With coasts on both the Caribbean and Pacific oceans, it straddles the Andes to the Amazon, with a rich diversity of topography and climate, mineral and agricultural resources. Colombians are an urbanized people, with over seventy percent of the 40.3 million inhabitants living in towns and cities. More than thirty cities have populations in excess of 100 000. The capital city, Bogota, has six million inhabitants. Medillin, a city of 1.8 million located in western Colombia, is a major modern industrial centre, producing textiles, clothing, chemicals, plastics, and printed material. A large number of foreign multinationals have established manufacturing plants in Cali, the third largest !.
city. Other cities with industrial activity are Barranquilla and Cartagena, which are located on the Caribbean coast. Cities such as Bucaramanga and Pereira are located in the coffee producing regions of the country.
Economic Information.
Colombia is a country rich in natural resources and has diverse industries. The country has an abundance of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, and hydroelectric power. Major industries are involved in the production of textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, and emeralds. Colombia also produces a number of agricultural items such as coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables, forest products, and shrimp.
Colombia's largest trading partner is the US. In 2000, approximately 50% of all exports were to the US. Other major export partners are the European Union, the Andean Community of Nations, and Japan, which account for 14%, 16%, and 2% respectively. In 2000, approximately 35% of imports were from the US. The same export partners were the major import partners. They accounted for 16%, 15%, and 5% of imports respectively.