Colombia Travel Podcast with Mariana Ospina

Location

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama

Terrain

Flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos)

Climate

Tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Elevation

Highest point

Pico Cristobal Colon 5,730 m

Lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Mean elevation

593 m

Area

Total

1,138,910 sq km

Land

1,038,700 sq km

Water

100,210 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Coastline

3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)

Land borders

Total

6,672 km

Border countries

Brazil 1,790 km; Ecuador 708 km; Panama 339 km; Peru 1,494 km; Venezuela 2,341 km

Natural resources

Petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

36.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land

2.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

2.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

32% (2023 est.)

Forest

53.8% (2023 est.)

Other

9.7% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts

Volcanism: Galeras (4,276 m) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Nevado del Ruiz (5,321 m), 129 km (80 mi) west of Bogota, erupted in 1985, producing lahars (mudflows) that killed 23,000 people; the volcano last erupted in 1991; after 500 years of dormancy, Nevado del Huila reawakened in 2007 and has experienced frequent eruptions since then; other historically active volcanoes include Cumbal, Dona Juana, Nevado del Tolima, and Purace

Note

Only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

Population

Total

49,842,298 (2025 est.)

Male

24,320,959

Female

25,521,339

Nationality

Noun

Colombian(s)

Adjective

Colombian

Ethnic groups

Mestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Indigenous 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)

Languages

Languages

Spanish (official) 98.9%, indigenous 1%, Portuguese 0.1%; 65 indigenous languages exist (2023 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

Religions

Roman Catholic 63.6%, Protestant 17.2% (Evangelical 16.7%, Adventist 0.3%, other Protestant 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 0.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 0.1%, other 0.3%, believer, 0.2%. agnostic 1%, atheist 1%, none 14.2%, unspecified 1.8% (2023 est.)

Median age

Total

33.1 years (2025 est.)

Male

31.5 years

Female

34 years

Life expectancy

Total population

74.9 years (2024 est.)

Male

71.3 years

Female

78.7 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

82.4% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

The majority of people live in the north and west, where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated

Largest cities

11.508 million BOGOTA (capital), 4.102 million Medellin, 2.864 million Cali, 2.349 million Barranquilla, 1.381 million Bucaramanga, 1.088 million Cartagena (2023)

Background

Colombia was one of three countries that emerged after the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 -- the others are Ecuador and Venezuela. A decades-long conflict among government forces, paramilitaries, and antigovernment insurgent groups heavily funded by the drug trade -- principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) -- escalated during the 1990s. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization in the 2000s, new criminal groups arose that included some former paramilitaries. After four years of formal peace negotiations, the Colombian Government signed a final accord with the FARC in 2016 that called for its members to demobilize, disarm, and reincorporate into society and politics. The accord also committed the Colombian Government to create three new institutions to form a 'comprehensive system for truth, justice, reparation, and non-repetition,' including a truth commission, a special unit to coordinate the search for those who disappeared during the conflict, and a 'Special Jurisdiction for Peace' to administer justice for conflict-related crimes. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug-trade-related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong and independent democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.

Government

Presidential republic

Capital

Bogotá

Time zone

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

República de Colombia

Independence

20 July 1810 (from Spain)

National day

Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

Overview

Prior to COVID-19, one of the most consistent growth economies; declining poverty; large stimulus package has mitigated economic fallout, but delayed key infrastructure investments; successful inflation management; sound flexible exchange rate regime; domestic economy suffers from lack of trade integration and infrastructure

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$18,500 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$18,400 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$18,500 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

6.6% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

11.7% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

10.2% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

9.7% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

9.6% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

10.6% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Colombian pesos (COP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

4,074.434 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

4,325.955 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

4,256.194 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

3,744.244 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

3,693.276 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds

Agriculture

Sugarcane, oil palm fruit, milk, rice, plantains, potatoes, bananas, maize, chicken, avocados (2023)

Airports

661 (2025)

Railways

Total

2,141 km (2019)

Standard gauge

150 km (2019) 1.435-m gauge

Narrow gauge

1,991 km (2019) 0.914-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

14 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

2

Small

8

Very small

3

Size unknown

1

Ports with oil terminals

10

Key ports

Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Covenas, El Bosque, Mamonal, Pozos Colorados, Puerto Bolivar, Puerto Prodeco, Santa Marta

Internet domain

.co

Internet users

Percent of population 77% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

92.1 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

174 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Deforestation from timber exploitation in the Amazon and the Chocó region; soil erosion; soil and water pollution from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions

Fresh water

2.36 trillion cubic meters (2022 est.)