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Colombia
SOUTH AMERICA
FACTFILE
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Colombia
DATE OF FORMATION: 1819
CAPITAL: Bogotá
POPULATION: 45.7 million
TOTAL AREA: 439,733 sq. miles
(1,138,910 sq. km)
DENSITY: 114 people per sq. mile
LANGUAGES: Spanish*, Wayuu, Páez, other
Amerindian languages
RELIGIONS: Catholic 95%, other 5%
ETHNIC MIX: Mestizo 58%, White 20%,
European-African 14%, African 4%, African-
Amerindian 3%, other 1%
GOVERNMENT: Presidential system
CURRENCY: Col. peso = 100 centavos
Lying in northwest South America, Colombia has
coastlines on both the Caribbean and the Pacific. It is primarily
noted for its coffee, emeralds, gold, and cocaine trafficking.
GEOGRAPHY
The densely forested and almost
uninhabited east is separated from the
western coastal plains by the Andes,
which divide into three ranges
(cordilleras) with intervening valleys.
CLIMATE
Coastal plains are hot and wet. The
highlands are much cooler. The equatorial
east has two wet seasons.
PEOPLE & SOCIETY
Most Colombians are of mixed
blood. Blacks and Amerindians have the
least political representation. Civil
conflict over four and a half decades has
displaced millions of people, and left
over 200,000 dead. The fighting is deeply
entwined with the narcotics trade.
Violent crime is common.
THE ECONOMY
Healthy and diversified export
sector – includes coffee and coal.
Considerable growth potential, but
drugs-related violence and corruption
deter foreign investors.
INSIGHT: Over 50% of the world’s
cocaine is produced in Colombia
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Equator
Cali
Medellín
Barranquilla
Manizales
Cúcuta
Cartagena
Pasto
Popayán
Neiva
Villavicencio
Armenia
Montería
Sincelejo
Valledupar
Santa Marta
Bucaramanga
BOGOTÁ