| gē lún bǐ yà Colombia shǒudōu:shèng fěi bō gē dà guógūdàimǎ: co |
 哥伦比亚dú lì rì： 7 yuè 20 rì（ 1810 nián） guó qìng rì： 7 yuè 20 rì（ 1810 nián） guó huā： dōng kǎ tè lāi lán héng héng（ lán kē） guó qí： chéng cháng fāng xíng， cháng yǔ kuān zhī bǐ yuē wéi ３： ２。 zì shàng 'ér xià yóu huáng、 lán、 hóng sān gè píng xíng héng cháng fāng xíng xiāng lián 'ér chéng， huáng sè bù fēn zhàn qí miàn de yī bàn， lán sè、 hóng sè gè zhàn qí miàn de １ ／ ４， huáng sè xiàng zhēng jīn sè de yáng guāng、 gǔ wù hé fēng fù de zì rán zī yuán； lán sè dài biǎo lán tiān、 hǎi yáng hé hé liú； hóng sè xiàng zhēng 'ài guó zhě wéi zhēng qǔ guó jiā dú lì hé mín zú jiě fàng 'ér sǎ xià de xiān xuè。 guó huī： zhōng xīn tú 'àn wéi dùn huī。 dùn miàn zhōng jiān shì yī dǐng “ zì yóu zhī mào ”， xiàng zhēng zì yóu hé jiě fàng。 dùn miàn shàng bù wéi liǎng zhǐ xiàng zhēng fēng ráo de yáng jiǎo， zhōng jiān yī kē hóng shí liú。 gē lún bǐ yà céng chēng“ xīn gé lā nà dá gòng hé guó”，“ gé lā nà dá” zài xī bān yá yǔ zhòngyì wéi“ shí liú”。 dùn miàn xià bù de tú 'àn miáo huì gē lún bǐ yà xī bīn tài píng yáng， běi lín jiā lè bǐ hǎi de dì lǐ wèi zhì。 dùn huī shàng duān wéi yī zhǐ měi zhōu shén yīng diāo zhe yuè guì zhī yè huā huán， xiàng zhēng guó jiā de dú lì hé guāng róng； yīng zhǎo xià de shòu dài shàng yòng xī bān yá wén xiě zhe“ zì yóu、 zhì xù”， yì wéi zài zhì xù xià shí xíng zì yóu。 dùn huī liǎng cè gè xuán guà liǎng miàn guó qí。 guó jiā zhèng yào： zǒng tǒng 'ā 'ěr wǎ luó · wū lǐ wéi · bèi lāi sī (AlvaroUribe)，２ ００２ nián ８ yuè rèn zhí。 zì rán dì lǐ： 1141748 píng fāng gōng lǐ（ chú dǎo yǔ hé lǐng hǎi wài）。 wèi yú nán měi zhōu xī běi bù， dōng lín wěi nèi ruì lā、 bā xī， nán jiē 'è guā duō 'ěr、 bìlǔ， xī běi jiǎo yǔ bā ná mǎ jiē rǎng， běi lín jiā lè bǐ hǎi， xī bīn tài píng yáng。 rén kǒu： 4453 wàn（ 2003 nián）。 qí zhōng yìn 'ōu hùn xuè zhǒng rén zhàn 60 ％， bái rén zhàn 20％， hēi bái hùn xuè zhǒng rén zhàn 18％， qí yú wéi yìn dì 'ān rén hé hēi rén。 rén kǒu nián zēngchánglǜ 1.79％。 guān fāng yǔ yán wéi xī bān yá yǔ。 duō shù jū mín xìn fèng tiān zhù jiào。 shǒu dū： shèng fěi bō gē dà（ Bogota）， rén kǒu 649 wàn（ 2001 nián）。 nián píng jūn qì wēn 14 ℃。 huò bì： bǐ suǒ jiǎn shǐ： gǔ dài jìng nèi wéi qí bù chá zú děng yìn dì 'ān rén de fēn bù dì qū。１ ５３ ６ shì jì lún wéi xī bān yá zhí mín dì， chēng xīn gé lán nà dá。１８１０ nián ７ yuè２０ rì xuān bù tuō lí xī bān yá dú lì， hòu zāo zhèn yā。１８１ ９ nián nán měi jiě fàng zhě bō lì wǎ 'ěr lǐng dǎo de qǐ yì jūn zài bō yà kǎ zhàn yì huò shèng hòu， gē lún bǐ yà zuì zhōng huò dé dú lì。 xíng jūn lǐ de gē lún bǐ yà jūn rén 1821 nián zhì 1822 nián tóng xiàn wěi nèi ruì lā、 bā ná mǎ hé 'è guā duō 'ěr gòng tóng zǔ chéng dà gē lún bǐ yà gòng hé guó， 1829 nián zhì 1830 nián wěi、 è liǎng guó xiān hòu tuì chū。 1831 nián gǎi chēng xīn gé lán nà dá gòng hé guó。 1861 nián chēng gē lún bǐ yà hé zhòng guó。 1886 nián dìng guó míng wéi gē lún bǐ yà gòng hé guó。 1903 nián， bā ná mǎ shěng zài měi guó cè dòng xià xuān bù tuō lí gē dú lì。 dú lì hòu， zì yóu dǎng hé bǎo shǒu dǎng lún liú zhí zhèng。 2002 nián 5 yuè， dú lì rén shì wū lǐ wéi zài dà xuǎn shǒu lún tóu piào zhōng yǐ chāo guò bàn shù de xuǎn piào dāng xuǎn zǒng tǒng， dǎ pò liǎo gē liǎng dà chuán tǒng zhèng dǎng lún liú zhí zhèng de zhèng zhì gé jú。 zhèng zhì： gēn jù xiàn fǎ， gē lún bǐ yà wéi zhōng yāng jí quán guó jiā。 lì fǎ、 xíng zhèng hé sī fǎ sān quán fēn lí。 zǒng tǒng yóu zhí xuǎn chǎn shēng， wèiguó jiā yuán shǒu hé zhèng fǔ shǒu nǎo。 yì huì shì guó jiā de lì fǎ jī gòu。 nèi gé shì zhèng fǔ xíng zhèng jī gòu， yóu zǒng tǒng zhí jiē lǐng dǎo。 shí xíng dài yì zhì mín zhù， lì fǎ、 sī fǎ hé xíng zhèng sān quán fēn lí； zǒng tǒng wèiguó jiā yuán shǒu jiān zhèng fǔ shǒu nǎo， yì shì wǔ zhuāng bù duì tǒng shuài， yóu zhí jiē xuǎn jǔ chǎn shēng， bù néng lián rèn； huī fù shè lì fù zǒng tǒng； shěng shì cháng gǎi wéi zhí jiē xuǎn jǔ chǎn shēng； bǎo zhàng rén shēn 'ān quán、 xìn yǎng、 jié shè、 láo dòng、 sī xiǎng hé jiào yù zì yóu， yǐ jí guó jiā fù zé shǐ rén quán dé dào zūn zhòng。 jīng jì： zì rán zī yuán fēng fù， méi tàn、 shí yóu、 lǜ bǎo shí wéi zhù yào kuàng cáng。 yǐ tàn míng méi tàn chǔ liàng yuē 240 yì dūn， jū lā měi shǒu wèi。 shí yóu chǔ liàng 18 yì tǒng， tiān rán qì chǔ liàng 187 yì lì fāng mǐ， lǜ bǎo shí chǔ liàng jū shì jiè dì yī wèi， lǚ fán tǔ chǔ liàng wéi 1 yì dūn， yóu chǔ liàng 4 wàn dūn。 cǐ wài hái yòu jīn、 yín、 niè、 bó、 tiě děng kuàng cáng。 sēn lín miàn jī yuē 4923 wàn gōng qǐng。 gē lún bǐ yà lì shǐ shàng shì yǐ shēng chǎn kā fēi wéi zhù de nóng yè guó。 1999 nián， shòu yà zhōu jīn róng wēi jī děng yǐng xiǎng， jīng jì xiàn rù 60 nián lái zuì yán zhòng de shuāi tuì。 2000 nián jīng jì kāi shǐ fù sū， zhī hòu， yī zhí bǎo chí dī sù zēngzhǎng。 2003 nián zēng sù jiā kuài， jiàn zhù yè chí xù zēngzhǎng， diàn lì xū qiú jiā dà， jīn róng yè shì tóu liáng hǎo， dài kuǎn hé sī rén tóu zī zēng jiā， chuán tǒng chǎn pǐn chū kǒu kuò dà。 gē shì lā měi zhòng yào de lǚ yóu zhōng xīn zhī yī， lǚ yóu yè jiào fā dá。 2003 nián， wài guó yóu kè 62 wàn rén。 zhù yào lǚ yóu qū yòu： kǎ tǎ hè nà、 shèng mǎ 'ěr tǎ、 shèng fěi bō gē dà、 shèng 'ān dé liè sī hé pǔ luó wéi dēng xī yà qún dǎo、 mài dé lín、 guā xī lā bàn dǎo、 bó yà kǎ děng。 xīn wén chū bǎn： quán guó yuē yòu４００ zhǒng bào kān zá zhì。 zhù yào bào zhǐ yòu：《 shí dài bào》，《 bàng guān zhě bào》，《 xīn shì jì bào》，《 gòng hé guó bào》。 zhù yào zá zhì（ jūn wéi zhōu kān） yòu：《 xiàng dǎo》、《 xīn biān jiāng》、《 jīng jì zōng hé》、《 xīng qī》、《 kǒu hào》。 yǐ shàng bào kān jūn wéi xī bān yá wén。 gē lún bǐ yà xīn wén shè shì gē zuì dà de sī rén tōng xùn shè， chéng lì yú１９８１ 1 nián， xiàng quán guó jìn２０ jiā bào zhǐ hé diàn tái tí gōng xīn wén。 quán guó gòng yòu５８２ zuò guǎng bō diàn tái。“ guó jiā diàn tái” shì wéi yī guó yíng diàn tái， chuàng jiàn yú１９４０ nián。“ gē lún bǐ yà guǎng bō gōng sī”、“ quán guó guǎng bō gōng sī” hé“ tuō dé lā 'ěr” diàn tái wéi jiào dà de sān jiā sī rén guǎng bō gōng sī， zài gè dì shè yòu guǎng bō fā shè tái hé zhuǎn bō tái。 diàn shì yè shǐ yú１９５４ nián。 quán guó gòng yòu１５ jiā diàn shì tái， qí zhōng sān jiā wèiguó jiā diàn shì tái hé bō fàng tái， dàn yī、 èr tái tōng guò hé tóng xiàng sī rén diàn shì jié mù zhì zuò tái hé bō fàng tái chū zū， dì sān tái wèiguó jiā zhí jiē guǎn lǐ， bō fàng wén huà jiào yù děng jié mù。 wài jiāo： fèng xíng dú lì zì zhù、 bù jié méng hé duō yuán huà de wài jiāo zhèng cè。 wài jiāo zhòng diǎn shì jìn yī bù mìqiè yǔ měi guó de guān xì， jiā qiáng tóng lā měi dì qū tè bié shì zhōu biān guó jiā de hé zuò， gǒng gù tóng 'ōu méng de chuán tǒng lián xì， zēng jìn yǔ yà tài guó jiā de jiāo liú hé zuò。 yǔ zhōng guó guān xì：１９８０ nián２ yuè７ rì， gē lún bǐ yà tóng zhōng guó jiàn jiāo。 gē lún bǐ yà： guó míng。 zài nán měi zhōu xī běi bù， xī bīn tài píng yáng， běi lín jiā lè bǐ hǎi， dōng tóng wěi nèi ruì lā， dōng nán tóng bā xī， nán yǔ bìlǔ、 è guā duō 'ěr， xī běi yǔ bā ná mǎ wéi lín。 miàn jī 114.2 wàn píng fāng gōng lǐ。 rén kǒu 3， 060 wàn（ 1987）， yìn 'ōu hùn xuè zhǒng rén zhàn 57％， bái zhǒng rén zhàn 20％， hēi bái hùn xuè zhǒng rén zhàn 14％， yú wéi hēi zhǒng rén hé yìn dì 'ān rén děng。 xī bān yá yǔ wèiguó yǔ， duō xìn tiān zhù jiào。 shǒu dū shèng fěi bō gē dà。 xī bù chú yán hǎi píng yuán wài， wéi xī、 zhōng、 dōng sān tiáo píng xíng de kē dí lè lā shān mài gòu chéng de gāo yuán， shān jiān yòu kuān kuò de gè dì， nán bù yòu yī xì liè huǒ shān zhuī， xī běi bù wéi mǎ gé dá lāi nà hé xià yóu chōng jī píng yuán， shuǐ dào fēn qí， hú zhǎo guǎng bù。 dōng bù wéi yà mǎ sūn hé yǔ 'ào lǐ nuò kē hé shàng yóu zhī liú chōng jī píng yuán， yuē zhàn quán guó zǒng miàn jī de sān fēn zhī 'èr。 