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Colombia
is a republic located in northwestern South America. Bordered
by Ecuador and Peru on the south, Brazil and Venezuela on
the east, and Panama on the northwest, it has extensive
coastlines on both the Pacific (about 1,300 km/800 mi) and
the Caribbean (1,600 km/1,000 mi). With an area of 1,138,914
sq km (439,737 sq mi), Colombia is the fourth-largest country
in Latin America; approximately 15% of the nation's total
population lives in the capital city of Bogota. In the early
1970s, industry surpassed agriculture as the major contributor
to the gross domestic product, although agriculture, particularly
coffee, continues to be Colombia's basic source of wealth.
By the 1990s, in addition, development of the huge Cusiana
oil fields swelled export earnings.
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THE
LAND |
A country of contrasts, Colombia has both
snowcapped peaks and tropical regions. Its topography is
dominated by three Andean ranges that cross the country
from southwest to northeast. The Western Cordillera has
five peaks over 4,000 m (13,000 ft) high, but the Central
Cordillera is higher, with six snowcapped peaks over 4,900
m (16,100 ft). The Eastern Cordillera, longest of the three,
branches off into Venezuela, and its highest elevations
are above 5,000 m (16,400 ft). Pico Cristobal Colon, the
highest point (5,775 m/18,947 ft), lies to the north. Two
major rivers, the Cauca and Magdalena, run through the valleys
on either side of the Central Cordillera. The mountains
divide Colombia into three major regions--the highland core,
the coastal lowlands, and the eastern plains. In the highlands,
the Magdalena Valley includes important basins of settlements,
most notably Cundinamarca, where Bogota is located. Set
in the Central Cordillera to the west of the Magdalena are
two of Colombia's most important cities, Medellin (the second
largest) and Manizales. Farther to the south in the Cauca
Valley, Colombia's richest farmland, is Cali. The Pacific
lowlands are a sparsely populated, swampy strip served by
the port of Buenaventura. Of greater importance are the
Caribbean lowlands, where the bulk of the nation's commerce
moves through the ports of Santa Marta, Barranquilla, and
Cartagena. In the east the lightly populated llanos ("plains")
constitute nearly 60% of the country's area and give way
to unexplored tropical jungle in the southeast.
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Climate |
As with most countries near the equator,
elevation is the decisive climatic factor. Areas under 915
m (3,000 ft) constitute the hot zone (tierra caliente),
and from 915 to 2,000 m (3,000 to 6,500 ft) is the temperate
zone (tierra templada). Regions extending to 3,000 m (9,850
ft) are the cold zone (tierra fria); the bleak and treeless
zone called the paramos continues to 4,500 m
(14,765 ft), above which is the zone of eternal snow (nevado).
The hot zone is marked by heavy annual rainfall (over 7,600
mm/300 in) along the Pacific; the temperate zone--in which
40% of the population live--has moderate rainfall and a
mean annual temperature of 18 degrees-24 degrees C (65 degrees-75
degrees F). Temperature range in the cold zone is 10 degrees-18
degrees C (50 degrees-65 degrees F), and there is heavier
rainfall there during the two wet seasons (April to June
and September to December).
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Reources |
Petroleum reserves, augmented by new finds
in 1993, are second only to Venezuela's in South America.
Coal deposits are the largest in Latin America. Almost 95%
of the world's emeralds come from Colombia, which is also
Latin America's leading gold producer. Colombia is also
rich in platinum. Other significant reserves include natural
gas, coal, gold, silver, iron ore, salt, and some uranium.
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Plants
and Animals |
The indigenous flora and fauna of Colombia
are as varied as the topography. Mangroves and coconut palms
grow along the Caribbean coast, and the forest regions,
which cover about one-half of the country, include such
commercially useful trees as mahogany, lignum vitae, oak,
walnut, cedar, pine, and several varieties of balsam. Tropical
plants also yield rubber, chicle, cinchona, vanilla, sarsaparilla,
ginger, gum copal, ipecac, tonka beans, and castor beans.
Among
the wildlife are the larger South American mammals, such
as jaguars, pumas, tapirs, peccaries, anteaters, sloths,
armadillos, and several species of monkey and red deer.
Alligators, once numerous along the principal rivers, have
been intensively hunted and are becoming scarce. Many varieties
of snakes inhabit the tropical regions. Birdlife includes
condors, vultures, toucans, parrots, cockatoos, cranes,
storks, and hummingbirds.
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more CV's ColGeneral
Also
See: Colombia | TheLand | Demography
| Climate | Resources
| Plants and Animals |
The
People | Demography
| Political
Divisions and Principle Cities | Cultural
Life | Economic
Activity | Government
| History
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