In Depth

The Country & Its People -- Colombia sits in the northwest corner of South America and shares borders with Ecuador and Peru in the south, Brazil and Venezuela in the east, and Panama in the north. The juxtaposition of landscapes within the country is striking, and it makes for cumbersome domestic travel. This, in effect, has led to isolation and inequity that has affected all spheres of society.

The country is dominated by three Andean cordilleras (mountain ranges) that fan out from Ecuador like fingers. The central cordillera is a chain of volcanoes that divides two valleys, the Magdalena and Cauca, the latter known for its coffee and sugar plantations. The coastal shoreline meets both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and is separated by Panama's twiglike isthmus. To the east, the Andes plunge to an immense flatland that is sparsely populated and dominated by the llanos, a savanna-like terrain, and the tropical rainforest of the northern Amazon region. Because it lies on the Equator, Colombia experiences virtually no change in seasonal temperature; however, there are noticeable differences in climate between the cooler Andes and the hot and humid coastal and flatland areas.

Colombia has a population of about 40 million people. The majority of Colombians, about three-fifths of the population, are mestizo, a mix of Indian and European blood. One-fifth of the population is classified as "white," from European descent, and another fifth are mulato, a mix of African and European blood, or zambo, a mix of African and Indian. Only about 2% of the population is pure Indian, although it is estimated that more than 100 indigenous languages are still spoken today. Colombians have, to a great degree, preserved the linguistic purity of Castilian Spanish, their official language.

The social class system in Colombia is a carryover from 16th-century Spain, with pronounced status differences and few chances to climb the social ladder. As Colombia heads into the 21st century and people increasingly migrate to urban areas with a larger middle class, this rigid status system has softened somewhat. Still, only 5% of the country owns the majority of the country's wealth.

Around 95% of the population is Roman Catholic, with the remaining 5% a collective group of Protestant and Jewish faiths. As with most Latin countries, the church wields heavy influence over the decision-making process in government.

History & Political Turbulence -- Before the arrival of the Spanish, Colombia was populated by various sub-Andean and Caribbean indigenous groups, including the highly developed Chibcha. Colombia's independence was carried out by Simón Bolívar, who in 1819 liberated Gran Colombia (Great Colombia), which included present-day Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador. In 1830, Venezuela and Ecuador split off, and the remaining territory was renamed New Granada. From this arose two predominant political parties: the conservatives, who believed in a central government and strict religious doctrine, and the liberals, who favored federalism, anticlericalism, and social reforms. Few countries have experienced a two-party system that was -- and still is -- as mutually destructive as Colombia's. Civil wars between the two factions were the norm, and the country underwent no fewer than 25 revolutions during the next century.

In 1903, Colombia suffered deep humiliation when Panama declared and won independence with assistance from the United States. From 1903 to 1948, however, Colombia enjoyed a relatively peaceful political atmosphere -- until the fateful assassination of the left-wing liberal Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, the mayor of Bogotá who was considered a "man of the people." Pent-up frustrations on the side of the poor flared into a terrifying riot that left nearly 3,000 people dead in Bogotá and set off a decade of civil strife and martial law known as la violencia, costing hundreds of thousands of lives.

The 1970s introduced two new phenomena in Colombia: the rise of the illegal drug trade and the emergence of left-wing groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In response, members of the upper class and government formed right-wing paramilitary forces to snuff out leftists and criminals. Violence became a part of everyday life. Drug cartels amassed an incalculable amount of money, weapons, and influence, killing anyone who stood in their way. Guerrillas have captured one-third of Colombia's territory, and they finance their cause with drugs, extortion, and kidnapping.

In 1990, a new constitution was ratified to ensure respect for human rights and access to social security and health care. The Medellín and Cali cartels were busted in the mid-1990s, but the drug industry continues to flourish thanks to high demand, although dusting has reduced crops considerably in the past few years. Colombia's current president, the popular Alvaro Uribe, has pledged to rid the country of violence, and his plans have received huge support from the U.S. in the form of $2 billion in mostly military aid. Armed forces have gone on the offensive and more than 16,000 left- and right-wing troops have been caught or killed or have surrendered. A controversial peace plan with right-wing militias means Colombians feel a little safer. As a result, the economy is showing signs of growth. Since President Uribe's election in 2002, kidnappings have also dropped 78%. Such promising developments have, in turn, led to a 21% jump in tourism in 2005.