chì dào héng guàn nán bù， píng yuán nán bù hé xī 'àn wéi rè dài yǔ lín qì hòu， xiàng běi zhú jiàn zhuǎn wéi rè dài cǎo yuán hé gān zào cǎo yuán qì hòu， hǎi bá 1， 000-2， 000 mǐ de shān qū shǔ yà rè dài， 2， 000-3， 000 mǐ shǔ wēn dài， 3， 000-4， 500 mǐ shǔ gāo hán cǎo dì， 4， 500 mǐ yǐ shàng de gāo shān dì dài zhōng nián jī xuě。 kuàng wù zī yuán fēng fù， zhù yào yòu shí yóu、 méi、 jīn、 bó、 tiě、 tóng、 lǜ bǎo shí děng， cǐ wài hái yòu yín、 xīn、 niè、 lǚ tǔ、 qiān、 yóu děng。 shuǐ lì yùn cáng liàng wéi 5， 000 wàn qiān wǎ。 sēn lín miàn jī yuē zhàn quán guó miàn jī de yī bàn yǐ shàng。 shí liù shì jì lún wéi xī bān yá zhí mín dì。 1810 nián 7 yuè 20 rì xuān bù tuō lí xī bān yá tǒng zhì， 1819 nián huò dé dú lì。 1822 nián tóng jīn 'è guā duō 'ěr hé wěi nèi ruì lā zǔ chéng dà gē lún bǐ yà gòng hé guó。 1829 nián、 1830 nián wěi、 è xiāng jì tuì chū hòu， 1831 nián chēng xīn gé lán nà dá gòng hé guó。 1861 nián gǎi chēng gē lún bǐ yà jiǔ shěng lián bāng。 1863 nián yòu gǎi chēng gē lún bǐ yà hé zhòng guó， 1886 nián gǎi míng gē lún bǐ yà gòng hé guó。 1903 nián jìng nèi bā ná mǎ shěng tuō lí gē lún bǐ yà， jiàn lì bā ná mǎ gòng hé guó。 jīng jì yǐ nóng yè wéi zhù， cóng yè rén kǒu zhàn quán guó láo dòng lì de yī bàn。 kā fēi chǎn zhí zhàn nóng yè zǒng chǎn zhí de sān fēn zhī yī yǐ shàng， chǎn liàng hé chū kǒu liàng jǐn cì yú bā xī， jū shì jiè dì 'èr wèi。 qí tā zhù yào nóng zuò wù yòu shuǐ dào、 yù mǐ、 xiāng jiāo、 gān zhè、 mián huā hé yān cǎo。 xùmù yè jiào fā dá， mù chǎng zhàn zǒng miàn jī 28.9％。 kuàng yè yǐ kāi cǎi shí yóu hé méi wéi zhù， shì lā dīng měi zhōu zhù yào chǎn jīn guó， bó chǎn liàng jū shì jiè dì sì wèi， lǜ bǎo shí chǎn liàng jū shì jiè shǒu wèi。 gōng yè fā zhǎn jiào kuài， qí chǎn zhí yǐ zhàn guó nèi shēng chǎn zǒng zhí de wǔ fēn zhī yī yǐ shàng。 yǐ zhì táng、 kā fēi jiā gōng、 fǎng zhì wéi zhù de qīng gōng yè zhàn gōng yè zǒng chǎn zhí de 70％ yǐ shàng， hái yòu yě jīn、 jī qì zhì zào、 qì chē zhuāng pèi、 shuǐ ní、 huà xué、 liàn yóu、 shí yóu huà gōng děng。 lǚ yóu yè yòu jiào kuài fā zhǎn。 shū chū yǐ kā fēi wéi dà zōng， zhàn chū kǒu zǒng 'é de 50％ yǐ shàng； cì wéi méi、 huáng jīn、 shí yóu、 xiāng jiāo、 guì jīn shǔ yǐ jí fǎng zhì pǐn、 fú zhuāng、 shuǐ ní děng。 huā huì chū kǒu cì yú hé lán jū shì jiè dì 'èr wèi。 shū rù jī qì shè bèi、 chē liàng、 gōng yè yuán liào hé shí pǐn děng。 jiāo tōng yùn shū yǐ gōng lù wéi zhù， háng kōng yùn shū yì jiào fā dá。 ① gē lún bǐ yà tè qū wèi yú měi guó de dōng běi bù， kào jìn wéi jí ní yà zhōu hé mǎ lǐ lán zhōu。 tā wèi yú běi wěi 38.913611 dù， xī jīng -77.013222 dù， zǒng miàn jī 177 píng fāng gōng lǐ， qí zhōng yòu 10.16% de dì qū shì shuǐ。 cǐ dì yòu xiāng dāng duō bó wù guǎn， guó jì nǚ xìng yì shù bó wù guǎn jiù shì qí zhōng zhī yī。 ② měi guó nán kǎ luó lái nà zhōu zuì dà chéng shì、 shǒu fǔ。 wèi yú zhōng bù， kāng gé lì hé sù háng zhōng diǎn。 rén kǒu 9.9 wàn， dà shì qū 40.8 wàn（ 1980）。 1786 nián jiàn wéi zhōu shǒu fǔ， 1865 nián nán běi zhàn zhēng shí bèi huǐ， hòu zhòng jiàn。 xiàng wéi mián huā hé qí tā nóng chǎn pǐn jí sàn dì， xiàn réng wéi nán bù mián fǎng gōng yè zhōng xīn zhī yī， nóng lín chǎn pǐn jiā gōng、 diàn zǐ yí qì、 bō lí、 sù liào hé féi liào děng gōng yè fā dá。 wén jiào zhōng xīn。 yòu dà xué duō suǒ。 ③ měi guó mì sū lǐ zhōu zhōng bù chéng shì。 zài jié fěi xùn chéng yǐ běi 48 gōng lǐ。 rén kǒu 6.2 wàn（ 1980）。 jiàn yú 1821 nián。 1826 nián shè shì。 zhōu wéi dì qū nóng mù yè fā dá。 gōng yè yòu rǔ zhì pǐn、 zhuān wǎ、 yìn shuà děng。 zhù yào yī liáo hé xué shù zhōng xīn。 shè yòu zhōu lì 'ái kē yī yuàn、 zhōu lì jīng shén bìng yuàn、 mì sū lǐ dà xué、 jī dū jiào dà xué děng。 ④ měi guó mì xī xī bǐ zhōu nán bù chéng zhèn。 zài jié kè xùn yǐ nán 120 gōng lǐ chù。 rén kǒu 7， 700（ 1980）。 shì fù jìn shēng chǎn mián huā、 gǔ wù、 jiā qín、 niú de mào yì diǎn hé gōng yè zhōng xīn。 kāi cǎi yuán yóu、 tiān rán qì， hái yòu fú zhuāng、 jiā jù、 zhǐ jiāng、 jiāo hé bǎn děng gōng yè。 Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world and the fourth-largest in South America (after Brazil, Argentina, and Peru), with an area more than twice that of France. It also has the third-largest population in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico. The territory of what is now Colombia was originally inhabited by indigenous tribes which had migrated from North and Central America, including the Muisca, Quimbaya, and Tairona. To the south lay the Inca Empire. The Spanish arrived in 1499, and initiated a period of conquest and colonisation which ultimately led to the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (comprising what is now Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama) with its capital at Bogotá. Independence from Spain was won in 1819, but by 1830 "Gran Colombia" had collapsed with the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador. Modern day Colombia, with Panama, emerged as the Republic of New Granada. The new nation experimented with federalism as the Granadine Confederation (1858), and then the United States of Colombia (1863), before the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886. Panama seceded in 1903. Colombia has a long tradition of constitutional government, and the Conservative and Liberal parties, founded in 1843 and 1848 respectively, are two of the oldest surviving political parties in the Americas. However, tensions between the two have frequently erupted into violence, most notably in the Thousand Days War (1899-1902) and La Violencia, beginning in 1948. Since the 1960s, government forces have been engaged in conflict with left-wing insurgents and illegal right-wing paramilitaries. Fuelled by the cocaine trade, this escalated dramatically in the 1990s. However, the insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and in recent years the violence has been decreasing. Insurgents continue attacks against civilians, and large swathes of the countryside remain under guerrilla influence, but the Colombian government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. Colombia is a standing middle power with the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico. It is also one of the largest manufacturers in South America. Colombia is very ethnically diverse, and the interaction between descendents of the original native inhabitants, Spanish colonisers, African slaves and twentieth-century immigrants from Europe and the Middle East has produced a rich cultural heritage. This has also been influenced by Colombia's incredibly varied geography. The majority of the urban centres are located in the highlands of the Andes mountains, but Colombian territory also encompasses Amazon rainforest, tropical grassland and both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines. Ecologically, Colombia is considered to be among 17 of the most megadiverse countries in the world. The word "Colombia" comes from the name of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón in Spanish, Cristoforo Colombo in Italian). It was conceived by the revolutionary Francisco de Miranda as a reference to all the New World, especially to those territories and colonies under Spanish and Portuguese rule. The name was then adopted by the Republic of Colombia of 1819 formed out of the territories of the old Viceroyalty of New Granada (modern day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador). In 1830, when Venezuela and Ecuador separated, the Cundinamarca region that remained became a new country: the Republic of New Granada. In 1858 New Granada officially changed its name to the Granadine Confederation, then in 1863 the United States of Colombia, before finally adopting its present name — the Republic of Colombia — in 1886. Geography and climate Shaded relief map of Colombia.Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world and the fourth-largest country in South America. Located in the northwestern region of South America, it is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the North by the Atlantic Ocean, through the Caribbean Sea; to the north-west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Besides the countries in South America, the Republic of Colombia is recognized to share maritime borders with the Caribbean countries of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Central American countries of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Colombia has more physical diversity packed into its borders than any other area of comparable size in Latin America. Colombia has the highest diversity of birds and amphibians of any country on earth, with 1,815 species and 583 species, respectively, known to date. The country is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of the world subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Los Llanos plains in Colombia.Geologically Colombia is formed by two great territorial zones, one submerged in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean sea covering a total area of 828,660 km² and the second is the emerged land which is formed by the Andes mountain range and the Llanos plains that are shared with Venezuela and cover an area of some 1'143,748 km². Colombian surface features form complicated land patterns. The western third of the country is the most complex, starting at the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the west and moving eastward at a latitude of 5 degrees north, a diverse sequence of features is encountered; In the extreme west are the very narrow and discontinuous Pacific coastal lowlands, which are backed by the Serranía de Baudó, one of the lowest and narrowest of Colombia's mountain ranges. Next is the broad region of the Río Atrato/Río San Juan lowland. the Magdalena River at Santa Cruz de Mompox.The western mountain range, the Cordillera Occidental, is a moderately high range with peaks reaching up to about 13,000 ft (4,000 m). The Cauca River Valley, an important agricultural region with several large cities on its borders, separates the Cordillera Occidental from the massive Cordillera Central. Several snow-clad volcanoes in the Cordillera Central have summits that rise above 18,000 ft (5,500 m). The valley of the Magdalena River, a major transportation artery, separates the Cordillera Central from the main eastern range, the Cordillera Oriental. The peaks of the Cordillera Oriental are moderately high. This range differs from Colombia's other mountain ranges in that it contains several large basins. To the east of the country, the sparsely populated, flat to gently rolling eastern lowlands called Llanos orientales part of the Orinoco river basin and the jungle covered Amazon region part of the Amazon river basin (both basins called eastern plains) cover almost 60 percent of the country's total land area. The northern plains are mostly part of the Caribbean natural region which includes the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, the highest mountain by the sea and the Guajira Peninsula, mostly arid with another separate formation from the Andes mountain range, the Serranía de Macuira to form the Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub. Climate Glacier Snowy peaks of the Nevado del Tolima volcano. 5,200+ metres (17,060 ft)The climate of Colombia is determined by its proximity to the Earth's Equator predominating a tropical and isothermal climate, presenting variations within five natural regions and depending on the altitude; determined by mountain climate, temperature, humidity, and winds; influenced by the trade winds and precipitation which is influenced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Colombia is also affected by the effects of the El Niño and La Niña. Temperatures generally decrease about 3.5 °F (2 °C) for every 1,000-foot (300-m) increase in altitude above sea level, presenting perpetual snowy peaks to lower hot lands. Rainfall varies by location and is present in two seasons (two dry and two rainy) in Colombia presenting one of the highest rainfalls in the world in the Pacific region. Rainfall in parts of the Guajira Peninsula seldom exceeds 30 in (75 cm) per year. Colombia's rainy southeast, however, is often drenched by more than 200 in (500 cm) of rain per year. Rainfall in most of the rest of the country runs between these two extremes. The hot and humid Colombian Pacific coast, one of the rainiest in the world.Altitude affects not only temperature, but also vegetation. In fact, altitude is one of the most important influences on vegetation patterns in Colombia. The mountainous parts of the country can be divided into several vegetation zones according to altitude, although the altitude limits of each zone may vary somewhat depending on the latitude. The "tierra caliente" (hot land), below 3,300 ft (1,000 m), is the zone of tropical crops. The tierra templada (temperate land), extending from an altitude of 3,300 to 6,600 ft (1,000 to 2,000 m). Wheat and potatoes dominate in the "tierra fría" (cold land), at altitudes from 6,600 to 10,500 ft (2,000 to 3,200 m). In the "zona forestada" (forested zone), which is located between 10,500 and 12,800 ft (3,200 and 3,900 m). Treeless pastures table lands dominate the páramos, or alpine grasslands, at altitudes of 12,800 to 15,100 ft (3,900 to 4,600 m). Above 15,100 ft (4,600 m), where temperatures are below freezing, is the "tierra helada", a zone of permanent snow and ice. Colombian Flora and Fauna also interact with climate zone patterns. Scrub woodland of scattered trees and bushes dominates the semiarid northeastern steppe and tropical desert. To the south, savannah (tropical grassland) vegetation covers the eastern plains; Colombian portion of the llanos. The rainy areas in the southeast are blanketed by tropical rain forest. In the mountains, the spotty patterns of precipitation in alpine areas complicate vegetation patterns. The rainy side of a mountain may be lush and green, while the other side, in the rain shadow, may be parched. As a result Colombia is considered to be among 17 of the most megadiverse countries in the world. Environmental issues Nevado del Ruiz volcano, erupted in 1985 causing the Armero tragedy.The environmental issues in Colombia are caused by both natural hazards and human effects on the environment. Natural hazards are determined by the global positioning of Colombia by the Pacific ring of fire causing geological instability. Colombia has 15 major volcanoes which have caused tragedies like Armero and geological faults that have caused numerous devastating earthquakes like the 1999 Armenia earthquake. Human induced deforestation have also added to the problems of geological instability and inundations during the rainy seasons which are susceptible to the El Nino and to La Nina effect, two regions are very susceptible to these mainly in the Caribbean region of Colombia; La