An Informative Essay: The Country Of Colombia

When the country of Colombia is mentioned, chances are individuals automatically start composing images of famous actors and musicians that have rooted from Colombia such as Shakira and Sofia Vergara, the excellent reputation Colombian coffee has made across the globe, or even the beautiful Emeralds that surround the astonishing land. Of course all of those things matter, but Colombia is a country that is definitely swept under the rug and under appreciated. Colombia’s history, independence movements, governmental structure, and culture are just a few of the topics that make Colombia so unique.

Colombia is found in Northern South America, between Panama and Venezuela. Colombia borders both the Caribbean Sea, as well as the North Pacific Ocean, which is found between Ecuador and Panama. In perspective, Colombia is slightly less than twice the size of Texas.1 Colombia's climate is tropical along the coastlines as well as the eastern plains, but the climate is much cooler in highlands. Many natural resources are found and taken from Colombia's land. Some of theses natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron, nickel, emeralds, hydropower, and even gold!

The Colombian people's official language is Spanish. When looking at religion,

90% of the population follows a Roman Catholic faith. The other 10% practice religions other than Roman Catholicism. Colombia is in the midst of a demographic transition resulting from steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The birth rate has fallen from more than 6 children per woman in the 1960s to just above replacement level today as a result of increased literacy, family planning services, and urbanization. However, income inequality is among the worst in the world, and more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line.1
In July of 2015, Colombia's population reached 46,736,728. Majority of the individual's are 25-54 years of age, followed by 0-14 years old. Colombian peoples live with a high degree of risk when looking at major infectious diseases, and bacterial diarrhea is something that is very commonly caught from waterborne diseases.
Although life is extremely different in Colombia than it is in the United States, Colombians work just as we are expected to. Child labor (children between the ages of 5-14) is also seen in Colombia. In 2009, 988,362 children were in the working field. In comparison to the rest of the world, Colombia has been known to experience significant illegal, and legal refugee flows and economic emigration.
In 1525, Spain began the conquest of Colombia leading to the establishment of the settlement of Santa Fe de Bogota, which eventually became known as Bogota. Bogota eventually became known as the capital of the Spanish vice-royalty of Nueva Granada. In 1819, Simon Bolivar defeated the Spanish at Boyacá leading to the Colombia's formation with Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. Ten years later in 1829, Gran Colombia separated when Ecuador and Venezuela split off, leaving behind present-day Colombia.
Upon the formation of today's Colombia, the Conservative and Liberal parties were formed. The Liberal party decided it would be best to divide the country into nine autonomous entities resulting in the church separating from the state. In 1885, the start of a 45-year streak of Conservative Party ruling began. During these 45 years, the church influence was restored.2 A few years following the re-centralization of the conservative powers; The War of the Thousand Days2 took place between the Liberals and the Conservatives. This civil war led to around 120,000 fatalities. The war finally ended in 1903.
Shortly after in 1930, the liberal President Herrera was elected. Herrera introduced social legislation and encouraged trade unions amongst the peoples. Sixteen years later in 1946, Conservatives returned to power. Between 1948 and 1957, about 250,000-300,000 were killed in civil war.2 1958 was the year the Conservatives and Liberals agreed to form National Front in an attempt to end the civil war.
On July 20, 1810, Colombian patriots stirred the population of Bogotá into street protests against Spanish rule. The Viceroy, under pressure, was forced to agree to allow for a limited independence, which later became permanent. Today, July 20 is celebrated in Colombia as Independence Day.3 In 1808, the people of New Granada, or what we now recognize as Colombia, were living very unhappy lives. Colombia had been taken over by Spanish rule and they were determined to change what they could.
A man known as Simon Bolivar rose as a hero and became the leader of the rebel forces. As time went on he eventually led an army to Venezuela, then all the way over the Andes Mountains and into what we call Colombia today. In Colombia, Bolivar took the Spanish forces without any warning and ended up defeating them in 1819. Beating the Spaniards, the territory of Colombia was liberated and finally independent.
Colombia's consistently sound economic policies and aggressive promotion of free trade agreements in recent years have bolstered its ability to weather external shocks.1 Colombia depends greatly on mining and energy exports. Due to this, Colombia's vulnerability to lower commodity prices is increased. Economic development is stymied by inadequate infrastructure, inequality, poverty, narco-trafficking and an uncertain security situation. Moreover, the unemployment rate of 9.4% in 2015 is still one of Latin America's highest.1
Colombia serves as Latin America’s fourth largest coal and oil producer. Agriculturally, Colombia produces goods such as coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables, shrimp and a number of forest products. Some of the industrial products that are produced in Colombia include but are not limited to textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement gold, coal, and emeralds. In 2015, $48.52 billion worth of goods were exported to other countries such as the US, China, Panama, Spain, and India. $56.05 billion dollars of goods were imported into Colombia in 2015.1 Industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, and electricity are just a few of the imported goods Colombia received from countries such as China, the U.S, and Mexico.
The general organization of Colombia's modern government currently is a representative democracy with a central government and a separation of powers. Colombia has three branches of government as many countries tend to. These three branches can be recognized as the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judiciary branch.
The executive branch contains the president and a vice president. Both the head of government and the vice president are elected on a national ticket amongst Colombia. In the legislative branch, there is a bicameral legislature consisting of a 102-member senate and a 165 member House of Representatives. Colombia’s judicial system is composed of the following institutions: Supreme Court, Prosecutor General Office, Superior Council of the Judiciary, Constitutional Court and Council for Administrative Law Jurisdiction.4
