Note: Profiles of all nations are given with info on religious stats and
socio-economics in that nation for your
consideration.
Christian Dating :
Colombia
Geography
Area: 1.14 million sq. km. (440,000 sq. mi.); about three times the size
of Montana; fourth-largest country in South America.
Cities: Capital--Bogotá (pop. 2004 projected: 7 million). Other
major cities include Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, and Cartagena.
Terrain: Flat coastal areas, with extensive coastlines on the Pacific
Ocean and Caribbean Sea, three rugged parallel mountain chains, central
highlands, and flat eastern grasslands.
Climate: Tropical on coast and eastern plains, cooler in highlands.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Colombian(s).
Population (2004 projected): 45 million
Annual population growth: 1.8%
Christian singles note-Religion: Roman Catholic 90%.
Language: Spanish.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance--80% of
children enter school. Only 5 years of primary school are offered in
many rural areas. Literacy--93% in urban areas, 67% in rural
areas.
Health: Infant mortality rate--25/1,000. Life expectancy--men
65 yrs., women 76 yrs.
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (58%), white (20%), mulatto (14%), black (4%),
mixed black-Amerindian (3%), and Amerindian (1%)
Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: July 20, 1810.
Constitution: July 1991.
Branches: Executive--President (chief of state and head of
government). Legislative--Bicameral Congress.
Judicial--Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Council of State,
Superior Judicial Council.
Administrative divisions: 32 departments; Bogotá, capital district.
Major political parties: Conservative Party of Colombia, Liberal Party,
and numerous small political movements (most of them allied with one or
the other major party).
Suffrage: Universal, age 18 and over.
Economy
GDP (2004 projected): $83.01 billion
Annual growth rate (2004 projected): 4%.
Per capita GDP (2003 projected): $1,844.
Government Expenditures (2005 projected): 22.2% of GDP.
Natural resources: Coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nickel, gold,
silver, copper, platinum, emeralds.
Manufacturing (14.3 of GDP): Types--textiles and garments,
chemicals, metal products, cement, cardboard containers, plastic resins
and manufactures, beverages, wood products, pharmaceuticals, machinery,
electrical equipment.
Agriculture (13.8% of GDP): Products--coffee, bananas, cut
flowers, cotton, sugarcane, livestock, rice, corn, tobacco, potatoes,
soybeans, sorghum. Cultivated land: 8.2% of total area.
Other sectors (by percentage of GDP): Financial services--17.6%; commerce--10.8%;
transportation and communications services--8.2%; mining and
quarrying--4.6%; construction and public works--4.8%; electricity,
gas, and water--3.1%
Trade: Exports (2004 projected)--$15.1 billion: petroleum, coal,
coffee, flowers, textiles and garments, ferronickel, bananas, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, gold, sugar, cardboard containers, printed material,
cement, plastic resins and manufactures, emeralds. Major markets--U.S.,
Venezuela, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, . Imports (2004
projected)--$14.8 billion: machinery/equipment, grains, chemicals,
transportation equipment, mineral products, consumer products,
metals/metal products, plastic/rubber, paper products, aircraft, oil and
gas industry equipment, and supplies. Major suppliers--U.S.,
Germany, Japan, Panama, Venezuela.
PEOPLE
Christian singles note-Colombia is the third-most populous country in
Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Migration from rural to urban
areas has been prevalent. The urban population increased from 57% of the
total population in 1951 to approximately 74% by 1994 (when the last
census was held). Thirty cities have a population of 100,000 or more.
The nine eastern lowlands departments, constituting about 54% of
Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of
less than one person per square kilometer (two persons per sq. mi.).
Ethnic diversity in Colombia is a result of the intermingling of
indigenous peoples, European immigrants, and Africans. Today, only about
1% of the people can be identified as fully indigenous on the basis of
language and customs.
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