Colombia

Full name of country: Republic of Colombia

Region: South America

Official language: Spanish

Population: 49,588,357 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Colombian(s) (noun), Colombian (adjective)

Land area: 1,038,700 sq km (401,044 sq miles)

Water area: 100,210 sq km (38,691 sq miles)

Capital: Bogotá

National anthem: "Himno Nacional de la Republica de Colombia" (National Anthem of the Republic of Colombia), by Rafael Nunez/Oreste Sindici

National holiday: Independence Day, July 20, (1810)

Population growth: 0.48% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC –5

Flag: The flag of Colombia is a tricolor of yellow (top), blue (center), and red (bottom). (The yellow stripe is twice the width of the other two stripes.) The yellow of the flag stands for the country’s gold reserves; the blue represents the sea shore; and the red stands for the blood of Colombian patriots.

Motto: “Libertad y Orden” (Liberty and Order)

Independence: July 20, 1810 (from Spain)

Government type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: civil law system influenced by the Spanish and French civil codes

Colombia is a republic in South America surrounded by Panama to the north, Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Ecuador and Peru to the south, and the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea to the west and north. Colombia's long history of social unrest and drug-related violence is well documented. However, the country is one of the more stable democracies in South America. Famous for its production of coffee, Colombia is the third-largest exporter of coffee in the world, the fourth-largest exporter of coal, and Latin America’s third-largest producer of crude oil.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Colombia has a fairly young population, with the median age being 32.7 in 2024. Life expectancy at birth is 78.7 years for women and 71.3 years for men (2024 estimate).

Colombia's population is not concentrated in any one central city. Although Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Baranquilla are major cities, there are at least thirty-seven other cities with large populations. Most of these cities are located in the highlands.

Seeking better living conditions and safety from the guerrillas, many people have migrated from rural to urban areas, with 82.4 percent of people living in urban areas (2023 estimate). By 2023 an estimated 6.9 million people in Colombia had been internally displaced since 1985 due to violence among guerrillas, paramilitary groups, and Colombia security forces. There were also more than 1.8 million Venezuelans who sought asylum or were refugees from the political and economic conditions in their home country. Colombia's HDI value for 2022 is 0.758— which put the country in the High human development category—positioning it at 91 out of 193 countries and territories.

Mestizos, of mixed European and Indigenous descent, make up most of Colombia's middle class and, along with those who identified as White, accounted for 87.6 percent of the population at the time of the 2018 census. White Colombians account for a smaller portion of this percentage, yet claim many of the government and high-level business occupations. Afro-Colombians made up around 6.8 percent of the population. Approximately 4.3 percent of the population was Amerindian.

Most of the country's inhabitants pride themselves on speaking the purest form of Spanish; however, local accents can be detected in some regions on the Caribbean coast.

In 2023 approximately 98.2 percent of Colombians were Christian, while the remaining 1.8 percent identified as either unspecified or other. At one point, a trend toward conversion to the Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Calvinist, and Lutheran faiths, especially among the poor, contributed to nearly 3 million Colombians leaving the Catholic Church.

Indigenous People: Indigenous people account for a small percent of Colombia's modern population, as most of their ancestors died or vanished after the arrival of the conquering Spanish. There are still several different Indigenous tribes living in Colombia, with the largest being the Guajiro.

Indigenous people are virtually the only Colombians who do not speak Spanish. Indigenous languages include Arawak, Chibchan, Carib, and Tupí-Guaraní. Found mostly in the sparsely populated lowlands or remote mountainous regions, the Indigenous population still uses nearly eighty different languages.

Education: Primary school in Colombia lasts for about five years, and all children between the ages of five and ten are expected to attend. Upon completion of primary school, students may continue on to secondary school and eventually attend one of Colombia's universities, technical schools, or other institutes of higher education. Schooling is compulsory up to age sixteen. In 2020 the adult literacy rate in Colombia was estimated to be about 95.6 percent.

Health Care: Colombia has a social insurance system. The health care system is funded largely by employers, workers, and the government. Most industrial workers enjoy a host of benefits including maternity, dental, and accident insurance. A shortage of doctors and hospital beds remains a challenge, with most of the doctors concentrated in the larger cities. Bacterial diarrhea, malaria, dengue, and yellow fever pose major health threats.

Food: Each region of Colombia has its own favorite dish, however some foods can be found in nearly every area. These foods cover a much wider range of ingredients and tastes than typical Latin cuisine such as tacos and burritos.

A typical breakfast might consist of changua and coffee, a drink that is served with virtually every meal. Changua is meat broth with potatoes, fresh cilantro, and scallions. Another main dish soup called sopa de pan is also popular. This soup consists of bread, eggs, and cheese. Adding lots of sugar to a small cup of coffee makes a drink called tinto, which is very popular throughout the country.

Almuerzo caliente, or bandeja, has nearly become the national dish and is a typical lunch. This meal starts with soup and is followed by rice, potatoes or plantains, salad, fried egg, meat or fish, and finally beans and lentils. Fresh fruit juice often accompanies this lunch.

