The Spanish arrived in 1499, later creating the Viceroyalty of New Granada (comprising modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, the north-west region of Brazil and Panama), the capital of which was Bogotá. Independence from Spain was won in 1819 but by 1830 “Gran Colombia” had collapsed with the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador. Colombia and Panama remained unified under various names until the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886. Panama seceded in 1903, under US pressure. Independence Day is July 20 1810.
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