Colombia

Colombia is located at the northern end of South America and is the only South American nation with a coast on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It is the fourth largest nation on the continent. Colombia's climate ranges from the snow-covered peaks of the Andes to the tropical rainforest of the coast. The population has been ravaged by political upheaval and guerrilla conflict, but has at least one festival for every day of the year.

The population is 43.6 million and is growing at 1.46 percent annually. With a migration rate of minus 0.3 percent per 1,000, most of this growth comes from natural increase. The birth rate is 20.48 per 1,000 and the death rate 5.58 per 1,000. Tropical conditions in the lowlands along the coast give way to a more temperate climate in the mountains. Rainfall ranges from under 30 inches a year in higher elevations to 200 inches a year in the tropics. Deforestation and soil erosion have become problems in recent years.

Colombia's economy has been hampered by ongoing armed conflict. Per capita income is $2,000 a year. Fully 50 percent of the population live below the poverty line, and 8 percent get by on $1 a day. The urbanization rate is 77 percent and has been growing at 2.6 percent annually. Life expectancy remains surprisingly high. At birth, a Colombian male can expect to live to 68.15 years; the average female lives to 75.96 years. Healthy life expectancy is 57.8 years for men and 66.3 years for women. Infant mortality is 20.35 deaths per 1,000 live births. Twenty-one of every 1,000 children die before the age of 5.

Maternal mortality is 30 deaths per 100,000 live births. Prenatal care is received by 91 percent of pregnant women, but only 86 percent of deliveries are monitored by a trained attendant. An estimated 77 percent of Colombian women use birth control. Domestic violence is a huge problem, with 40 percent of women surveyed reporting abuse.

Guerilla warfare has led to the internal displacement of 3 million people, 75 percent of them women and children. A third of Colombia's children are anemic and 14 percent of them show stunted growth from malnutrition. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that there are 910,000 orphans under the age of 17. Although officially prohibited, child welfare advocates believe that between 6,000 and 7,000 children are serving in militias. An increasing number of children are also falling victim to sexual abuse. In the cities, 92 percent of the population have access to clean water, and 86 percent have sanitary waste facilities. Outside the urban areas, these rates drop to 71 percent with access to safe water and 54 percent with sanitary facilities.

Malaria and dengue fever remain a serious concern, and there are sporadic outbreaks of yellow fever and cholera. Hepatitis B is endemic in some areas. Childhood immunization rates are above 90 percent for many major childhood illnesses; measles and rubella in particular have been brought under control.

Along with the problems of a developing nation, Colombia also has all the problems of an urbanized nation. A third of all deaths are the result of heart disease. The World Health Organization estimates that 880,000 Colombians suffer from diabetes. With so many people moving to the cities, deaths from traffic accidents, homicides, and suicides continue to rise.

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