Area Total | 1,138,910 sq km |
Climate | tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands |
Natural Resources | petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower |
Imports | $44.24 billion (2017 est.) partners: US 26.3%, China 19.3%, Mexico 7.5%, Brazil 5%, Germany 4.1% (2017) |
Government | presidential republic |
Capital | Bogota |
Population | 48.2 million (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | mestizo and white 84.2%, Afro-Colombian (includes mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 10.4%, Amerindian 3.4%, Romani <.01, unspecified 2.1% (2005 est.) |
Language | Spanish (official) |
Exports | $39.48 billion (2017 est.) partners: US 28.5%, Panama 8.6%, China 5.1% (2017) |
News about Colombia
- Colombia’s government and congress rocked by embezzlement scandalby Adriaan Alsema on May 6, 2024
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro sacked his anti-corruption and regional development advisers for their alleged role in the embezzlement of disaster relief funds. Petro announced this after the former acting director… The post Colombia’s government and congress rocked by embezzlement scandal appeared first on Colombia News | Colombia Reports.
- Petro wants Colombia’s election authority to stop investigating himby Adriaan Alsema on May 3, 2024
The defense attorney of President Gustavo Petro asked Colombia’s Congress to assume investigations into alleged irregularities in the 2022 elections. In a letter, attorney Mauricio Pava asked Congress to assume… The post Petro wants Colombia’s election authority to stop investigating him appeared first on Colombia News | Colombia Reports.
- Colombia’s war crimes tribunal orders expungement of former guerrillas’ criminal recordsby Adriaan Alsema on May 3, 2024
Colombia’s war crimes tribunal JEP ordered authorities to expunge the criminal records of some 9,600 former guerrillas. The order refers to former members of the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC who… The post Colombia’s war crimes tribunal orders expungement of former guerrillas’ criminal records appeared first on Colombia News | Colombia Reports.
- Indigenous in southwest Colombia “at imminent risk of extermination”by Adriaan Alsema on May 3, 2024
Representatives of the Nasa people from southwestern Colombia declared a humanitarian emergency, claiming their communities are at imminent risk of “physical and cultural extermination.” In a press release, the Regional… The post Indigenous in southwest Colombia “at imminent risk of extermination” appeared first on Colombia News | Colombia Reports.
- Petro unilaterally ends Colombia’s seven-decades relationship with Israelby The City Paper Staff on May 2, 2024
Colombia's Gustavo Petro cuts seven-decade ties with Israel, signaling end to close military, trade and cultural partnership. Hamas praises Petro's decision as a "victory".
- Colombia’s paramilitaries want government to suspend arrest warrantsby Adriaan Alsema on May 2, 2024
The leaders of Colombia’s largest paramilitary organization asked President Gustavo Petro to suspend the warrants for their arrest in order to negotiate peace. In an open letter to the president,… The post Colombia’s paramilitaries want government to suspend arrest warrants appeared first on Colombia News | Colombia Reports.
- Colombia’s Wayúu people live on land rich in resources. So why are their children dying of hunger?by Natalia Torres Garzón in La Guajira, Colombia on May 2, 2024
State failures in La Guajira have compounded water shortages that bring malnutrition and deathPhotographs by Antonio CascioIn the early hours of the morning, an ambulance carries Rosa Epieyu and her nine-month-old son, Mateo, from Joumana, a Wayúu Indigenous community in La Guajira, Colombia, to a hospital in the nearby town of Manaure. There, a doctor […]
- Colombian president says government will sever Israel ties over Gaza ‘genocide’by Staff and agencies in Bogotá on May 1, 2024
Gustavo Petro tells May Day rally ‘if Palestine dies, humanity dies’, as Israeli foreign minister accuses president of antisemitismColombia’s president has announced that his government will sever diplomatic relations with Israel, in the latest escalation of a furious row between the countries over the war in Gaza.Addressing a May Day rally in Bogotá […]
- From Colombia to Syria justice is possible for survivors of sexual violence in war – but we need the right ‘ecosystem’ | Clara Sandovalby Clara Sandoval on May 1, 2024
For the first time Ukraine had the right conditions to make reparations to those subjected to crimes such as rape and sexual slavery. What would it take to replicate this globally?Across the world, women and girls continue to be plagued by gross human rights violations. One that is specifically targeted at them is conflict-related sexual violence. Living in […]
- Colombia’s Petro looks to validate reforms with May Day marchby Richard Emblin on April 30, 2024
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called on the indigenous Minga to mobilize for the May Day rally in Bogotá, aiming to counterbalance the huge anti-government protests on April 26.
- Galán’s security gambit: Mega police raids take to Bogotá streetsby Richard Emblin on April 29, 2024
Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán spearheads mega police raids targeting organized crime in Bogotá's vulnerable neighborhoods amidst rising concerns over security.
- Eurocine celebrates edition 30 with Sweden as Guest Nationby The City Paper Staff on April 25, 2024
Eurocine's 30th edition, featuring Sweden as Guest Nation, promises a captivating showcase of European cinema across nine Colombian cities from May 9 to May 19.
- U.S cites “credible” concerns of irregular financing of Petro’s 2022 campaignby The City Paper Staff on April 24, 2024
U.S. State Department expresses "credible" concerns over irregular financing of Colombian President Petro's 2022 campaign, highlighting human rights abuses and corruption in its 2023 report.
- More than a million marched in Colombia against President Petroby Richard Emblin on April 23, 2024
Massive nationwide protests in Colombia, with over one million marching against Petro, marred by President's dismissive social media posts.
- Designer Nancy Gonzalez sentenced to prison for smuggling crocodile and python handbagsby Associated Press on April 23, 2024
Celebrity fashion designer, who recruited couriers to transport bags from her native Colombia to US on commercial flights, receives 18-month sentence A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the Sex and the City TV series has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami […]