Congress of Angostura Establishes Gran Colombia with Bolívar as President

On December 17, 1819, the Congress of Angostura proclaimed the establishment of Gran Colombia as a union of Venezuela and New Granada (modern-day Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and parts of northern Peru, northwestern Brazil, and western Guyana). Simón Bolívar was elected the first president of Gran Colombia, with Francisco Antonio Zea as vice president. This congress, convened by Bolívar in Angostura (present-day Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela), was a pivotal moment in Latin American independence, creating the first union of independent nations in the region. Gran Colombia existed until 1831, with Bolívar serving as president from 1819 to 1830.