Typical dinner dishes vary according to region, from ajiaco de pollo (a potato, chicken, and corn soup) in Bogotá, to suckling pig in Ibague, or fish in the Amazon and Choco regions.

Arts and Entertainment: Many Colombian artists still work with the same materials their ancient ancestors used to make pottery and jewelry. Art galleries are numerous in the country.

The large round figures of painter and sculptor Fernando Botero (1932–2023) can be found all over the world. His paintings sell for high prices, and many major cities proudly display his sculptures.

Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez (1927–2014) was perhaps Colombia's most famous author. His crowning achievement, the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), chronicles the history of Colombia and the massacre of banana workers in the fictional village of Macondo. Marquez's novel about a family courtship, Love in the Time of Cholera (1985), has also gained widespread popularity.

Baranquilla is the home of Colombia's Carnival. Like Mardi Gras, Carnival is a huge celebration marking the beginning of the Catholic season of Lent. Carnival lasts for several days and features music, dancing, and a popular alcoholic drink called aguardiente.

Pastos hosts another popular Colombian festival called Carnaval de Negros y Blancos ("Blacks and Whites' Carnival"). This festival commemorates a time when the Spanish ruled Colombia and allowed the enslaved population one day of celebration. To show their approval, the White enslavers would paint their faces black. The following day those that were enslaved would paint their faces white. The custom lives on today and is celebrated in early January. In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Holidays: National holidays in Colombia include a few that North Americans would recognize such as New Year's Day (January 1), Labor Day (May 1), and Columbus Day (October 12), which in Colombia, as in other Latin American countries, is recognized as Día de la Raza (day of the races). Other national holidays include Independence Day on July 20, the Battle of Boyacá on August 7, and the Independence of Cartagena on November 11. Colombians also celebrate a number of traditional Catholic holidays, including Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Corpus Christi, Feast of the Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception Day, and Christmas.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Colombia has two distinct topographical areas. The Andes Mountains dominate the western part of the country, while the lowlands expand over two-thirds of the east. Most of the population lives in the shadow of the Andes, leaving the lowlands lightly populated. While Colombia is bordered by two bodies of water, most of its ports are located on the Caribbean Sea, where a large portion of the population lives.

The Andes consist of three ranges, or "cordilleras," all of which follow a south-to-north direction. The Cordillera Oriental is known for its high basins, one of which is home to Colombia's largest city, Bogotá. The elevation of this plateau is approximately 2,600 meters (8,500 feet), placing the capital city in a cool climate zone.

The highest range is the Cordillera Central. Pico Cristóbal Colón is the highest peak, at 5,730 meters (18,799 feet). This range is home to several active volcanoes as well, the highest being Tolima at 5,215 meters (17,060 feet). The volcano has not erupted since 1829. The northern tip of the range rises above the snow line. There are many small populated valleys at several different elevations, but unlike the Cordillera Oriental, this range is sparsely populated.

The Cordillera Occidental is the lowest and narrowest of the Andes ranges, with its highest peak reaching 10,000 meters (32,800 feet). As the range gently slopes into the Caribbean coastal plain, it is partially covered by deposits from the rivers that drain the Andes into the area. The deep and narrow Cauca River valley runs between this range and the Central range. The Cauca River and adjacent valleys are home to two of Colombia's most populous areas, Medellín and Cali.

The expansive eastern lowlands that cover most of Colombia are dominated by the Orinoco River in the north and the Amazon River in the south. To the west, the lowlands still have elevated areas influenced by the fringes of the Andes and the Guiana Highlands. The elevation enables most of the land to remain above the floodplains of the many rivers that cross it. Almost all of the inhabitants of the lowlands live on or near the edges of the rivers. To the east, traveling is difficult. The rivers connect the eastern lowlands to the foot of the Andes Mountains, often providing the only route to the lowland areas.

Natural Resources: Colombia's reputation as an agricultural country often hides the fact that it is rich in minerals and energy sources. In addition to exporting large amounts of gold, Colombia also accounts for much of the world's high-quality emeralds. The country ranks among the world's leaders in oil reserves. Copper, platinum, iron, nickel, salt, limestone, and natural gas are also mined in Colombia.

Deforestation as a result of intense logging efforts has plagued Colombia's once-lush landscape, while overhunting has affected almost every animal species in the country. To combat this problem, national parks have become increasingly widespread in hopes of restoring the landscape.

In the major cities, Colombia has the same environmental challenges, especially air pollution caused by vehicle emissions, faced by any industrialized nation. This problem is particularly critical in Bogotá. Deforestation from logging efforts and soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides have taken a toll on the countryside as well.

Plants and Animals: Despite widespread logging activity, Colombia still is rich in plant and animal life. Colombia is home to the world's widest variety of birds. These include ducks and other fowl, tropical birds such as toucans, parakeets, and parrots, and larger birds such as buzzards, condors, and eagles.

Brazil is the only other country that is home to a wider variety of plant species than Colombia. Common trees include coconut palms, rubber trees, bamboo, and tropical hardwoods.

