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Country Name: Colombia
System of government: Republic
Capital: Bogota (pop. 5,000,000)
Location: In north-western South America on the coast of the Caribbean and the Pacific, bordered by Panama, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador
Area: 1,138,914 sq km
Population: 27,950,000
National composition: Mestizos, creoles, mulattoes, Amerindians, Europeans etc.
Religion: Roman Catholic
Official language: Spanish
Currency: Colombian peso = 100 centavos
Administrative divisions: 23 departments, 5 intendencias and 4 comisarias
Other major cities: Medellin (metropolitan area pop. 1,500,000), Cali (m. a. pop. 1,150,000), Barranquilla (m. a. pop. 850,000)
Highest elevation: Cristobal Colon (5,800 m)
Chief rivers: Magdalena and its chief tributary, Cauca, draining into the Caribbean Sea; Orinoco, Meta and Guaviare draining into the Atlantic; Caqueta and Putumayo draining into the Amazon
Climate: Tropical equatorial
Motto: “Libertad y Orden” (Spanish)
“Freedom and Order”
Anthem: ¡Oh, Gloria Inmarcesible! (Spanish)
O unfading glory!
Colombia Location Map:
Colombia Encyclopedia & Facts for Kids
The western part of the country is occupied by the Andean chains with high plateaux and by swampy coastal lowlands. The eastern part belongs to the Orinoco and Amazonian basins.
The vegetation is quite varied: there are tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps, savannas and dry grasslands. Above sub-alpine grasslands lie zones of permanent snow and ice. The fauna is likewise very varied, including various species of monkey and beasts of prey, reptiles, rodents, insects and many bird species.
The mainstay of the Colombian economy is agriculture which is governed by coffee. Other major cash crops include bananas, cocoa beans, rice, maize, cotton and tobacco. Cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry are raised in large numbers. Although the country has considerable mineral resources including coal, oil, natural gas, gold, emeralds, platinum, iron, nickel and other metals, the mining industry still waits to be developed on a larger scale. Colombian industries produce foodstuffs, textiles, paper, chemicals, leather goods and furs. Metallurgy, engineering and the automobile industry are being rapidly developed.
The country has railway lines and good roads. Maritime and river shipping as well as air transports play an important role.
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