Divorce attorneys in Pasadena have seen the divorce rate in Southern California climb during the last decade. Sociologists and legal experts theorize the economy and other factors may have something to do with the climbing rate. But in Bogotá, Colombia, the divorce rate has exploded — and many say it could be due to several extreme issues unique to the country.

Recently called one of the 10 most dangerous cities on the planet, Bogotá has one of the highest divorce rates in Latin America. DivorceSaloon.com recently wondered if the region's extreme narco-terrorism violence to the increase in divorce. Kidnappings, car bomb explosions and homicide are daily occurrences in Bogotá, leading many couples to call it quits under the daily threat of violence. Certainly, studies have shown areas of the world with political discord and violence to have extremely high divorce rates. But there could be another reason divorce is running rampant in Columbia.

In 2005, legislation passed in Columbian congress which allows couples to divorce in 60 minutes and for roughly $15.

"The aim is to make life easier for Colombians," Manuel Cuello, superintendent of the national registrar, told the Associated Press back in 2005. "Getting divorced should not be such a bureaucratic ordeal."

The country's "quickie divorces" soon became legendary, receiving global attention. What was initially a move to address hundreds of backlogged divorce cases has turned into a national past time. The country has seen numbers of divorces filed nearly double since the legislation was passed.

Quickie divorces and violent climate aside, divorce has been on the rise in Latin America for the last several decades. Many South American countries like Colombia didn't even have accessible divorces until the late 1970s. A study by Univerisdad Externado shows that divorce has been steadily increasing for the last 50 years.

Elsewhere on the continent, Chile has the lowest divorce rate in all of Latin America.