Mojana Region and the Magdalena river basin as well as the Valley of the Cauca River in the Pacific Region of Colombia. The population increase and the burning of fossil fuels and industry, among other human produced waste has contaminated the environment of major cities and nearby water sources. Participants in the Colombian armed conflict have also contributed to the pollution of the environment in Colombia. The illegally armed groups have deforested large portions of land to plant illegal crops (mostly on government designated protected areas) while the government fumigated these crops using hazardous chemicals. The guerrillas also destroyed oil pipelines creating major ecological disasters. History Pre-Columbian era The Zipa used to cover his body in gold and, from his raft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. This old Muisca tradition became the origin of El Dorado legend.Approximately 10,000 BC hunter-gatherer societies existed near present-day Bogotá (at "El Abra" and "Tequendama") which traded with one another and with cultures living in the Magdalena River Valley. Beginning in the first millennium BC, groups of Amerindians developed the political system of "cacicazgos" with a pyramidal structure of power headed by caciques. Within Colombia, the two cultures with the most complex cacicazgo systems were the Tayronas in the Caribbean Region, and the Muiscas in the highlands around Bogotá, both of which were of the Chibcha language family. The Muisca people are considered to have had one of the most developed political systems in South America, after the Incas. Spanish discovery, conquest and colonization Spanish explorers made the first exploration of the Caribbean littoral in 1499 led by Rodrigo de Bastidas. Christopher Columbus navigated near the Caribbean in 1502. In 1508, Vasco Nuñez de Balboa started the conquest of the territory through the region of Urabá. In 1513, he was also the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean which he called Mar del Sur (or "Sea of the South") and which in fact would bring the Spaniards to Peru and Chile. The territory's main population was made up of hundreds of tribes of the Chibchan and Carib, currently known as the Caribbean people, whom the Spaniards conquered through warfare and alliances, while resulting disease such as smallpox and the conquest itself caused a demographic reduction among the indigenous. In the sixteenth century, Europeans began to bring slaves from Africa. Independence from Spain Francisco de Paula Santander, Simón Bolivar and other heroes of the Independence of Colombia in the Congress of Cúcuta.Since the beginning of the periods of Conquest and Colonization, there were several rebel movements under Spanish rule, most of them either being crushed or remaining too weak to change the overall situation. The last one, which sought outright independence from Spain, sprang up around 1810, following the independence of St. Domingue in 1804 (present day Haiti), who provided a non-negligible degree of support to the eventual leaders of this rebellion: Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander. Simón Bolívar had become the first president of Colombia and Francisco de Paula Santander was Vice President; when Simón Bolívar stepped down, Santander became the second president of Colombia. The rebellion finally succeeded in 1819 when the territory of the Viceroyalty of New Granada became the Republic of Greater Colombia organized as a Confederation along Ecuador and Venezuela (Panama was part of Colombia). Post-Independence and republicanism The Gran Colombia.Internal political and territorial divisions led to the secession of Venezuela and Quito (today's Ecuador) in 1830. At this time, the so-called "Department of Cundinamarca" adopted then the name "Nueva Granada", which it kept until 1856 when it became the "Confederación Granadina" (Grenadine Confederation). After a two year civil war in 1863, the "United States of Colombia" was created, lasting until 1886, when the country finally became known as the Republic of Colombia. Internal divisions remained between the bipartisan political forces, occasionally igniting very bloody civil wars, the most significant being the Thousand Days civil war (1899 - 1902) which together with the United States of America's intentions to influence in the area (especially the Panama Canal construction and control) led to the separation of the Department of Panama in 1903 and the establishment of it as a nation. Colombia engulfed in a year long war with Peru over a territorial dispute involving the Amazonas Department and its capital Leticia. Soon after, Colombia achieved a relative degree of political stability, which was interrupted by a bloody conflict that took place between the late 1940s and the early 1950s, a period known as La Violencia ("The Violence"). Its cause was mainly because of mounting tensions between the two leading political parties, which subsequently ignited after the assassination of the Liberal Presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on April 9, 1948. This assassination caused riots in Bogotá and became known as El Bogotazo, the violence from these riots spread through out the country and claimed the lives of at least 180,000 Colombians. From 1953 to 1964 the violence between the two political parties decreased first when Gustavo Rojas deposed the President of Colombia in a coup d'etat, and negotiated with the guerrillas, and then under the military junta of General Gabriel París Gordillo. After Rojas deposition the two political parties Colombian Conservative Party and Colombian Liberal Party agreed to the creation of a "National Front", whereby the Liberal and Conservative parties would govern jointly. The presidency would be determined by an alternating conservative and liberal president every 4 years for 16 years; the two parties would have parity in all other elective offices. The National Front ended "La Violencia", and National Front administrations attempted to institute far-reaching social and economic reforms in cooperation with the Alliance for Progress. In the end, the contradictions between each successive Liberal and Conservative administration made the results decidedly mixed. Despite the progress in certain sectors, many social and political injustices continued and many guerrillas were formally created such as the FARC, ELN and M-19 to fight the government and political apparatus with influences from Cold War doctrines. Emerging in the late 1970s, powerful and violent drug cartels developed during the 1980s and 1990s. The Medellín Cartel under Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel, in particular, exerted political, economic and social influence in Colombia during this period. These cartels also financed and influenced different illegal armed groups throughout the political spectrum. Some enemies of these allied with the guerrillas and created or influenced paramilitary groups. The new Colombian Constitution of 1991 was ratified after being drafted by the Constituent Assembly of Colombia. The constitution included key provisions on political, ethnic, human and gender rights. The new constitution initially prohibited the extradition of Colombian nationals. There were accusations of lobbying by drug cartels in favor of this prohibition. The cartels had