Colombia is a country in South America, bordering Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. Indigenous people (including the Incas) inhabited the area since the twelfth century BCE. The Spanish arrived in 1499 and colonized much of the area through the sixteenth century. Colombia achieved independence from Spain in 1819, but the official Republic of Colombia was established in 1886. Colombia is ethnically and linguistically diverse. Notable writers include Juan de Castellano and Gabriel García Márquez.