Colombia Map

This fourth-largest economy in South America is just recovering from a smothering period of drug wars and human rights violation.

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a south American country with a long tradition of constitutional government. It spans a total area of about 441,000 square miles, while the population is pegged at almost 45.5 million, making it the 29th most populated country in the world. The per capita nominal GDP is above $6,000. The official language is Spanish, but over 80 regional languages are thriving in their respective regions. According to rough estimates, almost 95% of the Colombians follow Christianity.

Much in line with the majority of south American societies, Colombia's civilization too goes back to 10,000 years ago when hunter-gatherers societies used to flourish. In the early 16th century, Spanish explorations arrived in these regions and founded the "New City of Granada".

Towards the early 19th century, rebellions started springing up against colonization, and one after the other, the original provinces started getting liberated and supporting the struggle. In 1819, Colombia independence was recognized.

Despite the armed conflicts cracking up the country's stability, the economy grew steadily in the latter parts of the 20th century. Services is the largest sector, employing about 63% of the workforce. Tourism has risen sharply and emerged as a major sector, thanks to the end of drug wars. Colombia has extensive natural resources, and so mining and energy have become significant contributors to the GDP. The major industries are textile, oil, and food processing. Some of the major exports are petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emerald, flowers, etc.