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There are few countries that can boast such a variety of natural and cultural resources as Colombia: white, sandy beaches, hills, snow-capped mountains, unending plains, jungle, exotic and lush vegetation, archeological sites, modern cities and peaceful colonial-style villages. And then there are, of course, its people, warm and friendly. A country of contrasts, Colombia has both snow capped peaks and tropical regions. Its topography is dominated by three Andean ranges that cross the country from southwest to northeast. The Western Cordillera has five peaks over 4,000 m (13,000 ft) high, but the Central Cordillera is higher, with six snow capped peaks over 4,900 m (16,100 ft). The Eastern Cordillera, longest of the three, branches off into Venezuela, and its highest elevations are above 5,000 m (16,400 ft). Pico Cristobal Colon, the highest point (5,775 m/18,947 ft), lies to the north. Two major rivers, the Cauca and Magdalena, run through the valleys on either side of the Central Cordillera. The mountains divide Colombia into three major regions-the highland core, the coastal lowlands, and the eastern plains. In the highlands, the Magdalena Valley includes important basins of settlements, most notably Cundinamarca, where Bogotá is located. Set in the Central Cordillera to the west of the Magdalena are two of Colombia's most important cities, Medellin (the second largest) and Manizales. Farther to the south in the Cauca Valley, Colombia's richest farmland, is Cali. The Pacific lowlands are a sparsely populated, swampy strip served by the port of Buenaventura. Of greater importance are the Caribbean lowlands, where the bulk of the nation's commerce moves through the ports of Santa Marta, Barranquilla, and Cartagena. In the east the lightly populated LLanos ("plains") constitute nearly 60 percent of the country's area and give way to unexplored tropical jungle in the southeast. Through the western half of the country, three Andean ranges run north and south, merging into one at the Ecuadorean border. The eastern half is a low, jungle-covered plain, drained by spurs of the Amazon and Orinoco, inhabited mostly by isolated, tropical forest Indian tribes. The fertile plateau and valley of the eastern range are the most densely populated parts of the country. OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Colombia (Independent Country since 1830) LAND Area: 1,138,914 sq km ( aprox 440,000 sq mi). Capital and largest city: Bogota (1985 pop. Elevations: highest-Cristobal Colon Peak, 5,775 m (18,947 ft); lowest-sea level, along the coast PEOPLE Population:(1995 est.) The population of Colombia is 35,101,000, giving the country an overall population density of about 31 persons per sq km (about 80 per sq mi). About 73 percent of the population is classified as urban. The principal centers of population are in the Magdalena and Cauca river valleys and in the Caribbean coastal region. The concordat of 1973 preserves a privileged status for Roman Catholicism; about 95 percent of the people are Roman Catholic. Small Protestant and Jewish minorities exist. The official language of Colombia is Spanish, although a new constitution adopted in 1991 recognizes the languages of ethnic groups in their territories and provides for bilingual education. Like neighboring Ecuador, Colombia had a large population before the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, and that fact affected future ethnological characteristics. Demography Most Colombians are mestizos (of mixed Indian and Spanish descent) or mulattoes (a mixture of black and white). Whites constitute an estimated 20 percent of the population, blacks 4 percent, Indians 1 percent. Historically, whites have occupied the higher social strata and held most positions of power. Mestizos and mulattoes are found in the middle and lower classes, although the latter group includes at least two-thirds of the population. Descent from an important family remains a crucial qualification for membership in the traditional socioeconomic elite, which dominates national life. However, social mobility, particularly movement into the middle class, has increased in recent times. Most people speak Spanish, and 95 percent of the population are Roman Catholic.Colombia's population is about 35 million, 70% living in cities and the rest in rural areas. The Andean region is the most densely populated, concentrating 75% of the total. The Caribbean coast follows with 21% while only 4% live in the pacific coast and in the vast regions of the Orinoco and Amazon basins. The population is principally meztizo, a mix of Indians since before the Conquest, whites from Spain and descendants of black slaves. POPULATION, YEAR 1992: 34,252,000 EDUCATION AND HEALTH Literacy ( est.):87% of adult population. Universities (1987): 34. Hospital beds (1983): 6,651. Physicians (1984): 23,250. Life expectancy (1992):women-74; men-69. Infant mortality (1992): 31 per 1,000 live births. ECONOMY GDP (1992 est.):$51 billion; $1,500 per capita. Labor distribution (1981): services-53%; agriculture--26%; industry-21%. Foreign trade (1991): imports-$6.1 billion; exports-$7.5 billion; principal trade partners-United States, European Community, Japan. CURRENCY: 1 Colombian peso = 100 centavos. GOVERNMENT Type: