Economy of Colombia Colombia is an upper middle-income economy, and is Latin America's fourth largest and Middle America's second largest economy measured by gross domestic product. Colombia has the fastest growing information technology industry in the world and has the longest fibre optic network in Latin America. Colombia also has one of the largest shipbuilding industries in the world outside Asia.
Colombia over the last decade has experienced a historic economic boom. Modern Industries like Shipbuilding, Electronics, Automobile, Tourism, Construction, and Mining, grew dramatically during the s and s, however, most of Colombia's exports are still commodity-based.
Colombia is Latin America's 2nd largest producer of domestically-made electronics and appliances only behind Mexico. Colombia had the fastest growing major economy in the western world in , behind only China worldwide. Since the early s, the Colombian government has shown interest in exporting modern Colombian pop culture to the world which includes video games, music, movies, TV shows, fashion, cosmetics, and food as a way of diversifying the economy and entirely changing the image of Colombia; a national campaign similar to the Korean Wave.
In the Hispanic world, Colombia is only behind Mexico in cultural exports and is already a regional leader in cosmetic and beauty exports. Colombia is projected to have over 15 million tourists by Sectors Manufacturing Domestic Appliances Although Colombia has been producing domestic appliances since the s, it wasn't until the late s that Colombian corporations began exporting to neighboring countries.
Colombia also manufacturers for foreign companies as well, such as Whirlpool and GE. LG has also been interested in building a plant in Colombia. Colombia is also Latin America's 3rd largest producer of appliances behind Mexico and Brazil and is growing rapidly. Electronics Colombia is a major producer of electronics in Latin America, and is South America's 2nd largest high-tech market. Colombia is also the 2nd largest producer and exporter of electronics made by domestic companies in Latin America.
The country is self-sufficient in energy, with hydropower supplying the bulk of electricity needs. Until recently, tourism was minimal because of widespread insecurity and a negative image. Things started to change in the mids, and the annual number of international visitors has increased almost threefold from , in to 1.
This boom in tourism has fostered a growth of community and ecotourism options, often with the support from government. The network of posadas nativas guesthouses owned and operated by locals is one initiative to foment tourism at the community level, particularly among Afro-Colombians. In recent years, Parques Nacionales has transferred local operation of ecotourism facilities in the parks to community-based associations.
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Moon Colombia by Andrew Dier Idyllic colonial towns and fast-paced cities, jaw-dropping mountains and stunning beaches: see it all with Moon Travel Guides.
Bolivar's supporters, who later formed the nucleus of the Conservative Party, sought strong centralized government, alliance with the Roman Catholic Church and a limited franchise. Santander's followers, forerunners of the Liberals, wanted a decentralized government, state control over education and other civil matters, and a broader suffrage. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, each party held the presidency for roughly equal periods of time.
Colombia maintained a tradition of civilian government and regular, free elections. Notwithstanding the country's commitment to democratic institutions, Colombia's history also has been characterized by widespread, violent conflict. Two civil wars resulted from bitter rivalry between the Conservative and Liberal parties: The War of a Thousand Days claimed an estimated , lives and La Violencia the Violence claimed about , lives.
Conservative Party leader Laureano Gomez came to power in , but was ousted by a military coup led by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla in When Rojas failed to restore democratic rule and became implicated in corrupt schemes, he was overthrown by the military with the support of the Liberal and Conservative Parties.
It established a power-sharing agreement between the two parties and brought an end to "La Violencia. This system was phased out in During the post-National Front years, the Colombian Government made efforts to negotiate a peace with the persistent guerrilla organizations that flourished in Colombia's remote and undeveloped rural areas. The M pulled out of the cease-fire when it resumed fighting in The army suppressed an M attack on the Palace of Justice in Bogota in November , during which people were killed, including 11 Supreme Court justices.
The government and the M renewed their truce in March , which led to a peace agreement and the M's reintegration into society and political life. The M was one of the parties that participated in the process to enact a new constitution see below , which took effect in The FARC ended the truce in after some 2,, of its members who had demobilized had been murdered. A new constitution in brought about major reforms to Colombia's political institutions.
While the new constitution preserved a presidential, three-branch system of government, it created new institutions such as the Inspector General, a Human Rights Ombudsman, a Constitutional Court, and a Superior Judicial Council.
The new constitution also reestablished the position of Vice President. Other significant constitutional reforms provide for civil divorce, dual nationality and the establishment of a legal mechanism "Tutela" that allows individuals to appeal government decisions affecting their constitutional rights. The constitution also authorized the introduction of an accusatory system of criminal justice that is gradually being instituted throughout the country, replacing the previous written inquisitorial system.