previously promoted a violent campaign against extradition, leading to many terrorist attack and mafia style executions. They also tried to influence the government and political structure of Colombia by means of corruption, as in the case of the 8000 Process scandal. Members of the Colombian National Army during a field training exercise.In recent years, the country has continued to be plagued by the effects of the drug trade, guerrilla insurgencies like FARC and paramilitary groups such as the AUC (later demobilized, though paramilitarism remains active), which along with other minor factions have engaged in a bloody internal armed conflict. President Andrés Pastrana and the FARC attempted to negotiate a solution to the conflict between 1998 and 2002 but failed to do so. President Andrés Pastrana also began to implement the Plan Colombia initiative, with the dual goal of ending the armed conflict and promoting a strong anti-narcotic strategy. During the presidency of Álvaro Uribe, who was elected on the promise of applying military pressure on the FARC and other criminal groups, some security indicators have improved, showing a decrease in reported kidnappings (from 3700 in the year 2000 to 800 in 2005) and a decrease of more than 48% in homicides between July 2002 and May 2005 and of the terrorist guerrila itself reduced from 16.900 insurgents to 8.900 insurgents. It is argued that these improvements have favored economic growth and tourism. The 2006–2007 Colombian parapolitics scandal emerged due to the revelations and judicial implications of past and present links between paramilitary groups, mainly the AUC, and some government officials and many politicians, most of them allied to the governing administration. Government, law and politics Casa de Nariño, the presidential palace in Bogotá houses the President of Colombia and maximum representative of the Executive Branch of Colombia.The Government of Colombia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic as established in the Colombian Constitution of 1991. The Colombian government is divided into three branches of power; the executive, legislative and judicial with special control institutions and electoral institutions. The President of Colombia is the highest representative of the executive branch of government in Colombia and is also the head of state and head of government with supreme administrative authority, followed by the Vice President and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Colombia. At a provincial level the executive is managed by department governors, municipal mayors at municipal level and local administrators for smaller administrative subdivisions such as corregidor for corregimientos. The legislative branch of government in Colombia is represented by the National Congress of Colombia which is formed by an upper house the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives. At a provincial level the legislative branch is represented by department assemblies and a municipal level with municipal councils. Both the legislative and executive branches share most of the government power while the judicial branch of Colombia functions as an independent body from the other two branches which are vested with a shared power. The judicial branch under a adversarial system is represented by the Supreme Court of Justice which is the highest entity in this branch but shared in responsibility with the Council of State, Constitutional Court and the Superior Council of the Judicature which also have jurisdictional and regional courts. Administrative divisions Colombia is divided into 32 departments and one capital district which is treated as a department. There are in total 10 districts assigned to cities in Colombia including Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Tunja, Cúcuta, Popayán, Buenaventura, Tumaco and Turbo. Colombia is also subdivided into some municipalities which form departments, each with a municipal seat capital city assigned. Colombia is also subdivided into corregimientos which form municipalities. Each department has a local government which is headed by a department governor and its own department assembly elected for a period of four years in a regional election. Each municipality also headed by a municipal mayor and a municipal council. And for corregimientos there will be an elected corregidor or local leader. Department Capital city 1 Amazonas Leticia 2 Antioquia Medellín 3 Arauca Arauca 4 Atlántico Barranquilla 5 Bolívar Cartagena 6 Boyacá Tunja 7 Caldas Manizales 8 Caquetá Florencia 9 Casanare Yopal 10 Cauca Popayán 11 Cesar Valledupar 12 Chocó Quibdó 13 Córdoba Montería 14 Cundinamarca Bogotá 15 Guainía Inírida 16 Guaviare San José del Guaviare 17 Huila Neiva Department Capital city 18 La Guajira Riohacha 19 Magdalena Santa Marta 20 Meta Villavicencio 21 Nariño Pasto 22 North Santander Cúcuta 23 Putumayo Mocoa 24 Quindío Armenia 25 Risaralda Pereira 26 San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina San Andrés 27 Santander Bucaramanga 28 Sucre Sincelejo 29 Tolima Ibagué 30 Valle del Cauca Cali 31 Vaupés Mitú 32 Vichada Puerto Carreño 33 Capital District Bogotá** Some department have also local administrative regional subdivisions such as the departments of Antioquia and Cundinamarca, where towns have a large concentration of population and municipalities are near each other. In the case of some department where the population is still scarce and there are security problems such as in eastern Colombian departments of Amazonas, Vaupés and Vichada there special administrative definitions for territories, some are considered Department corregimientos, which are a hybrid between a corregimiento and a municipality. The difference besides the population is also subject to a cut in the assigned budget. Defense Tall ship ARC Gloria, insignia of ColombiaThe executive branch of government is in charge of managing the defense affairs of Colombia with the President of Colombia being the supreme chief of the armed forces, followed by the Minister of Defense, which controls the Military of Colombia and the Colombian National Police among other institutions. The Colombian military is divided into three branches with their respective chains of command; the Colombian National Army, the Colombian Air Force and the Colombian National Armada. The national police functions as a gendarmerie independently from the Military as the law enforcement agency for the entire country. Each of these operates with their own intelligence apparatus and also separately from the national intelligence agency Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad. The National Police has a presence in all municipality seats of Colombia, while the National Army is formed by divisions, regiments and special units. The Colombian National Armada is formed by the Colombian Marine Corps, Naval Force of the Pacific, Naval Force of the Caribbean, Naval Force of the South, Colombia Coast Guards, Naval Aviation and the Specific Command of San Andres y Providencia. The Colombian Air Force is formed by 13 air units: EMAVI, ESUFA, IMA, CACOM 1, CACOM 2, CACOM 3, CACOM 4, CACOM 5, CACOM 6, CATAM, CAMAN, GACAR and GAORI. Foreign affairs The Foreign affairs of Colombia are headed by the President of Colombia and managed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Colombia