Colombia

  • Area: 1,141,748 square kilometres
  • Currency: Colombian peso made up of 100 centavos, $1 = 1,810 pesos (at July 2010)
  • Official language: Spanish
  • Population: 45,644,023 (2009)
  • Head of State or Government: Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (President) 2009
  • GDP: $230,811.51 million
  • GDP per capita: $8,200
  • GDP growth: 0.4%
  • Inflation: 2%

Sobre Colombia

Situated in the extreme northwest of South America, Colombia is the only country in South America with coasts on both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The archipelagos of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, popular tourist destinations are found in the latter.

The country is divided into 32 districts distributed in 5 natural regions: The Atlantic or Caribbean, Pacific, Andean, Orinoquía, and the Amazon. Each of these is distinguished by its geographic location, natural richness, customs and economic activities.

Colombia boasts of several centres of development, among which are Bogotá (its capital), Medellín, Barranquilla and Cali.

The country’s agricultural activities, which contributes around 14% of the national GDP, includes cultivation of sugar cane, coffee, flowers, cotton, banana, plantain, sorghum, corn, rice, African palms, potato and cassava, among others. Fishing and forestry are also activities of great importance to the national economy.

Within the industrial sector, which contributes more than 30% of the national GDP, food, beverage, textiles, carbon, oil and its by-products, mining, precious stones, chemical, construction and automotive are the most outstanding activities.

Services contribute the majority of 55% of the national GDP. The financial sector, telecommunications, insurance, health and beauty, transportation, real estate and business services constitute important items.