In this thesis the buckling and post-buckling behavior of slenders columns under self-weight are studied. First a linear analysis is conducted to determine the critical loads for different boundary conditions and the load-frequency relation. In order to study the post-buckling behavior of the column, a geometrically exact formulation for the non- linear analysis of uni-dimentional structural elements has been derived, considering arbitrary load distribution and boundary conditions. From this formulation one obtains a set of first-order coupled non-linear equations which, together with the boundary conditions at the column ends, form a two-point boundary value problem. This problem is solved by the simultaneous use of the Runge-Kutta integration scheme and the Newton-Raphson method. By virtue of a continuation algorithm, accurate solutions can be obtained for a variety of stability problems exhibiting either limit point or bifurcational-type buckling. Using this formulation, a detailed parametric analysis is conducted in order to study the buckling and post-buckling behavior of slender columns under self-weight, including the influence of boundary conditions on the stability, internal forces distribution and large deflection behavior of the column. To verify the quality and accuracy of the results, an experimental analysis was conducted considering a clamped-free thin-walled metal column. The buckling and post-buckling behavior as well as the load-frequency relation were obtained and compared favorably with the theoretical and numerical results.