Xaverians in Colombia

Colombia: Country Profile

 |   | 

Colombia

Colombia is a country in South America. The total land area is 440,831 sq. mi. The capital and largest city is Bogota . Its varied topography includes torrid lowlands, rain forests, and vast plains. The main river, the Magdalena, flows north across practically the entire country. Wildlife includes the larger South American mammals such as jaguars, pumas, and tapirs, and monkeys, red deer, snakes, and birds. 

The climate varies with the elevation, with cooler temperatures at higher altitudes. The mineral resources of the country are extensive, including emeralds, petroleum and natural gas, coal, and gold.

About 58 percent of the people who make up Colombia's diverse population are of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry, about 20 percent are of unmixed European ancestry, and about 14 percent are of mixed black and white ancestry. About 95 percent of the population (1997 estimate, 37,852,050) are Roman Catholics. The official language is Spanish, although the 1991 constitution recognizes the languages of ethnic groups. Elementary education is free and compulsory for 5 years, and most public schools are controlled by the Roman Catholic church.

Some 27 percent of Colombian workers are engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, with another 23 percent at work in manufacturing, construction, and mining. The remainder are employed in services. Colombia is primarily an agrarian nation, but it has experienced rapid industrial growth in recent decades. For example, although Colombia is second only to Brazil in the annual volume of coffee produced, the crop was bypassed by petroleum in the mid-1990s as the country's largest source of foreign income. New oil reserves discovered east of Bogota are expected to provide Colombia with energy self-sufficiency into the 21st century. The country is also one of the leading exporters of coal, with the world's largest single open-pit mine, and is the top gold producer of South America. In addition, Colombia has the largest platinum deposits in the world and supplies about one-half of the world's emeralds. The basic unit of currency is the Colombian peso.

Colombia's 1991 constitution provides for a centralized republican form of government. National executive power is held by a popularly elected president. The president appoints a cabinet subject to the approval of the Congress, the legislative body composed of a House of Representatives and a Senate. For local government, the country is divided into 32 departments and one capital district. Departmental governors are directly elected.

Colombia has a relatively free and open political system in which a number of parties participate. The two major parties have traditionally been the Conservative Party (now known as the Colombian Social Conservative Party) and the Liberal Party.

Service, mission, work, news, and presence of the Xaverian Missionaries in Colombia