Coin and Currency Club for the month is from South America – Colombia. Colombia is nicknamed the “gateway to South America” because it sits in the northwestern part of the continent where South America connects with Central and North America. It is the fifth largest country in Latin America and home to the world’s second largest population of Spanish-speaking people. Colombia has been inhabited by various indigenous peoples since at least 12,000 BCE, including the Muisca, Quimbaya and 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 Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886. Panama seceded in 1903, leading to Colombia’s present borders.
Flag of Colombia
Colombian artist Debora Arango Perez is on the front of the 2,000 pesos bank note
Caño Cristales the rainbow river is on the back of the note
The back of the 50 pesos coin is the spectacled bear native to South America
