Gran Colombia
Colombia, 1819–1831. Draft, not yet reviewed
Gran Colombia was the Colombian state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central America from 1819 to 1831. It included present-day Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, parts of northern Peru, northwestern Brazil, and claimed the Essequibo region. Its existence was marked by a struggle between those who supported a centralized government with a strong presidency and those who supported a decentralized, federal form of government. Gran Colombia was dissolved in 1831 due to the political differences that existed between supporters of federalism and centralism, as well as regional tensions among the peoples that made up the republic.
Seat of power: Bogotá
Rulers
Simón Bolívar
President of Colombia, 1819–1830
The Congress of Cúcuta ratified the formation of Gran Colombia and elected Bolívar as president and Santander as vice president. On 27 August he assumed supreme power as the "president-liberator" of Colombia and abolished the office of the vice president.
Portrait of Simón Bolívar: Luis Enrique Toro Moreno (1897-1933), Public domain, file
Domingo Caycedo
President of Colombia, 1830–1831
He served as acting President of Colombia a total of eleven times, the most terms any president has served to date. He is also credited for creating the Republic of New Granada after the division of Venezuela and Ecuador.
Portrait of Domingo Caycedo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- The total population of Gran Colombia after independence was 2,583,799, lower than the 2,900,000 population of the territory before independence.
- Indians numbered 1,200,000 people, or 50% of the population.
- The Constitution of Cúcuta was drafted in 1821 at the Congress of Cúcuta, establishing the republic's capital in Bogotá.
Picture
The Quinta de Bolívar is a colonial house in Bogotá that served as a residence to Simón Bolívar after the war of independence.
Image: Msorel, Public domain, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.