has diplomatic missions in all the continents, but not in all countries, and also multilateral relations with Brussels (Mission to the European Union) Geneva (Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations) Montevideo (Permanent Missions to ALADI and MERCOSUR) Nairobi (Permanent Missions to the United Nations and other International Organizations) New York City (Permanent Mission to the United Nations) Paris (Permanent Mission to UNESCO) Rome (Permanent Mission to FAO) Washington DC (Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States). The foreign relations of Colombia are mostly concentrated on combating illegal drug trade, improving Colombian image in the international community, fight against terrorism, expanding the Colombian products in the global market and environmental issues. Colombia receives special military and commercial cooperation and support from the United States mainly through Plan Colombia to fight against the internal armed groups as well as special financial preferences from the European Union in certain products. Politics of Colombia Voters concentrate in a voting center during the legislative elections of 2006. As a rule, voters are not allowed to wear political propaganda in allusion to a candidate or party, or have electronic devices on their possession while voting.The Politics of Colombia take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic as established in the Colombian Constitution of 1991. The constitution vested the National Electoral Council along with the National Registry of the Civil State with the function of organizing and controlling the electoral process in Colombia. Since the 2005 reform the electoral process abides by the Law 974 of 2005 which modified the way political parties organize and interact in the government. Colombia goes through three electoral processes to elect candidates for a period of four years; a Presidential election, for president and vice president candidates (authorized to serve one reelection, 8 years), a legislative election for congress; senate and chamber of representatives (authorized many terms through reelection) and a regional election to elect department governors, department assemblies, municipal mayors and municipal councils and Local administrative juntas (executive regional leaders are only authorized one term in office). The last presidential and legislative elections were on May 28, 2006, in which president Álvaro Uribe was reelected by a vote of 62%, with 22% going to Carlos Gaviria of the Democratic Pole, and 12% to Horacio Serpa of the Liberal Party. Colombia's bicameral parliament is the Congress of Colombia consists of a 166-seat Chamber of Representatives of Colombia and a 102-seat Senate of Colombia. Members of both houses are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. With congressmen, Colombia also elects the president. Department deputies, city councils and mayors are elected one year and five months after the president's and congressmen's election. The latest regional election was on October 28, 2007 with some 27 million Colombians apt to vote to elect between some 86 thousand candidates to represent 1,098 Colombian municipalities and 32 governors of Colombian Departments. Colombian authorities mobilized 167,559 soldiers and policemen in order to vigil the 9,950 voting sites. The election process in the judicial system is headed by the Constitutional Court and members are appointed by the Congress of Colombia out of nominations made by the President and other high ranking tribunals, presidents of courts in the other hand are elected in internal elections. In Electoral Institutions and Control Institutions of Colombia officials are also appointed by the president and approved by congress like the Inspector General of Colombia. Economy GDP growth 2001-2007Colombia's economy is fueled by abundant natural resources, a highly literate population and relatively high-valued currency. After experiencing decades of steady growth (average GDP growth exceeded 4% in the 1970-1998 period), Colombia experienced a recession in 1999 (the first full year of negative growth since 1929), and the recovery from that recession was long and painful. Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflicts. Plantation of Colombian coffee, Quindio. Coffee is the main agricultural export of Colombia.The IMF Economic Indicators published on September 2006, forecast the Colombian GDP to reach US$156.69 billion in 2008. Inflation has been below 6% for 2004, 2005, and 2006. Colombia's main exports include manufactured goods (41.32% of exports), petroleum (28.28%), coal (13.17%), and coffee (6.25%). Unofficially, illegal drugs are also a major export. Colombia is one of the largest producers of pop-up books in the world. Colombia is also the largest exporter of plantains to the United States. It also exports many types of sugar crops. Within Latin America, Colombia is known as a provider of fine lingerie, with the industry being centered in Medellín. All imports, exports, and the general trade balance are in record levels, and the inflow of export dollars has resulted in substantial reevaluation of the Colombian Peso. The problems facing the country range from pension system problems to drug dealing to moderately high unemployment (12%). Several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by current President Álvaro Uribe, which include measures designed to bring the public-sector deficit below 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP). The government's economic policy and its controversial democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, and GDP growth in 2003 was among the highest in Latin America. On May 28, 2007, the American magazine BusinessWeek published an article naming Colombia the most Extreme Emerging Market on Earth. Tourism Tourists in Cartagena.The Tourism industry in Colombia developed in the 1940s and has maintained a steady growth since then. The main tourist destinations are Bogotá, Cartagena, Eje cafetero, Santa Marta, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, San Andrés Island among others, each presenting different tourist attractions. There are different tourist season in Colombia, the two most busy are related to religious celebrations; the holy week and Christmas among other numerous public holidays, including the celebrations surrounding the Independence of Colombia. The most notable festivities are the Cali's Fair, the Barranquilla's Carnival, the Bogotá summer festival, the Iberoamerican Theater Festival, the Festival of the Flowers, the Vallenato Legend Festival, Carnival of Blacks and Whites and the Fiestas del Mar. Despite Travel advisories warning not to travel to Colombia due to Colombian armed conflict, the country continues to attract more tourists in recent years. The apparent cause appears to be the current hardline approach of President Álvaro Uribe called democratic security to push rebels groups farther away from the major cities, highways and tourist sites that may attract international visitors. Since President Uribe took office in 2002, he has notably increased Colombia's stability and security by significantly boosting its military strength and police presence throughout the country. Arrecifes beach at the Tayrona Park, one of main eco-tourist destinations.This apparently