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Official Name: Known officially as the Republic of Colombia, commonly as Colombia.
Capital city: The official capital of Colombia is Bogotá, which is located roughly in the center of Colombia; Bogotá, is the third-highest capital city in the world.
Location: Colombia is located in the northwest of South America. It shares its borders with Brazil and Venezuela in the east, and with Ecuador and Peru in the south; the Caribbean coast is to the north.
Size: The total land mass of Colombia is 1,138,914 square kilometers and is ranked 26th globally; this compares with South Africa , which is ranked 25th with a total land area of 1,219,090 square kilometers.
Climate: The climate along the coast and in the eastern plain is tropical. In the highland areas the weather is cooler.
Population: The estimated population of Colombia in 2010 was 44,205,293 ranking it 28th in the world. The Ukraine is ranked 27th, with an estimated population of 45,415,596.
Life Expectancy: The average life expectancy for a Colombian is 74.31 years. Females have a longer life span at 77.84 years, while males average 70.98 years from birth.
Prevalance of HIV/AIDS: It is estimated that 170,000 Colombians are living with HIV/AIDS. This is equivalent to 0.6% of the population - placing Colombia 34th in the world.
Major Illness: There is a high risk of contacting the following illness in Colombia; diarrhea, malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever and leptospirosis. Dengue fever is a common disease affecting Central America and the Caribbean.
Ethnic Groups: The major ethnic groups in Colombia comprise: Mestizo 58%, Caucasian 20%, Mulatto 14%, Black 4%, Mixed Black-Amerindian 3% and Amerindian 1%.
Languages: The official language in Colombia is Spanish. There are isolated pockets of Colombia where an indigenous language is still spoken.
Religion: The major religion in Colombia is Roman Catholic, which accounts for 90% of the population - the remaining 10% is registered as other.
Government: The government of Columbia is formed as a presidential representative democratic republic. This form of government was adopted in 1991 after the constitution was created. The government is divided into three separate branches; the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. The president of Colombia is the head of state and head of government – originally planned to be elected for one - four year term. The current president is serving a second term following a change in the 1991 constitution. Since 2000, Colombia has been able to shake off its reputation as a violent and chaotic country. A dramatic decrease in serious crime has resulted, together with increased stability over the last decade.
Economy: Colombia is a country with a huge amount of natural resources. This has enabled the country to enjoy significant economic growth since 2002. With a strong government in place, improved security and better diplomatic links, Colombia has been able to exploit its resources. Under president Uribe, the government has taken a pro-market approach to improve the countries reputation and to open the door for international companies to strengthen their presence in this Central American country. Colombia has large oil reserves which has driven economic development. Other business sectors in Colombia include - mining, construction, financial, agriculture, manufacturing and transport. During the economic boom in 2007, Colombia enjoyed a 7.7% increase in GDP. However since the global economic downturn post 2008, a decline in GDP of -0.1% has occurred. Colombia is continuing to build strong relations with the United States and the EU; economists rate the Colombian economy as one of the strongest of the emerging markets.
GDP: The purchasing parity of Colombia is US$18.47 billion, ranking it 128th globally. It was estimated that the real growth rate for Colombia in 2009 was 13.20% - this indicated that it was the best performing economy in the world.
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