Colombia: A brief report on the economy, culture, and industry of the country
Colombia located in the northwestern part of South America is one of many Spanish-speaking countries. Colombia shares a boarder with Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Panama. Colombia’s capital and largest city, Bogotá, is located near the center of country.
The climates in Colombia do not change very much due to the fact it is located so close to the equator. But the climates do change due to elevation. Elevations below 300 feet are known as the tierra caliente or the “hot land”. The middle regions are known as tierra templada or, in English, the “moderate land”. Elevation located 6,500 feet or higher is know as the tierra fría, or the “cold land”. The two extremities are not very good for growing crops, but the tierra templada is perfect for Colombia’s main export, coffee.
Coffee grows amazingly well in Colombia, causing it to be the countries number one export. Coffee growing and selling in Colombia is a multi million dollar industry. And with Colombia’s climate, altitude, and other factors, it is a perfect coffee plantation. Most coffee is grow independently at citizens homes and farms, then brought to local markets and either purchased by other locals or bought in bulk by larger companies for reselling.
But coffee is not the only export of Colombia. They trade cotton, coal, oil, coffee, bananas, textiles, and other perishable foods. In 1999, the Colombian economy went into a depression, only supported by its exports and not by any of its internal jobs or government. After a few years the Colombian economy has recovered mildly well, as shown in the current exchange of dollars to pesos, about 2,300 pesos per dollar.
Colombia also seems to attract more average tourists per year. Over 10 years, the tourism rates in all parts of Colombia have risen by an astonishing 50 percent. Unlike most of its surrounding countries, Colombia focuses on tourist attractions along side natural attractions. An example of this is a boat ride or cruises in one of Colombia’s natural blue-water bays. This also helped the country recover from its economic depression by creating large revenue through attractions.
Colombian education is also much higher than other surrounding countries, with a literacy rate of 93% starting at children above 15. Approximately 80 percent of Colombian children enter school, but usually at an older age then American students. The total public school system spending is 4.4 percent of the national gross domestic product, one of the highest rates in Latin America.
The Colombian political system is very similar to the United States. It is a republic, with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch of government. The presidential time span is also four years until the next reelections. And as of October 2005, president and vice president can be reelected to run a consecutive four extra years in Congress, exactly the same as the United States Presidential Electoral system.
All information in this essay was derived from:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/colombiaAll other information is in the form of opinion