A sketch of the country’s fundamental characteristics

With its economy growing steadily and peace talks with guerrillas taking place, Colombia is polishing its image abroad and becoming more of a go-to destination for travel and business in Latin America.

Federal Government  

Colombia is a constitutional republic with executive, judicial and legislative branches. The president is the head of government and elected by popular vote for up to two four-year terms. President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, first elected on August 7, 2010, was re-elected in June 2014 for another term in office. The legislative branch is divided into two bodies: the Congress, with 102 members, and the Chamber of Representatives, with 166 members. Both are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. Colombia has seven major political parties and numerous smaller ones.

Local Government 

The country is divided into 32 departments, or states, and one federal district: Bogotá, where the capital of the same name is located. Each department elects its governor by popular vote and is divided into municipalities, of which there are a total of 1123 in the country, according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística, DANE). Each municipality, in turn, has a mayor who is elected by popular vote. Mayors serve terms of two years, except the mayor of Bogotá, where the term length is four years.

Geography

Located on the north-west corner of South America, Colombia is the only nation in the region with coasts on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. With a continental mass of 1.34m sq km, the country shares land borders with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador, as well as maritime borders with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Colombia is divided into five regions, each with its distinctive features: the Andes Mountains; the Pacific Ocean coastal region; the Caribbean Sea coastal region; the llanos (plains); and the Amazon Rainforest.

Climate

Colombia’s varied geography and rugged terrain means that its climate is extremely diverse. Because of its proximity to the equator, the country enjoys a tropical and isothermal climate, reducing the changes associated with seasons. Temperatures vary significantly with elevation, however, usually losing 6°C for every 1000 metres gained. With an average temperature of 30°C at sea level, one should expect 24°C at 1000 metres, 18°C at 2000 metres, and 12°C at 3000 metres. Bogotá, in the country’s centre, at 2626 metres above sea level, has a subtropical highland climate, with temperatures fluctuating between 6° and 19°C. Colombia has a dry season in the summer and a wet one in the winter, but these vary by region; in Bogotá the rainy season extends from October to December. Almost all Colombian festivals take place during the dry periods of December to March or July and August.

Demographics

According to DANE, as of February 2014 Colombia had a population of just over 47m people and population growth of 1.1%, making it the 30th most populous nation on Earth. The population is relatively young, with 25.8% under the age of 14; 18.2% between 15 and 24; 41.5% between 25 and 55; 8% between 55 and 64; and 6.5% over 65 years of age. According to the most recent study by DANE, 85.94% of Colombians do not consider themselves part of any ethnicity, while 10.62% consider themselves Afro-Colombians, 3.43% identify as indigenous, and 0.01% say they are Roma.

Language

Around 99% of the Colombian people speak Spanish, although more than 65 other languages are also spoken in the country, with Wayú, Paez, and Embera being the only three with more than 50,000 speakers. Two other important non-Spanish languages in Colombia are Chibchan, which is spoken by the Muisca Indians in the region in and around Bogotá, and Zenú, which is spoken in the Atlantic regions of Cordoba and Sucre. English is regarded as an official language on the islands of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina because of their location in the Caribbean Sea.

Natural Resources

Colombia is one of the richest countries in South America in terms of natural resources. It is the continent’s leading producer of emeralds, its only producer of platinum and the second-largest producer of gold. Additionally, it has the largest coal reserves of any country in Latin America, the fourth-largest natural gas reserves and it continues to invest in exploration to increase its oil reserves. Recent environmental laws regarding mining have affected the production of certain resources, such as coal, as producers in the north of the country were not fully complying with environmental requirements. New offshore exploration projects and the potential for non-conventional oil and gas still make Colombia a very attractive destination for investments in hydrocarbons. In the last decade, the country has doubled its coal production and increased its total oil production by around 30%, according to the US Energy Information Administration (see Energy chapter).

Travel

While there is no restriction on nationality for travel to Colombia, a visa is required for citizens of certain countries. Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport accounts for nearly half of the country’s total air traffic and offers daily flights to major destinations in the US, Europe and Latin America. Other airports, such those in Medellín, Cali and Cartagena, also offer international flights, albeit on a much smaller scale. Colombia has a well-developed network of ground transportation, with Bogotá’s Terminal de Pasajeros being the centre of most arrivals and departures. Cross-country highways are still a work in progress, making some journeys by land relatively slow.

Nature Tourism 

Colombia has a total of 55 protected natural areas, comprised of national parks, fauna and flora sanctuaries, nature reserves, parkways and “unique natural areas”. Together, these areas constitute a total of 12% of the nation’s territory, taking in snow-capped mountains, volcanoes, jungles, deserts, beaches and plains. Even though the Natural National Parks Service requires entrance permits, in 2013 more than 664,000 people visited the parks, according to Proexport Colombia, the government agency for promoting foreign trade.

Sports 

Colombia’s most popular sport, football, has a national football league, known as Liga Postobón, whose 18 clubs include America from Cali, Millonarios Fútbol Club from Bogotá and Atletico Nacional from Medellín. The Colombian national football team, which qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, plays at the Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla. Beyond football, Colombian cyclists are known for their strength and success in world competitions, such as the Tour de France, where Nairo Quintana won second place in 2013. In addition to these world sports, Colombia has its own national sport, Tejo, which consists of throwing weighted objects at clay stands filled with gunpowder (see Sport chapter).

Religion

Around 90% of Colombians are Roman Catholic although, due to the cultural and ethnical diversity found in the country, some Roman Catholics have been influenced by African and indigenous beliefs. Colombia is home to some picturesque cathedrals, with Prima Cathedral in Bogotá and the Salt Cathedral in Ziquipira being the most popular. In recent times there has been a growth of Mormons, Protestants, Evangelicals and Muslims, though these are still a very small portion of the population.

Security

After decades of insecurity and constant fighting between government forces, guerrilla fighters, paramilitary groups and drug cartels, Colombia has been able gradually to change its negative image abroad on security. Key to improving these perceptions are the peace talks currently under way in Havana. According to the Ministry of Defence, insurgent groups currently have influence in less than 25% of the country, predominantly rural and border areas. While urban crime has also declined in recent years, it is still advisable to take every possible precaution when travelling around the country.

Biodiversity

According to the Convention of Biological Diversity, Colombia is host to around 10% of global biodiversity and is listed as one of the world’s “mega-diverse” countries. With 314 different types of ecosystem, Colombia ranks first in bird and orchid species diversity and second in plants, butterflies, freshwater fishes and amphibians. As for aquatic resources, Colombia is regarded as one of the world’s richest countries due to its feed into the four massive sub-continental basins of the Amazon: Orinoco, the Caribbean, Magdalena-Cauca and the Pacific. However, various ecosystems such as dry forests have been mostly depleted (by more than 95%) by farming operations. The Colombian government is currently working with local farmers and communities to foster sustainable farming practices and cultivate alternative forms of income, such as ecotourism, for those who live in the countryside.