Colombia

Colombia is a South American country with an estimated 2007 population of 46.2 million people and is full of history and diversity. Bordered by Panama to the north; Venezuela to the east; and Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil to the south, Colombia sits as the active portal into South America. Two major rivers, the jungle, the Caribbean Sea, and the Andes Mountains provide a lush habitat for its citizens. With thirty-two states, one capital district, and roughly 43.5 million people, Colombia maintains the highest concentration of Spanish speakers next to Mexico. The results of civil war and strife, however, have displaced around 1.5 to 3 million citizens of the country to places like Argentina, Panama, and the United States. This phenomenon places Colombia with the highest number of internally displaced persons after those of Sudan in Africa.

At the time of Colombia's colonialization, Spain was engrossed with other aspects of its empire, and, as a result, very little is known about the ethnic makeup of the original residents. What is known is that there were approximately eight linguistic groups of Native Americans living in the territory now known as Colombia. Many indicators point to the fact that they [Page 316]were most likely hunters and trappers, like the Arakwaks or Caribs. Although there was no ancient metropolis to conquer, as was the case with the Inca (except at Nariño), the Maya, and the Aztec, the settlers did find the Chibchas of the Andes highlands sufficiently numerous and technologically advanced to force them into labor. The Chibchas were wealthy in agricultural prowess and knowledge of the creation and maintenance of small structures. African slaves were purchased and used in areas where the indigenous populations were sparse or underdeveloped.

The viceroyalties at Lima and Mexico City were much more of a focal point of Spanish activity in 1533, when Cartagena was settled on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Little was known of the indigenous populations living in the Amazon Basin, as gold bullion and the transport of goods were the major reason for Spanish settlement in the area. Eventually, Bogatá was established toward the center of the territory to facilitate shipments of bullion between the coast and Lima. By 1717, there was sufficient trade in Bogatá to become independent of the Peruvian viceroyalty. The area was named Nueva Granada. Although in many countries the road to independence was paved by dissent and conflict, Colombia's independence was a result of the Creole elite (Spanish descendants born in the New World) wanting greater control of the land.

Colombia is truly diverse, with Africans (4%), Europeans (20%), Indigenous (1%), Mestizo (European Indigenous, 58%), Mulatto (African European, 14%), Zambo (Indigenous African, 3%), and various mixtures. Considering this level of intermingling, it becomes difficult to derive accurate percentages in demographic analysis. The Colombian census, nevertheless, attempts to come to such a conclusion.

Differences within the population are generally attributed to regional differences. Dress, food, art, dance, literature, and other indicators of culture are not as ethnically motivated in Colombia as they are in other countries. The idea of intermingling the races into one national identity has been successful on some fronts. There are not many purely indigenous inhabitants of Colombia as a result of this effort, for example. Government statistics indicate that there remain roughly 400,000 (2.5%) indigenous inhabitants in Colombia, the majority of them having been absorbed by the Mestizo and Zambo populations. The racial composition of Colombia is on the surface no different from that of other colonialized countries. Yet under the surface, one finds that the racial lines that divide Colombia are not as clear.

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