Colombia's government does a wonderful job responding to the nation's needs. For an example, Columbia has made sure to commit to working towards energy conservation. Colombia's political and governmental leadership in global affairs has certainly increased over the years. The governments has fostered growth in the Colombian economy, increased government transparency, invested in social programs and has overseen a remarkable transformation. Not only is Colombia thriving, the nation is now a leader and key strategic partner in the international community.4
In Colombia, the large majority of individuals are forced to live in poverty. More specifically, 30.6% of the people living in Colombia deal with poverty daily. The poverty gap is most evident between rural and urban areas: 42.8% of the rural population are poor compared to 26.9% in urban areas. The same is also true in the case of extreme poverty: in rural areas 19.1 per cent live in extreme poverty compared to 6 per cent in urban areas.5 The reasoning behind the struggles can be led back to "the land issue."
By reducing the land available for small-scale farmers to produce food for subsistence, unequal landownership contributes to food insecurity, resulting in health problems including malnutrition, anaemia, calcium deficiencies, and deficiencies in calorie intake.5 Due to the reduction, families are stuck dealing with malnourishment and starvation. In addition to poverty, the inequality is Colombia is a big problem. Very few poor people work in the formal sector, which would allow them access to health care or pension benefits. Thus the income poverty from which they suffer is further aggravated by insecurity and by the inadequacy of the social services to which they have access.5 With that being said, poor access to education affects the children of poor families, making it harder than ever to break the cycle of poverty and suffrage.
Sex and labor trafficking is another major social ill in Colombia. As expected, men, women, and children are subject to sex and labor trafficking. Groups at high risk for trafficking include internally displaced persons, Afro-Colombians, Colombians with disabilities, indigenous Colombians, and Colombians in areas where armed criminal groups are active. Sex trafficking of Colombian women and children occurs within the country and Colombian women and children are found in sex trafficking around the world, particularly in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Authorities reported high rates of child prostitution in areas with tourism and large extractive industries, and sex trafficking in mining areas sometimes involves organized criminal groups.6 As sad as it is, Colombia is a destination for foreign child sex tourists, mostly traveling from North American and European areas. Illegal armed groups forcibly recruit children to sell illegal narcotics or to be exploited in prostitution.
In 1822, following the United States independence from Spain, diplomatic relationships with Colombia were formed. It is no secret that Colombia has experienced much conflict with illegal armed groups, as well as illegal drug trafficking. Seeing that this is a serious problem, The United States named a Special Envoy to the Colombian Peace Process in February 2015. Long-term U.S. interests in Colombia include promoting security, stability, and prosperity and supporting Colombia’s continued progress in addressing its security, economic development, and governance challenges.7
Not only did the United States offer help towards reaching peace where violence was rapidly growing, but the United States also supports Colombia's programs regarding the implementation of Colombian government reforms in land restitution; reparations for victims and vulnerable populations, including ethnic communities; public and private investments, in particular to foster a vibrant rural economy; reintegration of ex-combatants; promoting respect for human rights and the rule of law; protection of vulnerable citizens (such as human rights and labor activists); and addressing global climate change and environmental issues in one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the world.7
In today's world, the United States and Colombia have formed and signed agreements on trade, environmental protection, chemical control, asset sharing, civil aviation, science technology, and even renewable and clean energy. The United States is a big time supporter of Colombian efforts to work towards the transition from conflict to peace. They are working towards this idea by providing support and program opportunities in neglected, rural areas of Colombia where violence is very common.
As far as bilateral economic relations are concerned, The United States is Colombia's largest trade partner. The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which entered into force in May 2012, aims to improve the investment environment, eliminate tariffs and other barriers to U.S. exports, expand trade, and promote economic growth in both countries. Primary U.S. exports to Colombia include oil, machinery, agricultural products, and organic chemicals. Primary U.S. imports from Colombia include crude oil, gold, coffee, and cut flowers. Approximately 250 U.S. businesses conduct operations in Colombia. U.S. direct investment in Colombia is primarily concentrated in the mining and manufacturing sectors.7
In conclusion, as I have conducted research on the country of Colombia throughout this semester, many things were a surprise to me.

Yes, it is strange that Colombia is known for their "cheesy hot chocolate" and the fact that Colombians eat ants with large rear ends9... but the main surprise came from the history, culture, and geography of the country. Prior to conducting research, I had no idea the Spanish explorers arrived in Colombia and established a settlement around 1525 with a raging obsession with gold. As history passed, and the people of Colombia grew tired of the Spanish rule, leading to the formation of New Granada, I didn't realize how many civil wars and how badly the country lacks a sense of

peace.
The geography and nature in Colombia was also something that is very significant in my research. Once, Colombia was covered in forests and wildlife flourished. Today, people have cut down many of the forests and have plowed that land for their farming. The government in Colombia has since set up National Wildlife Parks to attempt to protect the wildlife that remains. The culture of the people in Colombia is almost as varied as its landscape. Most citizens found in Colombia have been descended from three ethnic groups: Indians, African people brought to Colombia to work as slaves, and European settlers. The mix of the history, geography, culture, and even nature are some of the factors that have contributed to the need for peace in Colombia. As Americans, it is imperative that we stand together for the indescribably beautiful country of Colombia.