07--South+America--Colombia

toc == = = = = = = = = = = = = == = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Geographical Profile/ Political Information = = = = = = Economic Information = = = = Population Information = = = = Human Rights Information = One extreme human rights issue that is taking place in Colombia currently is the collision of the armed forces and the illegal parliamentary groups within the country. This civil conflict has been ongoing for over 40 years and many  Colombians have been suffering from it. Armed opposition groups like FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and ELN (National Liberati = = on Army) have committed many violations of international humanitarian law. This also includes kidnappings, and large massacres. The Colombian government constantly fails to bring military justice to the officials who have worked with the illegal paramilitary groups, so they continue to carry out the massacres of people.
 * **Relative Absolute Location-**  Northern South America
 * **Distance and direction from Lancaster, Pa-**  2456.634 miles
 * **Size and comparative size to other countries in your region-**  Second largest country in South America
 * ** Climate -** tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
 * **Major physical features-**  Andes mountains Magdalena River includes islands of Providencia, San Andres, and Mapelo
 * **Major culture characteristics-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"> arepa, tamales, potatoes, yam, arracachas, cassava, meat such as beef, chicken, pork, or fish. Grains such as corn and rice are widely consumed. The plantain is an important element of the Colombian diet, as are vegetables such as onion, spring onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato. Legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils are eaten very frequently. The national day of Colombia is celebrated on the 20th of July, representing the Day of Independence, which was gained in 1810.
 * <span style="color: #062af4; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Major cities, including capital-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Bogota, Cali, Medellin, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Cucuta
 * **<span style="color: #017e0e; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Currency and exchange rate against the U.S. dollar - ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Colombian pesos (COP) per US dollar - 1,990 (2009), 2,243.6 (2008), 2,013.8 (2007), 2,358.6 (2006), 2,320.75 (2005)
 * <span style="color: #008f0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">** Natural Resources -** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"> bananas, coffee, maize, wheat, potatoes, bamboo, rubber trees, coconut palms, and cactus to tropical hardwoods
 * <span style="color: #008f0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">** Agricultural Products -** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp
 * <span style="color: #008f0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">** Industries -** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
 * <span style="color: #008f0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">** Imports and Import Partners -** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">$31.67 billion (2009 est.), US 29.2%, China 11.5%, Mexico 7.9%, Brazil 5.9% (2008) industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity
 * <span style="color: #008f0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">** Export and Export Partners -** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">$31.34 billion (2009 est.), US 38%, Venezuela 16.2%, Ecuzador 4% (2008)
 * <span style="color: #008f0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**GDP, GDP per Capita-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">- <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">0.1% (2009 est.), $9,200 (2009 est.)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">** HDI & HDI Ranking- **0.807, ranking 77
 * <span style="color: #008f0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">** Unemployment Rate- ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;"> 12% (2009 est.)
 * **Current population of your country-** 307,212,123 (July 2009 est.)
 * <span style="color: #53005c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**Population density-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> 31.26 approximately
 * **<span style="color: #53005c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Age distribution- **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">15-64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2009 est.)
 * <span style="color: #53005c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**Natural Rate of Increase (NRI)-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> 5.45
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">** How long will it take for your country’s population to double in size? (Divide 70 by the NRI percentage). How does this doubling time compare to other countries in your region? ** 12.84 Approximately.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">** Literacy rate -** 90.4%
 * ** Infant mortality rate (out of 1000 births)- **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">total: 17.37 deaths male: 21.14 deaths female: 13.38 deaths · Life expectancy at age 1- 27.7%
 * **<span style="color: #53005c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Determine the Physical Quality of Life Index for your country: **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(166- infant mortality) X 0.625= 155.14375
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(life expectancy- 42)) X 2.7= -85.7
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(literacy rate + infant mortality calculation + life expectancy calculation) / 3= 53.28125
 * **Ethnic groups (with percentages)-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
 * **Chief Religions (with percentages)-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%
 * <span style="color: #53005c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**Main language-** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Spanish

However the people who are most affected by these human right issues are everyday people of Colombia. Human right defenders, women, farmers, unionists, indigenous and Afro- Colombian communities are constantly facing threats to their security. Almost all rural communities are terrorized by the guerrillas and the paramilitary groups. These people are then forced to choose between two options. One option is to support and join one of the armed groups for protection. The second option which threatens the lives of them is to flee to the somewhat safety of urban areas. The affects of this second option is the swelling of urban unemployment and underemployed. So, because so many people choose this option there is an estimated 2.7 million Colombians living as internal refugees. = Environmental Information = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Colombia being one of the richest Eco- systems in the world has many positive and negative environmental issues. The country alone is made up of about 51 percent of rain-forest and is roughly 68 percent of forest total. With this advantage, Colombia produces a large amount of the Earth’s oxygen. It has 10 percent of the world’s living creatures and is ranked number four in the entire world with respect to water reserves. By the means of these advantages it would be believed that Colombia would be a high ranking country. However, it is indeed to be known as a third world nation. = = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Unfortunately, there is a vast and widespread situation of poverty, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">greed, and corruption that have taken a large aspect out of Colombia. What is responsible for these events is the deforestation of the forests, soil erosion, pesticides, and the contamination formed by insufficient monitored drilling and mining. Because of this not only are people affected, but also many of Colombia’s native species have been extinct. Each year there is approximately 1482.632 acres of forest that disappear putting the other 114 creatures and 429 plant species at a risk. As a result of this, Colombia was ranked 43rd in industrial carbon emissions. This was totaled at 63.<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3 million metric tons by 1996, and this was not including vehicle emissions. = Decision Statement = <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">When deciding on which country to live in we all had to look at the four countries in South America. Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador were all studied and finally decided upon. As a group we all decided that Venezuela would be best to live in. This is because it has a high population, along with it being a well liked area with many tourist attractions. However, it is still a well rounded and greatly developed country. The countries location played a large part in deciding which to pick as well. Venezuela boarders very popular countries and also, not to mention the ocean, which is great for vacations, as well as excellent food source. As far as the climate in Venezuela, it does not disappoint. The beautiful temperature is great for a day at the beach and the vast wildlife found there. The sunny atmosphere and a light breeze makes it a very comfortable environment. The large amount of physical features found in Venezuela is great for tourism, and with this comes the cultural customs for visitors to pick up. From the music, to the food, to the people, Venezuela is extremely welcoming to those who aren't from the local area. The large amount of natural resources that are present in Venezuela also gives the country of great source of income for not only large groups of people, but also individuals to sell in order to make a profit. Although Venezuela appears to have a large population, they handle the crowd very well, you can see this demonstration from based their high literacy rate. The equal amount of employed individuals is also found to be at a comfortable level. This is because it's due to the mass imports and exports from Venezuela. However, the only downfall are the human right issues that we will find in all countries. The discrimination found in Venezuela is found, and will occur no matter what country you're in. Luckily, problems such as those listed above aren't nearly as bad as other countries face for example Colombia. So, I feel as though Venezuela would be a great place to reside, for it's culture, population, location and attractions.

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