Colombia: A brief history
JORGE ORLANDO MELO GONZÁLEZ

Summary
For many years, Colombia’s history has been focused on its chronic armed conflicts and the brutal war against drug trafficking, offering a one-sided picture of the nation. The author offers multiple data points about the economic, social, cultural and historical characteristics of the nation that show Colombia as a prosperous land whose diversity sets it apart.

Colombia is a country of 48 million people, located in the northern part of South America with access to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It also features several climatic zones that facilitate diverse crops and fauna, contain an important forest reserve (including a significant portion of the Amazon rainforest), three mountain ranges that are part of the Andean chain, and multiple rivers that serve as a major means of transportation and subsistence for the Colombian people. This introductory information is just the tip of the iceberg of all there is to discover about this rich and varied land and its hemispheric and global importance.

This volume also tells the story of Colombia from the first inhabitants to the present day, covering the Colony, Independence, the creation of the Republic, the political ups and downs of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the brutal civil war known as the Violence, the sea changes at the end of the last century and the challenges of the new one. It includes a discussion of the customs of the inhabitants, the gastronomy of the regions, the economy, and the role of women in society, giving the reader a comprehensive view and understanding of the complex social, political and economic dynamics of Colombia today.

Data sheet
Category: essay-history
ISBN: 978-958-42-8772-4
Publication date: 21/09/2020
Extent: 391
Format: 16 x 24 cm

Author´s biography

Jorge Orlando Melo González. Jorge Orlando Melo got a degree in Philosophy and Letters from the National University of Colombia and a Master in Latin American History from the North Carolina University. He also has a degree in history from Oxford. He is a former history professor in Colombia (National University and Del Valle University), United States (Duke University) and Argentina (CLACSO), director of the Centre of Studies for Development and the Institute of Political Studies and International Affairs from National University.

Between 1990 and 1994, she was the Presidential Councelor for Human Rights. Until 2005, he directed the Luis Angel Arango National Library and between 2012 and 2014, he was the dean of the Social Studies Faculty at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University. Melo is the author of books such as The Establishment of Spanish Dominance, On History and Politics, Predicting the Past and Essays of Colombian Historiography, and has been the coordinator of teamworks such as History of Medellín, History of Antioquia and Colombia 1960-2010: the Pursuit of Democracy.