The secret to the country's impressive biodiversity is its wide range of habitats. Few countries can match Colombia's diversity with its mountains, lowlands, seas, lakes, deserts, and swamps.

Climate: Colombia experiences various climatic conditions. While most of the country is in the Northern Hemisphere, the southern region stretches into the Southern Hemisphere. For the most part, the conditions are wet and tropical.

Most of the rainfall occurs during the summer. The eastern lowlands and Caribbean and Pacific lowlands are tropical. The north and northwest regions experience drier winters, with the mountain regions experiencing a complex mix of conditions. Weather conditions can vary greatly over short distances, due to altitude, position, and level of exposure to winds and the sun. One slope might face winds that bring rain, while the sheltered side of the slope remains much drier.

Climatic differences are seen in the natural vegetation and type of crops produced in a given area. The influence of the Andes produces weather conditions ranging from extreme heat to permafrost in areas above 4,570 meters (15,000 feet).

Economy

Colombia, once known primarily as a coffee-producing country, has diversified its economy. Petroleum ranks as its principal export. Other important exports include coal, gold, coffee, plastics, cut flowers, bananas, and palm oil.

In 2023, Colombia's gross domestic product (GDP, purchasing power parity) was estimated at $978.024 billion. The per capita GDP was estimated at $18,800. However, Colombia has one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world, and approximately 36.6 percent of the population lives below the poverty line (2022 estimate).

Colombia is a member of the Andean Community, which includes Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. Colombia's main trading partners are the United States, Panama, and China.

Industry: Mainly small-time operations, Colombia's manufacturers generally produce goods for domestic consumption. Cotton spinning mills are the largest-scale manufacturers. Other manufactured items include food and beverages, apparel, chemicals, and cement.

Petroleum and coal are the main mineral products of Colombia. The country produces enough petroleum to provide for all of its own energy needs, while still having significant amounts to export. Other minerals mined for export include gold, emeralds, nickel, copper, zinc, and salt. However, due to the country's heavy dependence on energy and mining exports, the Colombian economy is vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity prices.

Agriculture:Coffee was once Colombia's principal money maker, but it has been surpassed by petroleum. There are still thousands of small coffee plantations operating in the country. Other cash crops include cacao beans, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, bananas, cut flowers, rice, corn, oilseed, vegetables, and forest products.

Tourism: Colombia offers a multitude of options for the traveler. With its mountains, beaches, rivers, and cities the country should be a popular vacation spot. Colombia, however, gained a reputation as an unsafe destination due to decades of drug dealing, kidnappings, and extrajudicial violence.

Tourists who decide to visit Bogotá are treated to colonial churches and museums nestled among the modern architecture of the capital city. The Caribbean coast near Cartagena is home to historic Spanish forts and islands boasting coral reefs that are ideal for snorkeling. The town itself is famous for its Spanish colonial architecture.

Medellín is the largest city in the northwest region and is dominated by two distinct landscapes: the rainforests and the mountains. While Medellín is an industrialized city, Santa Fe de Antioquia, fifty miles to the northwest, retains the look and feel of the Spanish colonial period.

Government

Colombia is a presidential republic, sharing the basic structure of the system employed by the United States.

The constitution, which was rewritten in 1991 and amended in 2020, calls for executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The executive contains the president, his cabinet, and a vice president as well. The president is directly elected by absolute majority, in two rounds if needed, and serves a four-year term. A political reform that took effect in 2018 limits presidents to one term in office. The president is both the chief of state and head of government.

The Senate and Chamber of Representatives make up the legislative branch. The 108 members of the Senate (Senado) and the 188 members of the Chamber of Representatives (Camara de Representantes). The judicial branch of government is ruled by four high courts: the Supreme Court of Justice, the Constitutional Court, the Council of State, and the Superior Judiciary Council.

In 2022, Former rebel Gustavo Petro is elected Colombia's first left-wing president.

Interesting Facts

• Colombia was named after the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
• Colombia is the only South American country with seacoasts on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
• Panama separated from Colombia in 1903.
• At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, athletes from Colombia took home three bronze medals, two silvers, and three golds, then the country's highest medal count to date.
• During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, when churches were closed for five months, some Catholic priests held drive-in masses at such unusual locations as an abandoned racetrack.
• The 8.65-kilometer-long Tunel de la Linea connected Buenaventura and central Colombia in 2020. It was the longest road tunnel in South America at the time.

Bibliography

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"Colombia." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 23 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/colombia/. Accessed Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

"Colombia." World Health Organization, www.who.int/countries/col/en. Accessed 2 Jun. 2022.

“Colombia (COL) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners.” OEC, Observatory of Economic Complexity, 2020, oec.world/en/profile/country/col. Accessed 2 Jun. 2022.‌

“Colombia: Overview of the Education System (EAG 2021).” OECD Education GPS, OECD, 2021, gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=COL. Accessed 2 Jun. 2022.‌

“Colombia." Human Development Index 2022,https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/COL. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.