Colombia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Colombia. Only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Mother's mean age at first birth is 21.7 years (2015 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 75 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Colombia
Location Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama
Geographic coordinates 4 00 N, 72 00 W
Map references South America
Tarrain flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos)
Natural Resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower
Natural Hazards

highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts

volcanism: Galeras (4,276 m) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes, having erupted in 2009 and 2010 causing major evacuations; 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; additionally, 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

Irrigated Land 10,900 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Rio Negro river source (shared with Venezuela and Brazil [m]) - 2,250 km; Orinoco (shared with Venezuela [s]) - 2,101 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Amazon Basin
Land Boundaries 6,672 km
Border Countries Brazil 1,790 km; Ecuador 708 km; Panama 339 km; Peru 1,494 km; Venezuela 2,341 km
Coastline 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)
Climate tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
Area
Total Area
Land Area 1,038,700 sq km
Water Area 100,210 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Pico Cristobal Colon 5,730 m
Lowest point Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 593 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 37.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 1.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 1.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 34.5% (2018 est.)
Forest 54.4% (2018 est.)
Other 8.1% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

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

People and Society

In Colombia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Mestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Indigenous 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.48% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 14.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 9% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 1.94 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.95 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 81% (2015/16)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 55.3% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 4.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Colombian | Colombian(s)
Languages
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.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 22.3% (male 5,643,995/female 5,394,147)
15-64 years 66.5% (male 16,127,377/female 16,859,161)
65 years and over 11.2% (2024 est.) (male 2,434,999/female 3,128,678)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 43.5
Youth dependency ratio 31
Elderly dependency ratio 12.5
Potential support ratio 8 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 32.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 31.5 years
Female 34 years
Urbanization
Urban population 82.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 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).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population 0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 13.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 74.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 71.3 years
Female 78.7 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 87.5% of population
Improved: total total: 97.7% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 12.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 2.3% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 99.1% of population
Improved: rural rural: 87.7% of population
Improved: total total: 97% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.9% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 12.3% of population
Unimproved: total total: 3% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 4.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 3.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 8.5% (2020 est.)
Male 12.4% (2020 est.)
Female 4.6% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Colombia is in the midst of a demographic transition resulting from steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The birth rate has fallen from more than 6 children per woman in the 1960s to just below replacement level today as a result of increased literacy, family planning services, and urbanization. However, income inequality is among the worst in the world, and almost one-third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Colombia experiences significant legal and illegal economic emigration and refugee outflows. Large-scale labor emigration dates to the 1960s; the United States and, until recently, Venezuela have been the main host countries.  Emigration to Spain picked up in the 1990s because of its economic growth, but this flow has since diminished because of Spain’s ailing economy and high unemployment. Venezuela’s political and economic crisis since 2015 has prompted many Colombians to return home. 

Forced displacement continues to be prevalent because of violence among guerrillas, paramilitary groups, and Colombian security forces. Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected.  Even with the Colombian Government’s December 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the risk of displacement remains as other rebel groups fill the void left by the FARC.  As of April 2023, almost 6.9 million people were internally displaced in Colombia. This estimate may undercount actual numbers because many internally displaced persons are not registered. Historically, Colombia also has one of the world’s highest levels of forced disappearances. The Colombian Truth Commission estimated than nearly 122,000 people were the victims of forced disappearances during the countries five-decade-long armed conflict—including human rights activists, trade unionists, Afro-Colombians, indigenous people, and farmers in rural conflict zones.

Because of political violence and economic problems, Colombia received limited numbers of immigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly from the Middle East, Europe, and Japan.  More recently, growth in the oil, mining, and manufacturing sectors has attracted increased labor migration; the primary source countries are Venezuela, the US, Mexico, and Argentina.  Colombia has also become a transit area for illegal migrants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean – especially Haiti and Cuba – who are en route to the US or Canada.  Between 2016 and October 2022, Colombia was host to the largest number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, totaling almost 2.9 million. Ecuadorian migrants also go to Colombia, many of them attempting to transit the dense and dangerous jungles of the Darien Gap to enter Panama and head onward to the US.

All Important Facts about Colombia

Want to know more about Colombia? Check all different factbooks for Colombia below.

Colombia is found in South America