The Mosque in the island of San Andres, Colombia, as seen from the Sunrise Hotel

The Arab diaspora in Colombia refers to the influences of Islam in the Republic of Colombia. San Andrés Colombia may refer to San Andrés y Providencia, an island department San Andrés San Andrés y Providencia, capital city For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Islam was first introduced into the country during the War of Independence of Gran Colombia (on nowadays Colombian territory) and with an important migrating wave of migration originating in c. 1880 and decreasing until c. 1930. Most of the Middle Easterners came from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine escaping from the repression of the Ottoman Empire and financial hardships. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish ^[1]

Most of the Syrian-Lebanese established in the Caribbean Region of Colombia in the towns of Santa Marta, Lorica, Fundación, Aracataca, Ayapel, Calamar, Ciénaga, Cereté, Montería and Barranquilla near the basin of the Magdalena River. The Caribbean Region or Caribbean Coast Region is a natural region of Colombia mainly composed of eight Departments located contiguous to Santa Marta is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains capital of Santa Cruz de Lorica is a town and municipality located in the Córdoba Department, northern Colombia. Fundación is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of Magdalena. Aracataca (colloquially sometimes referred to as " Cataca " is a municipality located in the Department of Magdalena, Colombia 's Ayapel is a town and municipality located in the Córdoba Department, northern Colombia. Calamar is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia. Ciénaga is a municipality and village in the Magdalena Department, Colombia, second largest population center in this department after the city of Santa Cereté is a town and municipality located in the Córdoba Department, northern Colombia. Montería is a municipality and city located in Northern Colombia, capital of the Department of Cordoba. Barranquilla, an industrial portuary and special district is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea. The Magdalena River (Spanish Río Magdalena) also called Yuma River (Spanish Río Yuma) is the principal River of Colombia, running It later expanded to other cities and by 1945 there were Middle Easterners moving inland like Ocaña, Cúcuta, Barrancabermeja, Ibagué, Girardot, Honda, Tunja, Villavicencio, Pereira, Soatá, Neiva, Buga, Chaparral and Chinácota. Ocaña is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Norte de Santander. Cúcuta (ˈkukuta is a Colombian city, capital of the North Santander Department and located in the northeast of the country Barrancabermeja is a city and municipality in Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. Ibagué is the Capital of the department of Tolima in Colombia. Honda is a town and municipality in the Tolima department of Colombia. Tunja ˈtuŋha is a city and municipality in Colombia, capital of the Boyacá department and part of the subregion of the Central Boyacá Villavicencio is a City and Municipality in Colombia, capital of the Department of Meta, with 361058 inhabitants Pereira (meaning a pear tree) is a common surname in the Portuguese language. Soatá is a town and municipality in Boyacá Department, Colombia. For the Portuguese municipality see Neiva Portugal. For the Neiva Trout or Neiva char, see Salvelinus neiva. Buga formally Guadalajara de Buga is a medium sized city and municipality in the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia. Chaparral is a Shrubland or heathland Plant community found primarily in the U Chinácota is a small town and municipality located in the Department of Norte de Santander in Colombia, South America. The four major hubs of Middle Eastern population were present in Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bogotá and Cali. Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá The number of immigrants entering the country vary from 5,000 to 10,000 in 1945. Some of these immigrants were Christian-Lebanese and others were adept to Islam. ^[1]

Another smaller wave of immigrants came later from the Middle East in the 1940s this time establishing in the town of Maicao, La Guajira in northern Colombia. Maicao ( Wayuunaiki: mai-ka-u) is a city and municipality in the Department of La Guajira, northern Republic of Colombia. The Department of La Guajira or simply La Guajira (la ɰwa'hiɾa is a department of Colombia. This immigrants were mostly muslim and were attracted by the thriving commerce of the town which was benefiting from the neighboring Venezuelan oil bonanza and the usual contraband of goods that flowed through the Guajira Peninsula. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Guajira Peninsula (Peninsula de La Guajira is a Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean sea. ^[2]

See also

• Islam in Colombia

References