadina has been home to many indigenous peoples and cultures since at least 12,000 BCE. The Spanish first landed in La Guajira in 1499, and by the mid-16th century, they had colonized much of the present-day Confederation, and established the New Kingdom of Granada, with Santa Fé de Bogotá as its capital. Independence from the Spanish Empire was achieved in 1819, with what is now La Granadina emerging as Gran Colombia – "Greater Colombia". After the secession of Ecuador and Venezuela, the core of the former state became the unitary and centralist Republic of New Granada, until it was reformed as a loose federation in 1858. A number of civil conflicts and military coups plagued the new Granadine Confederation, resulting in the creation of a society increasingly divided between supporters of the Liberal and Conservative factions. This conflict came to a head in 1927, when the Battle of Bogota levelled nearly half of the Granadine capital. During the 1930s and 40s, therefore, leaders of the two groups held negotiations in a process that became known as the conciliacion, during which limited power-sharing agreements were implemented. With the beginning of the Cold War, however, tensions have again flared up, with the two factions competing not only politically but also militarily.

Geography

La Granadina is a transcontinental country, with territory in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It features landscapes ranging from the mountainous Andes to the flat, rolling Llanos (plains) and the Amazon rainforest region.

Administrative Divisions

Main article: States and districts of La Granadina

States of La Granadina

La Granadina is composed of 9 states (Spanish: Estados Soberanos) and 2 districts (Spanish: Distritos). Each state is further divided into departments (Spanish: Departamentos) which are themselves divided into municipalities (Spanish: Municipios). Districts, meanwhile, are divided into precincts (Spanish: Barrios).

States and Districts of La Granadina

Division	Capital	Type
Antioquia	Medellín	Sovereign State
Bogotá	Bogotá City	Federal District
Bolívar	Cartagena	Sovereign State
Boyacá	Tunja	Sovereign State
Cauca	Popayán	Sovereign State
Cundinamarca	Bogotá	Sovereign State
Magdalena	Santa Marta	Sovereign State
Panamá	Panamá City	Free State
Santander	Bucaramanga	Sovereign State
Sient Anju	Sient Anju City	Insular District
Tolima	Ibagué	Sovereign State

Climate

La Granadina spans numerous climate zones, from rainforest and savannah areas to hot deserts and even quasi-tundra areas in the high Andes. The capital city, Bogotá, experiences a subtropical highland climate.

Climate data for Bogotá Cipriano de Mosquera International Airport (1950-1965)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	20.2 (68.4)	20.3 (68.5)	20.4 (68.7)	20.1 (68.2)	20.0 (68.0)	19.2 (66.6)	18.6 (65.5)	18.8 (65.8)	19.2 (66.6)	19.5 (67.1)	19.6 (67.3)	19.9 (67.8)	19.6 (67.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	14.3 (57.7)	14.5 (58.1)	14.9 (58.8)	14.9 (58.8)	15.0 (59.0)	14.6 (58.3)	14.1 (57.4)	14.3 (57.7)	14.3 (57.7)	14.4 (57.9)	14.6 (58.3)	14.4 (57.9)	14.5 (58.1)
Average low °C (°F)	7.6 (45.7)	8.4 (47.1)	9.5 (49.1)	9.7 (49.5)	9.7 (49.5)	9.5 (49.1)	9.2 (48.6)	8.9 (48.0)	8.7 (47.7)	9.0 (48.2)	9.2 (48.6)	8.0 (46.4)	9.0 (48.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	49.5 (1.95)	67.7 (2.67)	90.6 (3.57)	135.2 (5.32)	119.8 (4.72)	54.0 (2.13)	35.2 (1.39)	44.7 (1.76)	70.1 (2.76)	137.4 (5.41)	127.1 (5.00)	80.7 (3.18)	1,012 (39.8)
Average precipitation days	9	12	14	18	19	17	15	14	16	21	16	11	181
Average relative humidity (%)	75	76	75	77	77	75	74	74	75	76	77	76	76
Mean monthly sunshine hours	155.0	124.4	105.4	81.0	83.7	93.0	114.7	117.8	108.0	96.1	102.0	139.5	1,320.6
Mean daily sunshine hours	5.0	4.4	3.4	2.7	2.7	3.1	3.7	3.8	3.6	3.1	3.4	4.5	3.6