A constitutional amendment approved in allows the president to hold office for two consecutive 4-year terms. Colombian governments have had to contend with the combined terrorist activities of left-wing guerrillas, the rise of paramilitary self-defense forces in the s, and the drug cartels. Narco-terrorists assassinated three presidential candidates during the election campaign of After Colombian security forces killed Medellin cartel leader Pablo Escobar in December , indiscriminate acts of violence associated with his organization abated as the "cartels" were broken into multiple and smaller trafficking organizations that competed against each other in the drug trade.
Guerrillas and paramilitary groups also entered into drug trafficking as a way to finance their military operations. The administration of Andres Pastrana , a Conservative, faced increased countrywide attacks by the FARC and ELN, widespread drug production and the expansion of paramilitary groups. The Pastrana administration unveiled its "Plan Colombia" in as a strategy to deal with these longstanding problems, and sought support from the international community. Plan Colombia was a comprehensive program to combat narco-terrorism; spur economic recovery; strengthen democratic institutions and respect for human rights; and provide humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons.
In November , Pastrana ceded a sparsely populated area the size of Switzerland in south-central Colombia to the FARC's control to serve as a neutral zone where peace negotiations could take place. The FARC negotiated with the government only fitfully while continuing to mount attacks and expand coca production, seriously undermining the government's efforts to reach an agreement.
Negotiations with the rebels in and were marred by rebel attacks, kidnappings and fighting between rebels and paramilitaries for control of coca-growing areas in Colombia. In February , after the FARC hijacked a commercial aircraft and kidnapped a senator, Pastrana ordered the military to attack rebel positions and reassert control over the neutral zone. The FARC withdrew into the jungle and increased attacks against Colombia's infrastructure, while avoiding large-scale direct conflicts with the military.
Alvaro Uribe, an independent, was elected president in May on a platform to restore security to the country. Among his promises was to continue to pursue the broad goals of Plan Colombia within the framework of a long-term security strategy. In the fall of , Uribe released a national security strategy that employed political, economic, and military means to weaken all illegal armed groups. The Uribe government offered to negotiate a peace agreement with these groups with the condition that they would agree to a unilateral cease fire and to end drug trafficking and kidnapping.
In July , President Uribe signed the Justice and Peace Law, which provides reduced punishments for the demobilized if they renounce violence and return illegal assets, which are to provide reparations to victims.
In December , the ELN began a new round of talks with the Colombian Government in Cuba that led to multiple rounds of meetings, the latest one being held in late in Caracas, Venezuela. Recent attempts for talks with the Colombian Government have broken down. As a result of the government's military and police operations, the strength of the FARC has been reduced to approximately 8, members in down from 16, in Since , the FARC has not carried out large-scale multi-front attacks, although it has mounted some operations that indicate it has not yet been broken--including the December kidnapping and killing of the governor of the department of Caqueta.
As its strength has been reduced, the FARC has increasingly turned to asymmetrical attacks. Peace efforts with the FARC in have stalled. The FARC is attempting to recover from the serious blows delivered by the Colombian Government against the senior FARC leadership in most notably the July rescue of 15 hostages, including three American contractors and a former Colombian presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt. They included 22 soldiers and police whom the guerrillas wanted to swap for government concessions.
FARC demobilizations were lower in 2, compared to 3, Colombia maintains an excellent extradition relationship with the United States.
The Uribe administration extradited over 1, fugitives to the United States. In , were extradited to the U. In , the Uribe government established, for the first time in recent Colombian history, a government presence in all of the country's 1, municipalities county seats. Although much attention has been focused on the security aspects of Colombia's situation, the Uribe government also made significant efforts on issues such as expanding international trade, supporting alternate means of development, strengthening rule of law, protecting human rights, promoting governance, and reducing poverty.
In congressional elections in March , the three leading pro-Uribe parties National Unity, Conservative Party, and Radical Change won clear majorities in both houses of Congress. In late , the Supreme Court began investigations and ordered the arrest of some members of Congress for actions on behalf of paramilitary groups. Those investigations continued throughout , with several dozen politicians at both the national and local level implicated. The new strategy, a civilian-led whole-of-government approach, builds upon successful Plan Colombia programs to establish state presence in traditionally ungoverned spaces.
By improving access to social services--including justice, education, housing, and health--strengthening democracy, and supporting economic development through sustainable growth and trade, the Colombian Government seeks to permanently recover Colombia's historically marginalized rural areas from illegal armed groups and break the cycle of violence.
The United States and Colombia continue to enjoy a close counternarcotics partnership. Under Plan Colombia, significant U.
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