Flat grassy prairies in the east along with the jungles and towering rainforests of the Amazon make up over half the country's area. Gained independence from Spain in 1819. Spanish is the official language. Local Indian dialects and some English, French, German and Italian are also spoken. GMT - 5.
Hotels have facilities.
Facilities are available through national ENDT telecommunications offices. Post offices are marked Correos . Letters and packets sent by airmail normally take between five and seven days to reach their destination. The Colombian Post is the only English newspaper. Spanish dailies include El Espacio, El Espectador, El Nuevo Siglo and El Tiempo .