Republic. Government leader Ernesto Samper Pizano president-elect 1994 Legislature: Senate, House of Representatives. Political subdivisions: 23 departments, 24, intendancies, 5 commissariats, 1 special district. COMMUNICATIONS Railroads (1987: 3,236 km (2,011 mi) total. Roads (1986): 106,218 km (66,000 mi) total. Major ports: 7. Major airfields: 11. LAND USE: Arable land 4%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 29%; forest and woodland 49%; other 16%; includes irrigated NEGL% The distinguishing topographical feature of Colombia is the Andes mountain chain, situated in the central and western parts of the country, and extending north-south across almost its entire length. The Andes comprise three principal and parallel ranges: the Cordillera Oriental, the Cordillera Central, and the Cordillera Occidental. On the Caribbean coast is the isolated mountain mass known as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, which includes Colombia's highest point at Pico Cristóbal Colón (5775 m/18,947 ft). The Cordillera Central contains the volcanic peaks of Huila (5750 m/18,865 ft) and Tolima (5215 m/17,110 ft). About 240 km (about 150 mi) south of the Caribbean, the Cordillera Central descends to marshy jungle. The cordillera peaks are perpetually covered with snow; the timberline in these mountains lies at about 3000 m (about 10,000 ft). East of the Cordillera Oriental are vast reaches of torrid lowlands, thinly populated and only partly explored. The southern portion of this region, called selvas (rain forests), is thickly forested and is drained by the Caquetá River and other tributaries of the Amazon River. The northern and greater part of the region comprises vast plains, or llanos, and is traversed by the Meta and other tributaries of the Orinoco River. Between the cordilleras are high plateaus, a number of which are about 2400 m (about 8000 ft) above sea level, and fertile valleys, traversed by the principal rivers of the country. The principal river of Colombia, the Magdalena, flows north between the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Central, across practically the entire country, emptying into the Caribbean near Barranquilla after a course of about 1540 km (about 960 mi). The Cauca, also an important means of communication, flows north between the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Occidental, merging with the Magdalena about 320 km (about 200 mi) from the Caribbean. In the west the Patía cuts its way through the Andes to empty into the Pacific. The coastline of Colombia extends for about 1760 km (about 1090 mi) along the Caribbean and for about 1450 km (about 900 mi) along the Pacific. River mouths along the coasts are numerous, but no good natural harbors exist. Political Divisions and Principal Cities Colombia is divided into 32 departments and one capital district. The capital and largest city is Bogotá, an industrial center with a population (1992 estimate) of 4,921,264. Other important commercial cities include the trading and textile centers of Medellín (1,581,364) and Cali (1,624,401); Barranquilla (1,018,763), which provides both a seaport and a major international airport; and Cartagena (688,306), a seaport and oil pipeline terminal. CLIMATE Colombia lies almost entirely in the Torrid Zone, a meteorological term denoting the areas of the earth's surface between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. The climate, however, varies with the elevation. The low regions along the coast and the deep Patía and Magdalena river valleys are torrid, with average annual temperatures of 24° to 27° C (75° to 80° F). From about 500 to 2300 m (about 1500 to 7500 ft) the climate is subtropical, and from about 2300 to 3000 m (about 7500 to 10,000 ft) it is temperate. Above about 3000 m (about 10,000 ft) is the cold-climate zone, where temperatures range from -18° to 13° C (0° to 55° F). The average January and July temperatures in Bogotá are the same: 14° C (57° F). The averages for the same months in Barranquilla are 27° C (80° F) and 28° C (82° F). Throughout the year, three-month periods of rain and dry weather alternate. Along the Pacific coast precipitation is heavy. At Bogotá the annual rainfall averages about 1060 mm (about 42 in), and in Barranquilla it averages about 800 mm (about 32 in). Dry weather prevails on the slopes of the Cordillera Oriental LAND BOUNDARIES: 7,408 km (4,000 mi); Brazil 1,643 km (887 mi), Ecuador 590 km (319 mi), Panama 225 km (121 mi), Peru 2,900, Venezuela 2,050 km (1,107 mi) COASTLINE: 3,208 km (1,732 mi); Caribbean Sea 1,760 km (950 mi), N.Pacific Ocean 1,448 km (782 mi) MAGDALENA RIVER{mag-duh-lee'-nuh} Continental shelf: not specified; Exclusive economic zone:200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm. DISPUTES: Maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; territorial dispute with Nicaragua over Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank. DEFORESTATION RATE: -1 net annual percent RESOURCES Petroleum reserves, augmented by new finds in 1993, are second only to Venezuela's in South America. Coal deposits are the largest in Latin America. Almost 95 percent of the world's emeralds come from Colombia, which is also Latin America's leading gold producer. Colombia is also rich in platinum
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