has achieved fruitful results for the country's economy, particularly international tourism. In 2006, Colombia received some 1.5 million international visitors, an astonishing increase of about 50% from the previous year. Lonely Planet, a world travel publisher, picked Colombia as one of their top 10 world destinations for 2006. The World Tourism Organization reported in 2004 that Colombia achieved the third highest percentage increase of tourist arrivals in South America between 2000 and 2004 (9.2%). Only Peru and Suriname had higher increases during the same period. Because of the improved security, Caribbean cruise ships tours stop in Cartagena and Santa Marta. To further point out the improved security in the country, in June 2007, the Travel Channel's show, 5 Takes Latin America, aired an episode on Colombia. Points of interest on the show were Bogotá, Cocora Valley in Salento, and the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. The varied and rich geography, flora and fauna of Colombia has also developed an eco-tourist industry, mostly developed in the National Natural Parks of Colombia which include the areas of Amacayacu Park in the Department of Amazonas, Colombian National Coffee Park in the town of Montenegro, Quindío, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Los Nevados National Park (near the city of Manizales), Cocora valley in Salento, Quindío, PANACA theme Park, PANACA Savanna Park, Tayrona Park in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range (near the city of Santa Marta), the Tatacoa Desert, the Chicamocha Canyon National Park, Gorgona and Malpelo islands, as well as Cabo de la Vela in the Guajira Peninsula. Transportation Occidente tunnel, Antioquia.Colombia has a network of national highways maintained by the Instituto Nacional de Vías or INVIAS (National Institute of Roadways) government agency under the Ministry of Transport. The Pan-American Highway travels through Colombia, connecting the country with Venezuela to the east and Ecuador to the south. Colombia's principal airport is El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá. Several national airlines (Avianca, AeroRepública, AIRES , SATENA and EasyFly, ), and international airlines (such as Iberia, American Airlines, Varig, Copa, Continental, Delta, Air Canada, Air France, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aerogal, TAME, TACA) operate from El Dorado. Bogotá's airport is one of the largest and most expensive in Latin America. Because of its central location in Colombia and America, it is preferred by national land transportation providers, as well as national and international air transportation providers. Biofuels Colombia is discussing current trends and challenges as well as recent international developments in the biofuels sector with the intention of contributing to the development of a sustainable and competitive biofuels strategy for Colombia and the region. Arturo Infante Villarreal is the National Biofuels Coordinator, Department of National Planning Demographics Colombian people at the Cali's FairWith approximately 43.6 million people in 2006, Colombia is the third-most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Movement from rural to urban areas was very heavy in the mid-twentieth century, but has since tapered off. The urban population increased from 31% of the total population in 1938, to 57% in 1951 and about 70% by 1990. Currently the figure is about 77%. Thirty cities have a population of 100,000 or more. The nine eastern lowlands departments, constituting about 54% of Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of less than one person per square kilometer (two persons per sq mi.). Colombia's total population in 2015 is projected to be more than 52 million. Afro-Colombian childrenThe country has a diverse population that reflects its colourful history and the peoples that have populated here from ancient times to the present. The historic amalgam of the different main groups forms the basics of Colombia's current demographics: European immigrants, Indigenous Natives, Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners and other recent immigrants. Many of the indigenous peoples were absorbed into the mestizo population, but the remaining 700,000 currently represent over eighty-five distinct cultures. The European immigrants were primarily Spanish colonists, but a number of other Europeans (Dutch, German, Italian, French, Swiss, Belgian, also many North Americans) migrated to the Caribbean region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and in smaller numbers Polish, Lithuanian, English and Croatian communities immigrated during the Second World War and the Cold War. For example, former Bogotá mayor Antanas Mockus is the son of Lithuanian immigrants. Africans were brought as slaves, mostly to the coastal lowlands, beginning early in the 16th century, and continuing into the 19th century. Other immigrant populations include Asians and Middle Easterners, particularly Lebanese, Jordanians, Syrians, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. Indigenous peoples The Wayuu represent the largest indigenous ethnic group in Colombia.Before the Spanish colonization of the region that would become the country of Colombia, the territory was the home to many different indigenous peoples. Today more than fifty different indigenous ethnic groups inhabit Colombia. Most of them speak languages belonging to the Chibchan and Cariban linguistic families. Historically there are established 567 reserves (resguardos) for indigenous peoples and they are inhabitated by more than 800,000 people; the 1991 constitution established their native languages as official in their territories, most of them have bilingual education (Native and Spanish). Some of the largest indigenous groups are the Wayuu, the Arhuacos, the Muisca, the Kuna people, the Witoto, the Páez, the Tucano and the Guahibo. The departamentos with the biggest Indian population are Cauca, Guajira and Guainia. Immigrant groups Because of its strategic location Colombia has received several immigration waves during its history. Most of these immigrants have settled in the Caribbean Coast; Barranquilla (the largest city in the Colombian Caribbean Coast) and other Caribbean cities have the largest population of Arab Lebanese, Jewish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese and Gypsy descendants. There are also important communities of German and Chinese descendants in the Caribbean Coast. Ethnic groups The census data in Colombia does not take into account ethnicity, so percentages are basically estimates from other sources and can vary from one another. Statistics reveal that Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and overwhelmingly speakers of Spanish, and that a majority of them are the result of the a mixture of Europeans, Africans, Amerindians. 