Among the most outstanding characteristics of Colombia we find its diversity of climates, an economy sustained by the production of coffee or oil, a cultural richness largely due to miscegenation or a political system governed by bipartisanship.
Colombia is a country located in the northwestern area of South America, where it shares land and / or maritime borders with Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica and Panama.
This country, the only one in South America with access to two seas: the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Colombia is also the fourth largest country in South America, with a territory of more than 2 million square kilometers. The Andes Mountains, the Amazon Rainforest and the Orinoco basin pass through its soil.
Colombia, a country made up of 49 million people, has a political system based on democracy.
Most interesting features of Colombia
1- Andean coastal geography
It is located between the Amazon Rainforest, Panama and the Pacific Ocean and is crossed by the equator of the planet.
In its tectonic plates several faults are located that, like the entire Andean region, implies the presence of seismic zones.
Its continental borders are with Ecuador and Peru to the south; Panama and the Pacific Ocean to the northwest; and to the east, with Venezuela and Brazil.
While its maritime borders are:
- Through the Caribbean Sea: Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica and Venezuela.
- Through the Pacific Ocean: Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica.
Punta Gallinas is its most extreme place towards the north, while towards the south the extreme is represented by the mouth of the Quebrada de San Antonio. To the east, its most extreme point is the Island of San José, and to the west, it is Cabo Manglares.
Colombia is divided into 32 departments and a capital district. Also, administratively, it contemplates the figures of municipalities, indigenous territories, regions and provinces.
Its departments include: Antioquia, Arauca, Boyacá, Caquetá, Cauca, Guaiviare, Huilam Magdaleno, Nariño, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Vaupés and Vichada.
Its natural regions are: Amazon Region, Andean Region, Caribbean Region, Pacific Coast Region, Insular Region and Orinoquía Region.
It is a mostly mountainous country, although due to its relief, it is divided into three regions: coastal plains, Andes Mountains and eastern plains.
In Colombian lands, several volcanoes can be found since it belongs to the Pacific Ring of Fire and the volcanic belt of the Andes. There are also moors and snowy mountains.
In addition, Colombia has a System of National Natural Parks that covers more than 126 thousand square kilometers.
2- Varied climate
Its geographical location and relief provide a variety of climates to Colombia, namely:
- Tropical wet
- Dry
- Tempered
- Of Mountain
It can be affected by hurricanes due to its proximity to the Caribbean Sea, which generates heavy rains that each year produce floods in different parts of its territory.
3- Privileged hydrography
Colombia has two water sources:
- Atlántica, among whose main rivers are: Magdalena, Cauca, Sinú, Arauca, Meta, Vichada, Caquetá and Caguá.
- Pacifica, whose main and torrential rivers are Baudo, Patía and San Juan.
It also has lagoons and swamps.
4- Mestizo population
Colombia went from having just over 12 and a half million inhabitants in 1951, to reaching almost 49 million people who inhabit it today. Although it has been a progressive growth, it is beginning to slow down.
Although most of its inhabitants live in urban areas, there are a significant number of peasants and there are also indigenous communities. And in 2015, DANE reported 10.62% of people of African descent.
It is estimated that 30% of the population belongs to the middle class (monthly income of 3 million pesos), and a similar percentage falls into the poverty category, while close to 60% is in the intermediate range.
Each Colombian household is classified by socioeconomic stratum, which directly affects the calculation of taxes they must pay.
5- Brown economy
The official currency of Colombia is the peso. Its economy, the fourth largest in Latin America, is based mainly on the cultivation of coffee and oil production, although the crops of flowers, bananas, cocoa, sugar cane and rice are also important.
Colombia is the third world producer of coffee, being harvested mainly in the departments of Caldas, Cundinamarca, Norte de Santander, Tolima and Santander.
Crude oil production takes place in the Magdalena river valley. Consequently, it has several refineries in its territory.
The extraction and export of gold, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds also play an important role in its annual GDP. The extraction of coal has been another activity that has been growing rapidly for more than a decade.
The fact of having two coasts allows it to display almost 2,000 species of fish in its fauna, so fishing for trout, sailfish and tuna are also important activities.
The Colombian government foresees a growth of its economy between 1.7 and 2% by the end of 2017, while for 2018, they calculate an increase of 3% in GDP, a figure that coincides with that of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Bancolombia researchers estimate that 2017 will close with an inflation of 4.2%
6- bipartisan politics
Bipartisanship has been the hallmark of Colombian politics since the beginning of its republican history.
The Liberal and Conservative parties, inherited from the South American independence struggle, currently survive quite strongly, although in recent years actions have been taken to promote multipartyism.
The bogotazo and other wars and / or popular revolts saw the birth of the Colombian left that led to the creation of the Colombian Communist Party.
This was also the origin of armed guerrilla or paramilitary groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which in September 2017 will be recognized as a political party.
The current presidential term is 4 years, although recently the Colombian Ministry of the Interior proposed to the Congress of that country the increase to 5 years of that period, as well as other changes such as the age from which you can vote (16 years) and the elimination of the figure of the vice president, for example.
7- Multicolored culture
The cultural richness of Colombia is given by the miscegenation typical of the American colonial era in which Indians, blacks and whites mixed.
In their traditions you can see African and Spanish traits intertwined with aboriginal practices.
Vallenato and cumbia are very popular rhythms. Musical instruments such as the accordion, the tiple and the guitar are the protagonists of the most indigenous melodies.
In the Andean region, the long skirt and the white blouse with a tray collar are typical costumes. There are also areas where the ruana is a very distinctive piece of clothing.
The Feria de Las Flores, the National Bambuco Reign, the Barranquilla carnivals and the sung dances are also examples of this diversity.
References
- Bank of the Republic (s / f). Afro studies. Recovered from: banrepcultural.org.
- Colombia (s / f). Economy. Recovered from: Colombia.com.
- Countrymeters (s / f). Colombian population´s. Recovered from: countrymeters.info.
- National Administrative Department of Statistics - DANE. dane.gov.co.
- Legaria, Guillermo (2017). Political reform in Colombia: what is it and what does it propose? Recovered from: cnnespanol.cnn.com.
- Ministry of Culture of Colombia. mincultura.gov.ve.
- Moreno, Gustavo (2016). Social classes. Recovered from: m.elpais.com.co.
- Pulido, Laura (2017). Growth of the Colombian economy. Recovered from: m.elcolombiano.com.