James' World 2

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Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a transcontinental country spanning South America and an insular region in North America. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the southeast, Ecuador and Peru to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest. Colombia comprises 32 departments and the Capital District of Bogotá, the country’s largest city. It covers an area of 1,141,748 square kilometers (440,831 sq mi), with a population of 50 million. Colombia’s rich cultural heritage reflects influences by various Amerindian civilizations, European settlement, African slaves, and immigration from Europe and the Middle East. Spanish is the nation’s official language, besides which over 70 languages are spoken.

Colombia has been inhabited by various indigenous peoples since at least 12,000 BCE, including the Muisca, Quimbaya, and the Tairona. The Spanish landed first in La Guajira in 1499 and by the mid-16th century colonized parts of the region, establishing 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 Colombia emerging as the United Provinces of New Granada. The new nation experimented with federalism as the Granadine Confederation (1858), and then the United States of Colombia (1863), before the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886. Panama seceded in 1903, leading to Colombia’s present borders. Beginning in the 1960s, the country has suffered from an asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict and political violence, both of which escalated in the 1990s. Since 2005, there has been significant improvement in security, stability, and rule of law, as well as unprecedented economic growth and development.

Colombia is one of the world’s seventeen megadiverse countries and has the second-highest level of biodiversity in the world. Its territory encompasses Amazon rainforest, highlands, grasslands, and deserts, and it is the only country in South America with coastlines and islands along both Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Colombia is a member of major global and regional organizations including the United Nations, the WTO, the OECD, the OAS, the Pacific Alliance, the Andean Community, and a NATO Global Partner. Its diversified economy is the third-largest in South America, with macroeconomic stability and favorable long-term growth prospects.

The name “Colombia” is derived from the last name of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish: Cristóbal Colón). It was conceived as a reference to all of the New World. The name was later adopted by the Republic of Colombia of 1819, formed from the territories of the old Viceroyalty of New Granada (modern-day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and northwest Brazil).

When Venezuela, Ecuador, and Cundinamarca came to exist as independent states, the former Department of Cundinamarca adopted the name “Republic of New Granada”. New Granada officially changed its name in 1858 to the Granadine Confederation. In 1863 the name was again changed, this time to United States of Colombia, before finally adopting its present name – the Republic of Colombia – in 1886.

To refer to this country, the Colombian government uses the terms Colombia and República de Colombia. Wikipedia

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An image of Cartagena Colombia

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The Alaska Peninsula brown bear or “peninsular grizzly” is a colloquial nomenclature for a brown bear that lives in the coastal regions of southern Alaska, although according to other sources, it is a population of the mainland grizzly bear subspecies (Ursus arctos horribilis), or the Kodiak bear subspecies (U. a. middendorffi).

Alaska Peninsula brown bears are very large, usually ranging in weight from 800 to 1,200 lb (360 to 540 kg). They are found in high densities along the southern Alaskan coast due not only to the large amount of clams and sedge grass but also to the annual salmon runs; this allows them to attain huge sizes, some of the biggest in the world. They may gather in large numbers at feeding sites, such as Brooks Falls and McNeil Falls, both in Katmai National Park near King Salmon. Biologists maintain that coastal ones are truly brown bears. However, it is considered correct to place all North American members of U. arctos in the subspecies horribilis except the giant Kodiak bears of Kodiak Island. To avoid confusion, many simply refer to all North American members, including Kodiaks, as “brown bears.”

Prized by hunters for their skulls and hides, up to 500 of Alaska’s 1,500 brown bears killed yearly by hunters come from the Alaska Peninsula. To hunt this large bear, hunters must follow a variety of regulations, including bear bag limits, hunting fees, and proper rifles.

The Alaska Peninsula brown bear’s name most likely arose because, until 1975, it was considered a different species from the inland grizzly bear. It was never considered closer to European brown bears than inland grizzlies but was given a different name, due to the size and color differences of coastal browns and inland grizzlies. From 1975 onward, it was considered to be the same species, but coastal ones retained the name “brown bear.” When mentioning Brown bears or Grizzly bears, they are the same animal living in different areas. Coastal bears tend to be larger because of a diet high in salmon. The total number of Brown bears in the U.S. is estimated at 32,000 with approximately 95% (30,400) living in Alaska. Around 4000 of these are coastal bears. Alaska Peninsula brown bears are among the largest types of brown bear in the world. They usually measure 8 ft (2.4 m) in length, usually have a shoulder height of about 4 to 4 1/2ft or 1.22 to 1.37 meters (137 cm), and a hindfoot length of 11 in (28 cm). One study found that the average weight for a coastal male was around 408 kg (899 lb), and 227 kilograms (500 pounds) for a female. On the other hand, an occasional huge male brown has been recorded which greatly exceeds ordinary size, with weights reported up to 680 kg (1,500 lb). A large coastal male of this size may stand up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) tall on its hind legs, and be up to 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) at the shoulder. The biggest individual on record was shot in 1948 near Cold Bay. Its weight was estimated at 725 to 771 kg (1,598 to 1,700 lb). This bear just came out of hibernation and carried little or no fat; that means the animal would have weighed around 839 kg (1,850 lb) at the end of the summer. Although variable from blonde to nearly black, grizzly bear fur is typically brown in color with white tips. A pronounced hump appears on their shoulders; the hump is a good way to distinguish a black bear from a grizzly bear, as black bears do not have this hump. Wikipedia

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An image of an Alaska Peninsula Big Brown Bear

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