Why do Americans say Columbia when it's really Colombia?

Question

Why do Americans say Columbia when it's really Colombia?

Answer 1

It's just ignorance. The best example I have is that of Brittish Columbia... people think that BC and Colombia are spelled the same when they're not. BC is called that way because of a river called Columbia and the Brittish part was added to imply that it's part of the Commonwealth (instead of the US). Therefore, the idea that Colombia is translated in English as Columbia is bogus. They have no connection, whatsoever. A to the other arguement that they say Columbia just as we say Estados Unidos is right in the sense that proper names should not be translated. However, since leaving the original name would sound awful we translate it (plus what countries called the US, US other than other English speaking countries?). One thing is to translate a name and other is to translate something that does not need translation (we translate the "United States" part, but who translates "America"? No one, cause is a proper name, not a noun, a proper name... Colombia is a proper name so should be spelled as Colombia always.).

Answer 2

It's called an accent.

Answer 3

For the same reason the people of Columbia call the United States Estados Unidos, or for short EEUU rather than USA.

Answer 4

Probably because there are many cities and counties in America named Columbia, not to mention the District of Columbia. Not knowing or paying enough attention to the way Colombia the country was spelled with an o and not a u is probably why.

Answer 5

Because Americans are the best.

And because it's Columbia, not Colombia.  Read any of our maps and see.

Seriously, haven't you noticed that it's both?  How do you say "THE UNITED STATES".  Los Estados Unidos?  But it's not, it's THE UNITED STATES.  Is it Espana or Spain?  It's BOTH.  And it's other things in other languages.  

See what I mean?  Stop worrying about meaningless, trivial things and ask some significant questions, please.

Answer 6

I agree with what Expo said. Since there are a lot of cities in the USA named Columbia most people just assumed that's how it's spelled because they've never bothered to look at a map in their lives. I'm colombian, I see people do that all the time and I always correct them and make sure they spell it right.

To diegobass, you're an idiot. You obviously have not looked at a map because if you have you had you would know that even on American maps it is spelled COLOMBIA.