Colombia

Marly Mosquera & Josue Trejo2nd Period

Geographical LocationBordering Countries: Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.

Total Land Area: 401,044 square miles 27th largest in the world.

Coastline: 1994 miles on the Caribbean Sea and North Pacific Ocean

Capital City: Bogota

Climate and LandscapeClimate:

Colombia has an equatorial climate. Along the coast and in the eastern plains there is a tropical climate. However, it is cooler in the highlands.

Landscape:

Colombia consists of low coastal plains on the coast, cool mountain plateu’s, valleys, and volcanoes. The highest point in the country is known as Pico Cristóbal Colón and has an estimated height of 18,700 feet. The lowest point of the country is the pacific ocean. A volcano named Nevado Del Ruiz is located in the Andes Mountains.

Lay of the Land➢ Natural Resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal,

iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, and hydropower.

➢ Land Use: ○ Agricultural Land: 37.5%○ Forest: 54.4%○ Other: 8.1%

➢ Population Distribution: Most of the Colombian population is located in the north and in the west.

➢ Environmental Issues: Deforestation, soil and water quality damage from the overuse of pesticides. Furthermore, air pollution is also an environmental issue especially in Bogota

Colombia’s HistoryBefore Europeans arrived in the country, indigenous groups thrived. They produced art stone and gold work. The indigenous population decreased drastically when Europeans arrived in the 1500’s. They died from the wars and diseases that spread throughout the country. In 1810, Colombia gained its independence from the Spanish after the Battle of Boyaca. However, conflicts kept on occuring and violence became more common. This violence, caused guerrilla units to be created. One of the more famous units is “Las FARC” (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). The drug industry rose during the 1970’s and 1980’s. A notorious drug lord was named Pablo Escobar. At the peak of his drug smuggling career, his cartel supplied 80% of the cocaine in the United States. Violence and revolutionary groups are still very common in Colombia. Many of the country’s recent presidents have attempted to make piece with these groups, but conflict still takes place.

By the NumbersPopulation: 47,698,524 (#29 in the world)

Urban Population: 77%

Most Populated Cities: Bogota (9.765 million), Medellin (3.911 million), Cali (2.646 million), Barranquilla (1.991 million), and Bucaramanga (1.215 million)

Dominant Ethnic Group(s): White 84.2% and Afro-Colombian 10.4%

Dominant Language: Spanish

Religions: Roman Catholic 79%, Protestant 14%, and 7% other/unspecified

A Typical Colombian❏ Median Age: 30 years old

❏ Life Expectancy: 75.9 years old❏ Female: 79.3❏ Male: 72.8

❏ Infant Mortality Rate: 13.6 deaths/ 1,000 live births

❏ Fertility Rate: 2 children born per woman

Education in ColombiaLiteracy rate: 94.2%

❏ Males: 94.1%❏ Females: 94.4%

Structure of Education: Primary school is mandatory, and students enter school around the age of 5 or 6. Single institutions provide five years of primary education and six years of secondary education. All students attend primary and secondary school.

Access to education: Public schools are free and widely accessible and tend to be low quality with large classrooms. Many of students attend private schools, which are mostly catholic. The level of education is proportional to the cost. The more expensive it is the higher the academic standards and the more qualified the teachers are.

Education in ColombiaSchool life: In any form of school, students are required to wear a uniform. Authoritative teaching styles have begun to be replaced by a more discussion-based approach. Materials include blackboards, photocopies, and textbooks (private schools use U.S. textbooks). Nearly all urban schools provide access to computers and internet. Secondary education consists of exams, collaborative assignments, and individual papers. A typical day consists of about 1 to 2 hours of homework. Cheating is very common but is still punished.

Higher Education: Higher education consists of technical and academic programs. A small amount of students complete graduate studies. Universities are often found in major cities. Bogota has over a dozen major universities. Business, law, and science related fields are seen as good preparation for a career.

General AttitudesColombians are often very prideful of themselves and their culture. They also have the rumbero spirit, which is the ability to enjoy life and have fun under difficult circumstances.Family and mutual support are considered important. Timetables and punctuality are not usually adhered to strictly. Colombians value honesty, education, loyalty, and a good sense of humor. This people are generally friendly and enjoy socializing. They also are forward looking and confident they can overcome any challenges they may face. Despite violence and political turmoil, Colombians take pride that their human and natural reasons have allowed for higher levels of economic development. They do not appreciate criticism from anybody other than themselves and find it offensive.

