Official Name:	Republic of Colombia
Capital:	Bogotá, 7 million inhabitants
GDP (2008):	$242,585 million USD
Population (2008):	44.5 million inhabitants (77% urban, 23% rural)
GDP per capita (2008):	$3,211 USD
GDP growth (2008):	2.5%
Inflation (2008):	7.7%
Exports (2008):	$37,626 million USD
Imports (2008):	$39,700 million USD
FDI (2008):	$10,564 million USD
Literacy Rate:	92.1%
Currency:	Colombian peso(COP)
Minimum wage/month:	$250 USD

1,141,748 square kilometers (44,831 square miles) of continental geography and 2,070,408 square kilometers (799.389 square miles) including maritime sovereignties.

Colombia is South America’s fourth largest territory after Argentina, Brazil and Peru.

There are five main regions, each with its own geographic and cultural identity and very different from each other: the Caribbean, Pacific, Andean, Eastern Plains and Amazon regions.

Because it’s a tropical country, the four seasons don’t exist but any climate can be found at any time, depending on the region, whether you’re looking for extremely cold mountain weather or the steamy temperatures found in river valleys and along ocean coastlines.

There are two basic seasons during the year: winter, or the rainy season, and summer.  But many cities and regions – depending on their altitude - enjoy climates similar to those of spring and autumn in other parts of the world.

Located in the tropics along the Equator, days in Colombia are almost the same length all year round: dawn breaks around 6:00 a.m. and the sun sets around 6:00 p.m.

Spanish, along with sixty four other tongues spoken by around eighty indigenous groups.  English is taught in most schools.

Bogotá, the capital; Medellín, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Cali, Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, Bucaramanga, Tunja, Leticia.

Latin America’s oldest democracy with three branches: executive, legislative and judicial.  The President of the Republic, as well as senators and congressmen, are elected by popular vote every four years

Colombia is the third most populated country in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico.  77% of its 43.9 million inhabitants live in cities and 23% live in rural areas.

Colombia is multi-ethnic and a large portion of its population is mestizo.  White Colombians predominate in certain regions and Afro-Colombians in others.  There are more than eighty indigenous groups spread throughout the territory.  Immigrant groups such as Lebanese are concentrated in certain regions along the Caribbean coast.

Colombia celebrates a great number of holidays when schools and offices close.  The law requires that those who work holidays receive special remuneration.

Day	Celebration
January 01	New Year`s day
January 06*	Epiphany
March 19*	Saint joseph`s day
April 09	Maundy Thursday
April 10	Good Friday
May 01	Labor day
May 21	Ascension of Jesus
June 11*	Corpus Christi
June 30*	Sacred Heart
July 03*	Sanit Peter and Saint Paul
July 20	Independence day
August 07	Battle of Boyacá
August 15*	Assumption of Mary
October 12*	Columbus day
November 01	All Saints day
November 11*	Independence of Cartagena
December 08	Immaculate Conception
December 25	Christmas Day