World Atlas: Colombia. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Colombia.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Colombia. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Colombia. But let's start with the flag of Colombia here:
Colombia - Overview:
What you should know about Colombia? Let's start with this: Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged after the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A decades-long conflict between government forces and antigovernment insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization ceased to operate. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, organized criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. After four years of formal peace negotiations, the Colombian Government signed a revised final peace accord with the FARC in November 2016, which was subsequently ratified by the Colombian Congress. The accord calls for members of the FARC to demobilize, disarm, and reincorporate into society and politics, and it creates an alternative system for transitional justice that includes a “Special Jurisdiction for Peace” to address accountability for conflict-related crimes and established truth-telling mechanisms. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.
Geography of Colombia
Where on the globe is Colombia? The location of this country is Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama. Total area of Colombia is 1,138,910 sq km, of which 1,038,700 sq km is land. So this is very large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos). The lowest point of Colombia is Pacific Ocean 0 m, the highest point Pico Cristobal Colon 5,730 m. And the climate is tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands.
Inhabitants of Colombia
Let's take a look how many people live in Colombia. The number is: 47,698,524 (July 2017 est.). So quite a lot people live here. Who lives here? mestizo and white 84.2%, Afro-Colombian (includes mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 10.4%, Amerindian 3.4%, Romani . What are the languages in Colombia? Spanish (official). And the religions: Roman Catholic 79%, Protestant 14% (includes Pentecostal 6%, mainline Protestant 2%, other 6%), other 2%, unspecified 5% (2014 est.). How old are the people in average? 30 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 75.9 years. Where the people live in Colombia? Here: the majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated. The major urban areas of Colombia are: Bogota (capital) 9.765 million; Medellin 3.911 million; Cali 2.646 million; Barranquilla 1.991 million; Bucaramanga 1.215 million; Cartagena 1.092 million (2015).
Government and Economy of Colombia
The capital of Colombia is Bogota and the government type presidential republic. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, Archipielago de San Andres, Providencia y Santa Catalina (colloquially San Andres y Providencia), Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada. Regarding the economy of Colombia, important industrial products are textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds. Important agricultural products are coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; shrimp; forest products. The most important export commodities are petroleum, coal, emeralds, coffee, nickel, cut flowers, bananas, apparel and the most important export partners are US 33.5%, Panama 6.3% (2016). The most important import commodities are industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity and the most important import partners are US 26.4%, China 19.1%, Mexico 7.5%, Brazil 4.7% (2016). How rich is Colombia and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $14,500 (2017 est.). This is quite good. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 27.8% (2015 est.).