Personal AppearancesColombians wear conservative, clean, and well kept clothes.It is essential for one to wear appropriate attire for each occasion, and it is uncommon to dress down. In urban areas like medellin, who hold an annual fashion show, fashionable clothing is the norm. Professional men wear suits, white shirts, and ties. Suits of lighter colors are worn in cities near the coast. Typically older men who live near the Caribbean coast wear guayaberas (traditional embroidered dress shirts), which can be very expensive, and women wear comfortable dresses. Dressing casually and expressing themselves through clothing is common among youth in larger cities and trends vary from class and subculture. Rural clothing is usually less fashionable. Indigenous peoples often wear traditional clothing. Women wear wraparound dresses, bowler hats, and ruanas (wool shawls). The sombrero vueltiao is a traditional black-and-white hat that is woven from cane leaves and has become a popular symbol of Colombia. People throughout Colombia often sport shoulder bags (mochilas) woven by various indigenous communities.

Greetings in ColombiaMen shake hands (not too vigorously) upon greeting or leaving. Colombians also kiss each other on the cheek. Family and friends give each other an abrazo (hug) and a kiss. In formal introductions, colombians greet each other by their title instead of their first name.Colombians commonly have two family names: the second-to-last name is the father's family name, and the last name is the mother's family name. The father's family name is the official surname. Therefore, a person named José Muñoz Gómez would be called Señor Muñoz. Common greetings include Buenos días (Good morning), Buenas tardes (Good afternoon), Buenas noches (Good evening), and ¿Cómo está? (How are you?). Buenas may be used by itself from mid-morning on. Hasta luego (Until later) and, less formally, Chao (Bye) and Nos vemos (See you later) are popular parting phrases.

Common GesturesColombians are very expressive with their hands and face. When in conversation, maintaining eye contact and standing close are very important. It is rude to interrupt or walk away from a conversation.People beckon others with the palm down, waving the fingers or the whole hand. It is common to point by puckering your lips in the intended direction. Smiling is an important gesture of goodwill. Men show respect to women and elderly in many ways such as forfeiting seats, opening doors, or offering other assistance.

Visiting EtiquetteIn smaller towns with warmer climates, sitting on the porch and talking to those passing by is common. In urban areas visiting arrangements are made in advance. Colombian hosts are gracious and attempt to make guests feel comfortable, usually offering refreshments such as coffee, fruit juice, or soft drinks. Food is often offered as well. When visiting people, Colombians tend to arrive late. Colombians also occasionally bring small gifts to the hosts but it is not expected of them. Hosts offer alcoholic beverages such as aguardiente (an anise-flavored beverage), rum, or beer. Guests wait to be seated by hosts. Hosts accompany guests to the door, down the door, or sometimes even all the way home.

Food and DrinkTable manners: Good Manners and courtesy when eating are important to Colombians. Pleasant conversation is welcome. Guests are always served first. Everyone stays at the table until everyone is done. Cooking more food than is necessary is common, and second helping are always offered. It is also rude to take anything before offering it to others first.

Diets: Diets consists of soup, made with potatoes and beef or chicken, and a main dish which is made of rice and potatoes, grains and chicken or beef with sauce, fresh fruit juice, salad, and a desert. Onces is a mid day teatime, where relatives and friends get together for coffee or tea and cookies.

Family LifeStructure: A typical family consists of a mother, father, and two to three children, although in rural areas families are much larger. Family unity is important and family members share their good fortunes with one another. Colombian are often involved with each others’ lives decisions. Leaving their family behind is considered a great sacrifice and they often send money home to their families. Returning for the holidays to spend time with families is a big reason why immigrants will come back to visit.

Parents and Children: Children are given chores by their parents to teach them discipline. Children work in small businesses and fields to help support the family. Rural children in poverty often turn to a life of crime and join in many illegal armed groups involved in Colombia’s conflict. Kids typically live with their parents till marriage, but some are leaving earlier for college or businesses. Adult children take care of widowed parents. Elderly are respected and visited weekly by their younger family members.

