Nations of the Southern Continent

Page 106

The territory covers a circumference of over five thousand li original: 里 (lǐ); a traditional Chinese unit of distance, roughly 500 meters. It is said that before Catholicism original: 天主教 (Tiānzhǔjiào) was introduced, the people of this country already knew of and respected the Holy Cross. The local customs include using tattoos as decoration. The products of the land include white sugar, tobacco leaves, and indigo. This is the country known to the world as Colombia, located within the continent of South America.

The Reference for Geography original: 地理備考 (Dìlǐ Bèikǎo) states: In the eleventh year of the Daoguang reign 1831 AD, the nation of Colombia was divided into three countries that are no longer under a single administration. In this translated record of nations, we still use the name "Colombia" to encompass them all This refers to the dissolution of Gran Colombia into the republics of New Granada (modern Colombia and Panama), Venezuela, and Ecuador.

Colombia is situated in the northern part of the southern region of America. Its territory extends from 12 degrees North latitude to 6 degrees South latitude. Its longitude ranges from 61 degrees West to 85 degrees West. To the east, it borders the Atlantic Ocean and the country of Brazil. To the west, it connects to the two nations of Nicaragua original: 北盧哥 (Běi-lú-gē) and Costa Rica original: 斯德爾黎加 (Sī-dé-ěr-lí-jiā), as well as the Great Sea The Pacific Ocean. To the south, it meets Brazil and Peru... Text cuts off at "two," likely referring to the bordering nations of Peru and another neighbor