58% of the population is mestizo, or of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, while 20% is of European ancestry. Another 14% is mulatto, or of mixed black African and European ancestry, while 4% is of black African ancestry and 3% are zambos, of mixed black African and Amerindian ancestry. Pure indigenous Amerindians comprise 1 percent of the population. There are 101 languages listed for Colombia in the Ethnologue database, of which 80 are spoken today as living languages. There are about 500,000 speakers of indigenous languages in Colombia today. More than two-thirds of all Colombians live in urban areas—a figure significantly higher than the world average. The literacy rate (94 percent) in Colombia is also well above the world average, and the rate of population growth is slightly higher than the world average. Also, a large proportion of Colombians are young, largely because of recent decreases in the infant mortality rate. While 33 percent of the people are 14 years of age or younger, just 4 percent are aged 65 or older. Education Che Square (or Santander Square), campus of the National University of Colombia in Bogotá. The National University is the largest state owned university in Colombia.Over 94% of the entire population over 15 years of age can read and write, and this number has continued to increase throughout the years. Sixty percent of students complete primary schooling (5 years) and move onto secondary schooling (6 years). Most primary schools are private. Approximately 80 percent of Colombian children enter school, but they usually join a preschool academy until age 6 and then go to school. The school year extends from February to November in the capital city while in many other cities it extends from August to June. Primary education is free and compulsory for nine years for children between 6 and 12 years of age. The net primary enrollment (percentage of relevant age-group) in 2001 was 86.7 percent. The completion rate (percentage of age-group) for children attending elementary school (primaria) in 2001 totaled 89.5 percent. In many rural areas, teachers are poorly qualified, and only five years of primary school are offered. Secondary education (educación media) begins at age 11 and lasts up to six years, without any opportunity for vocational training. Secondary-school graduates are awarded the diploma (high-school diploma). Net secondary enrollment in 2001 was 53.5 percent. School life expectancy in 2001 was 11.1 years. Total public spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2001 was 4.4 percent—one of the highest rates in Latin America—as compared with 2.5 percent at the end of the 1980s. Government expenditures on education in 1999 totaled 19.7 percent of total government spending. The ratio of pupils to teachers in 2001 in primary school was 26:1 and in secondary school, 19:2. Colombia has 24 public universities. A total of 92.5 percent of the population is literate (male: 92.4 percent; female: 92.6 percent), according to a 2003 estimate. Literacy is at 93 percent in urban areas, but only 67 percent in rural areas. People in Colombia are educated in Spanish (see also Colombian Spanish). The second most spoken language is English. Religion Salt Cathedral in the town of Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca.The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are hard to obtain. Based on various studies, more than 95% of the population adheres to Christianity, in which a huge segment of the population, between 81% and 90%, practices Roman Catholicism. About 1% of Colombians practice indigenous religions. Under 1% practice Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Despite strong numbers of adherents, around 60% of respondents to a poll by El Tiempo report that they do not practice their faith actively. The Colombian constitution guarantees religious freedom, but also states that the State "is not atheist or agnostic, nor indifferent to Colombians' religious sentiment." Religious groups are readily able to obtain recognition as organized associations, but some smaller ones face difficulty in obtaining recognition as religious entities, which is required to offer chaplaincy services in public facilities. Culture Fiesta in Palenque. Afro-Colombian tradition from San Basilio de Palenque, one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity since 2005.Colombian culture lies at the crossroads of Latin America, and is distinguished by having a very multicultural society. European, African, Native American, American, Middle Eastern, and other Latin American cultural influences such as Mexico and the Caribbean are all felt in Colombia's modern culture. Due to Colombia's geography and years of social and political instability, Colombian culture has been heavily fragmented into five major cultural regions which also correspond to Colombian natural regions. Urban migration, industrialisation, Globalization, and political, social and economic issues have altered the Colombian way of living throughout the years. Inherited from colonial times, Colombia maintains its large base of Roman Catholic traditions which largely influence and unite its multicultural society. The mixing of various different ethnic traditions is reflected in Colombia's music and dance. The most well-known genres of music in Colombia are Cumbia and Vallenato, the latter being strongly influenced by global pop culture. US President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea during a visit to Cartagena, Colombia, where they were greeted with Vallenato music by The Children of Vallenato group. Vallenato is perhaps the most representative of all Colombian cultural expressions. Festival of the Flowers in Medellín, Department of Antioquia.Colombia has multiple celebrations and festivals throughout the year, with a majority stemming from Roman Catholic religious traditions. Prominent examples of festivals include the Ibero-American Theater Festival, Barranquilla's Carnival, Carnival of Blacks and Whites, Independence day on, Holy Week and Christmas. A powerful cultural medium in Colombia is television; the telenovela Betty La Fea has gained international success via localized versions in the United States, Mexico, and Croatia. Television has also played a role in the development of the local film industry. As in many Latin American countries, Colombians have developed a passion for Football (soccer). The Colombia national football team is seen as a symbol of unity and national pride. Colombia has been an "exporter" of many famous players, such as Freddy Rincon, Carlos Valderrama, Ruben Dario Bustos and Faustino Asprilla. Other Colombian athletes have achieved success in other sports, such as NASCAR's Juan Pablo Montoya, Major League Baseball's Edgar Rentería and Orlando Cabrera, and the PGA Tour's Camilo Villegas. Other famous Colombians include the Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the artist Fernando Botero, the musicians Shakira, Juanes and Carlos Vives, and the actors Rafael Novoa, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Sofia Vergara. The Cuisine of Colombia developed mainly from the food traditions of European countries. Spanish, Italian and French culinary influences can be seen in Colombian cooking. American cuisine, the cuisine of neighboring Latin American countries, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as the cooking traditions of the Native Americans have all influenced Colombian cuisine. National symbols have arisen from Colombia's multiculturalism and are objects or themes that are representative of Colombia, the Colombian people, and their shared culture. Cultural expressions in Colombia are promoted by the government through the Ministry of Culture. |
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