Gender RolesThe father is the head of the household, ultimate decision maker, and the primary financial provider even if both parents are employed. The mother is considered the center of the family. Mothers are inspirational figures for their kids so that they work hard and succeed in life. One of the worst insults to a Colombian is one directed towards their mother. Women are responsible for most domestic duties. Most women also work outside the home and poorer ones often work as secretaries and domestic workers for richer people. More educated women are reaching highly regarded positions in society, though men run larger companies and are paid more than women for the same work. Women have also reached higher positions in the government, they also make up 30 percent of political candidates and occupy the same percentage of top government positions. Women also commonly work in education, humanities, psychology, textiles, and dental care fields. Attitudes are starting to change regarding the image of women as submissive members of Colombian society, though a patriarchal structure remains the norm.

HousingThere are multiple different types of housings in Colombia. People below the poverty live in unstable structures. These structures are usually made out of random materials that the family or person can find. Low income families usually live in buildings made out of clay bricks. Furthermore, these building can have one floor or can be multi-floor. Middle and high-income families live in communities known as urbanizaciones. Rural area homes are usually made out of clay and wood. Small are known as campesinos.In tropical areas, people own hammocks that are hung in their homes.

Dating and EngagementDating: Dating starts with young people socializing with neighborhood friends and schoolmates. Dating begins around age 14 or 15, although urban adolescents will start at a earlier age. Boys are the ones to initiate dates. Popular activities to do on dates include playing sports, going to the mall, parties, restaurants, movies, and discos. In urban areas it is common for the couple to engage in sexual activity. Rural relationships advance more slowly. Common places to go on dates in rural areas are going to parks, going to the movies, and going out for ice cream or a meal.

Engagement: Before becoming engaged, the male will ask the female’s father for permission. Engagement occur mostly when they are in their late twenties. Couples commonly wait until they are financially stable before starting a family together. If a couple becomes pregnant before marriage, they are expected to marry.

Marriage and Weddings Marriage: Common-law marriages (uniones libres) are becoming common in urban areas. Members of these relationships have rights and obligations similar to formally married couples, as long as they have registered their union after living together for at least two years. Although cohabitation is frowned upon in rural areas, rural couples who cannot afford formal marriages often live together as husband and wife and are recognized as such by their communities, though not by the law. In some areas of Colombia infidelity among men is common and widely tolerated. In 2015 a court ruled that same-sex couples can legally adopt children, and in 2016 Colombia legalized same-sex marriage.

Wedding: Weddings are preceded by separate gender specific parties for the bride and groom.On the night before a wedding, the groom may hire a small band to serenade the bride. Marriage ceremonies generally follow Catholic traditions, including a Mass, though non-religious civil weddings are becoming increasingly common. It is considered bad luck for the couple to see each other wearing their wedding clothes before the ceremony. As the couple exits the church after being married, the guests throw grains of rice on them as a symbol of prosperity and abundance.A reception, financed by the bride’s family, follows the wedding. It includes food, music, and dancing at a club, restaurant, or home. Gifts may be given at a shower held prior to the wedding or at the reception itself. Some couples register for household items, while others ask for a lluvia de sobres (rain of envelopes), indicating they would prefer gifts of money.

RecreationSports: Futbol (soccer) is the most popular sport in Colombia. Volleyball is a common game played in the coastal region of the country. Swimming, track, baseball, basketball, and cycle racing are also common sports in the country. People of all ages participate in all of these sports.

Leisure Activities: Chess and different types of card games are popular activities throughout the country. In the north, dominoes and parques are common games while in the south, Tejo is a popular game. Children enjoy playing multiple games like skipping, hopscotch, La lleva (tag), and hide-and-seek.

Vacations: Colombians enjoy visiting different regions of the country during their vacations. Typically, those who live in the interior of the country head to places with a lower elevation where it will be warmer. Visiting relatives and camping are also some of the popular vacation choices.

The ArtsMusic and dance are very important in Colombia. Different types of music in Colombia are common like salsa, cumbia, bambuco, and vallenato. Literature is also incredibly important in the country. In 1982, Gabriel Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize in literature. Artisans make hammocks, sashes, bags, and wool shawls. People also produce ceramics and decorative trims for clothing and furniture. Early natives created elaborate gold work.

