La Granadina
Grenadine Confederation Confederación Granadina | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: Libertad y Orden "Liberty and Order" | |
| Anthem: Marcha Granadina "Granadine March" | |
.svg) 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 Barros Méndez |
• President pro tempore | Guillermo de Capistrano |
| Legislature | Congress of the Confederation |
| Senate | |
| 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
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.