Colombia is a very diverse country, full of different faces and personalities. The blood heritage and miscegenation brought by African slaves, Indigenous peoples and European immigrants is transmitted in its culture and traditions. Its geography with landscapes from the Amazon forest and Caribbean coast to the Andean mountains also impacts the climate, which can have a wide variation depending on the time of the year or which part of the country you are. The result is endless natural wonders and a vibrant population full of history and culture. 

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Colombia’s current president is Iván Duque Márquez of the right-wing party “Centro Democrático” (Democratic Centre). Since 1991, the country has been a representative democratic presidential republic and the government is divided into three powers: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. The elections are held every four years and each representative can be re-elected only once (total of 8 consecutive years of presidential term). Their votes are secret, direct and not compulsory. 

The Federal Capital and its biggest city is Bogotá, located in the Capital District. The other administrative divisions are the 32 departments and indigenous territories. This last one can  cover more than one department or municipality and they are located mostly in the departments of Amazonas, Cauca, La Guajira, Guaviare, and Vaupés.

ECONOMY

The Colombian economy is based mainly on agriculture and livestock. The country is considered the third richest in South America, after Brazil and Argentina. Its natural resources are abundant. Coffee is the main agricultural product produced in Colombia. The Colombian economy suffers shocks when the international price of coffee falls, due to the importance that the export of this product has. The main destinations of Colombian coffee are Europe and the United States.

Their currency is the Colombian peso. One NDZ is equivalent to almost 2500 COP.  With this amount you can already buy an “arepa” in a street market. 

Colombia's GDP was estimated at 331 billion USD  in 2018, of which 1.7 % is represented by creative industries, centred  around the arts, audiovisual production, film and music. The per capita GDP is 6.667,79 USD. 

FOOD

Colombian cuisine has been greatly influenced by the colonizers and ancient peoples of South America. Tints of Andean, African, Caribbean and Creole cuisine are also noted. Among the most common ingredients are corn, banana, cassava and avocado.

Some typical dishes are Bandeja Paisa (white rice, beans, fried egg, avocado, chorizo, arepa and potato served directly on a tray), Ajiiaco (soup made with vegetables), Arepas (bread with dough based on corn flour) and Lechona (baked suckling pig, stuffed with rice and peas, cooked for 12 hours).  When the subject is sweets, the highlight is Arequipe (milk jam), Arroz con Leche (sweet rice), Mazamorra (chanjica) and Oblea (two fine waffle cookies with different kinds of fillings).

Colombia also has its kind of empanada and they are usually offered as starters. Unlike the large Chilean empanadas and the Argentine empanadas, in Colombia they are fried.  You can learn how to make your empanada at home here! 

Last but not least, you cannot forget… coffee! 

GEOGRAPHY

Colombia has a land size of 1,138,910 km2 and it is the 25th largest nation in the world and the fourth-largest country in South America (after Brazil, Argentina, and Peru). Its territory is situated largely in the northwest of South America, with some parts falling within the boundaries of Central America. 

The over 49 millions Colombian habitants are not evenly distributed and most of the people live in the mountainous western portion of the country as well as along the northern coastline; the highest number live in or near the capital city of Bogotá. The southern and eastern portions of the country are sparsely inhabited, consisting of tropical rainforest, and inland tropical plains that contain large estates or large livestock farms, oil and gas production facilities, small farming communities, and indigenous tribes with their territories.

Colombia is the only South American country that has coastline on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Its area is divided into 5 regions that have its own climatic and geographical particularities: Andean, Caribbean, Pacific, Orinoquía  and Amazon region.

Due to differences in elevation, the country has a striking variety in temperature and precipitation. The proximity to the equator also  influences its climates. The lowland areas are continuously hot. Colombia's geographic and climatic variations have combined to produce relatively well-defined "ethnocultural" groups among different regions of the country. 

CULTURE

You must have heard of names like Shakira, Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Fernando Botero. They are worldwide known parts of Colombian culture and Marquez won the Nobel prize of Literature in 1982. However, it is way more than that. The traits of its local tradition can be found among over a thousand music rhythms distributed along its territory, in their literature, visual arts, dance and sports. Recognising the importance of the creative sector industry (Orange Economy), the country has managed to turn around film production by implementing new legislation -  increasing the number of new releases from 3 to 40 over the past 15 years. 

Furthermore, it is Latin America's largest music exporter. The capital Bogotá is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Music network and hosts world-class festivals and fairs, positioning itself as an epicenter for creative industries in the region. In what regards culinary, coffee has a special place. The national coffee production is one of the biggest ones in the world and built its fame (rightfully)  all around the world.