- Demography of the Amazon region
- Ethnic groups in the Amazon region
- Economy of the region
- Main productions of the region
- References
The population of the Amazon region of Colombia is made up of diverse ethnic and cultural groups, including a significant minority of the indigenous population.
There are approximately 26 different indigenous ethnic groups, with a population that reaches up to 47,000 inhabitants.
This area is characterized by a great cultural wealth, which can be seen for example in the 14 language families that are used in the region.
Most of the population is engaged in primary sector activities, such as hunting, fishing, livestock and forestry.
The area also has several relatively important cities, such as Florencia (with 121,898 inhabitants) and San José del Guaviare (with 34,863).
Demography of the Amazon region
The Amazon region of Colombia is the fourth least populated in the entire country. With 264,945 inhabitants in just over 400,000 square kilometers (the largest in the entire country), most of the population is concentrated in cities.
The region is divided into eight subregions, although it is also common to divide it according to the predominance of different linguistic groups.
Using this classification, it is usually separated into three distinct zones: the region north of the Caquetá River, the region between the Caquetá and the Putumayo, and the Amazon Trapezoid region.
Ethnic groups in the Amazon region
The region is mainly populated by Caucasian and mixed race people, who make up up to 55% of the population.
The rest of the inhabitants are of indigenous origin (42%) and Afro-Colombian (3%). This makes it one of the regions of the country with the largest indigenous population.
Although in this part of the country you can find up to 26 different Amerindian ethnic groups, the most numerous are the Ticuna, Huitotos, Yaguas, Cocama, Yucunas, Mirañas, Matapíes, Boras and Muinanes.
Economy of the region
Most of the population of this part of the country is dedicated to the exploitation of different natural resources, although in recent times there has been a boom in the field of ecological tourism.
The last decades have seen how the Colombian Amazon has become one of the most tourist spots in the country and the entire continent.
This is mainly due to the great variety of landscapes and life (both animal and plant) that exist in the region.
Due to this explosion of tourism, more and more of the population is moving from dedicating themselves to the primary sector and beginning to work in the services sector.
Main productions of the region
Even so, the vast majority of the population continues to dedicate itself to extracting natural resources. The exploitations of products such as wood, rubber, gold and different minerals stand out.
On the other hand, agricultural and livestock activities are also of enormous importance in the Amazon region.
Many inhabitants cultivate products such as corn, banana, rice, sugar cane, cocoa and different types of fruit. Also livestock and fishing are of great importance in this area.
Different environmental groups have shown their interest in this region. The attempt to take advantage of materials such as coltan, oil, wood and gold have caused an overexploitation of the area.
Finally, there is an increasing export of indigenous handicraft products. Adventure tourism is also becoming more important in recent decades.
The focus of economic activities in the region is expected to continue to change at an increasingly rapid pace.
References
- "Amazonas (Colombia)" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: October 2, 2017 from Wikipedia: wikipedia.com.
- "Population" in: Territorial Environmental Information System of the Colombian Amazon. Retrieved on: October 24, 2017 from the Territorial Environmental Information System of the Colombian Amazon: siatac.co.
- "Amazon Region (Colombia)" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: October 24, 2017 from Wikipedia: wikipedia.com.
- "Region of the Colombian Amazon" in: Pedagogical aid in social. Retrieved on October 24, 2017 from Pedagogical Aids in social: latierrayelhombre.wordpress.com.
- "Population - Amazonas" in National Cultural Information System. Retrieved on October 24, 2017 from the National Cultural Information System: sinic.gov.co.