HolidaysEaster: Easter is one of the most important holidays and forty days before then the Colombians celebrate ash wednesday by going to mass and getting a cross drawn on their forehead by a priest. Cuaresma, a time where people avoid eating red meat and drinking alcohol on fridays, is what the period between ash wednesday and easter is called. Semana Santa (Holy Week) begins with Reed Sunday, when people walk to church carrying reeds, saint statues, and palm leaves. Colombians commemorate the Last Supper on Thursday and the Crucifixion on Saturday. Sunday is their day to honor his resurrection. It is marked by processions across the country and a special Mass. Today, an increasing number of Colombians forgo religious observations during Holy Week and instead spend it with family, relax, or travel.

Christmas: Colombians go to visit family during this time of year. Houses are decorated with lights, christmas trees, and pesebres (nativity scenes). The nine nights before then are called la novena, in where family come together to pray, sing carols, and eat customary Christmas snacks such as natilla (similar to flan) and buñuelos (fried dough balls). Every night it is celebrated in a different house and often turns in a party with drinking and dancing. Families eat a large dinner, pray around the pesebre, and sing carols on christmas eve. Presents, such as a dolls and bicycles and soccer balls from the Baby Jesus, Papá Noel (Santa Claus), are exchanged at midnight and followed with partying and dancing.

Festivals: Cities and towns sponsor festivals with indigenous and religious origins, such as Feria de Manizales, the Feria de Cali (famous for its salsa concerts and competitions), and the Festival de Blancos y Negros, all of which take place during December or January. The largest festival is the Carnaval de Barranquilla, celebrated on the barribbean coast right before ash wednesday. The festival includes many aspects such as parades, drinking, dancing, music (especially cumbia music), and processions that include both Catholic saints and indigenous or Afro-Caribbean figures.The Carnival draws people from all over the world.The Petronio Álvarez festival is held each August in Cali and highlights musical styles from Colombia's Pacific Coast.

HealthcareThe healthcare system in Colombia is currently changing from a public to a mixed system, including public and private options. Healthcare facilities are better equipped in urban areas than in rural areas. Because most people in Colombia do not have that much money, most people use herbal and home remedies to try and cure whatever a family member or they may have. Malaria, Yellow Fever, and Zike are major infectious diseases that plague Colombia’s society. Most people do not drink tap water due to the fact that it is often not safe for drinking. However, the leading cause of death in Colombia is still violence.

GovernmentType of Government: Presidential republic

Independence Day: July 20, 1810 (from Spain)

Voting Age: 18 years of age (universal)

Govt. Leadership: President Juan Manuel Santos

Political Landscape: The president’s Social Party of Unity is Colombia’s largest political party. This party holds the most seats in the senate. Over the course of many years, Colombia’s government has gained opposition in the form of military guerilla groups like Las Farc. Multiple paramilitary groups have been responsible for many political murders. However peace talks between the government and Las Farc resulted in a peace accord signed in 2016.

People's Role in Govt.: There is a constitution that guarantees and usually respects freedoms. However, corruption of the government is prevalent throughout multiple levels. Vote buying, intimidation, and suspicious campaign financing occurs often. Due to issues with regional violence, voter turnout is affected negatively.

Colombia’s FlagYellow: Wealth and Resources

Blue: Two oceans and the rivers

Red: Honors those whose blood was shed fighting against Spain for Colombia’s independence

EconomyGDP: $307.5 billion (#32 in the world)

GDP Per Capita: $14,500 (#112 in the world)

Unemployment Rate: 9.3% (#129 in the world)

Population Below the Poverty Line: 27.8%

Exports: $36.79 billion - Major exports include petroleum, coal, emeralds, coffee, nickel, cut flowers, bananas, and apparel

Imports: $44.68 billion - Major imports include industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, and electricity

Energy and Communication➢ Access to Electricity:

○ 97% of the population has electricity○ 1,200,000 people do not have electricity

➢ Cellphones: ○ 7,115,984 people (#25 in the world)

➢ Access to Internet:○ 27,452,550 people have internet access○ 58.1% of the population○ World ranking: 29

TransportationAirports: 836 (#8 in the world)

Railways: 1330 miles of track (#73 in the world)

Roadways: 206,500 miles of road

● Total number of paved and unpaved roads was unavailable.

Seaports: Cartagena, Santa Marta, Turbo, and Buenaventura

The people who live in Colombia to rely more on public transportation rather than their own automobiles. Multiple forms of public transportation are available in all cities such as buses and taxis.