Jared+Horwitz

= =

Colombia



__**MAP**__





google images google images

//The population density map relates to my physical features map in many confusing ways. First of all, when I look at the population map I see that the population is very very densely populated in an area that that is in the mid-west, running almost the length of the country. When I look at this area on my physical features map there is a clear physical feature exactly where the population grows dense. The physical feature is the Andean Mountain range, the biggest mountain range in Colombia. I think that it is curious that there would be more people living in the mountains when they could live more toward the east in the plains, with rivers all around.//

__ Holidays and Festivals __ Holidays and festivals are very important to Colombia. They have many public festivals and holidays (17). Colombia is a mainly Christian country, so they have almost all Christian holidays. They do celebrate Christmas in Colombia, but they do not celebrate Easter. The day that they celebrate their Declaration of Independence is July 20th. Colombians also place great store in festivals and carnivals. They have the second largest carnival in the world, after Rio. The Colombians have also recently reincarnated their once famed Bogota Carnival. Colombians set great store by celebration. They have a celebration for coffee, a celebration for corn, and a celebration for any other important agricultural product that they produce. Colombia also boasts magnificent film festivals. They have the biggest film festival in the world held in Bogota. Some Colombian parties are very wild. They have bull-fights, marching, drinking competitions and more held on the streets. There are also elegant parties, in which there is dancing, costumes, and queens of the parties selected. Colombians celebrate for many reasons. Some celebrations are for historical events, some for artwork, some for agriculture. One of the more dated celebrations is the Black and White festival. The Black and White festival is a festival that dates back to the late 1800s. The festival takes place on the 5th and 6th of January. It started because the white men, who were the masters, would give their slaves, the black people, one day to celebrate on the fifth. Then, the masters would show their approval on the 6th by painting their faces black. The Colombians certainly knew how to throw a party.

__ Arts __ Art is one of the most important parts of Colombia. Whenever people in the U.S or anywhere think of Colombia they think of art. Art is the thing that makes Colombia unique. Art is one of the main attractions of Colombia, if not the biggest attraction. Although art in Colombia has shrunk over the years, Colombia still is a great country for art. Art plays into the history of Colombia in many ways. Some of the first pottery ever found was found in Colombia. This shows that art was there from the beginning. Another type of artwork in Colombia is gold work. Gold and gold works were one of the main reasons the Spanish even came to Colombia in the first place. Some of the world’s greatest statues of gold and gold structures came from Colombia. All this and we haven’t even come to painting. Some of the greatest paintings ever seen came out of Colombia. Painting flourished in the country during and after the year 1492. The reason is because it was such an emotional time for the people of Colombia and Spanish countries in general mainly due to Columbus’s first expedition and the Jews being driven out of Spain. The artists of Colombia were able to capture all that emotion in their paintings, which is why the paintings were and are so great.

__ Food __ There are many basic foods that Colombians eat almost every single day. Most of these foods do not appeal to most of us due to what the yare and when the Colombians eat the but the same thing could probably be said for the Colombians with our food. For example, many Colombians eat soup for breakfast every morning. Some of these soups have shrimp in them. Personally, I would never be able to stomach seafood, or soup, in the morning. But maybe what I consider to be perfectly normal breakfast food, like pancakes, the Colombians would be unable to eat. Despite the differences from American cuisine the Colombians have an enormous array of cuisines. Most prominent in the Bogota and Andean Mountain Range region is Ajico, a chicken and corn soup with many local vegetables and herbs. For breakfast in this region, people eat a dish called changua, which is a breakfast soup made out of milk, eggs, and scallions. Along the warmer Caribbean coast, people eat a lot of pork, whale liver, and coconut rice. Another favorite dish that is consumed everywhere in Colombia is Suero, which is a mix between yogurt and sour cream. It has a sweet, tangy flavor and was brought over by Arab immigrants. On the Llanos plains, barbeque is the main food. That is not all they eat but it is the most common dish and in most places that you go to for food you will find BBQ. In the Amazon Rainforest region most of the food is influenced by Brazilian and Peruvian cooking. The reason for this is that the section of Colombia that is Rainforest borders Brazil and Peru. Now you have a sense of what Colombian living and culture is like. Colombians really are an interesting, diverse society.



__ Geography and Climate __ Colombia is large and diverse geographically but its geography is easy to explain and naturally well divided. Colombia has the 26th largest square mileage in the world, but its geography can be divided into five zones. The first of the five zones is the Andes Mountain Range region. The Andes Mountains are the most prominent physical feature in Colombia and they also contain the highest peaks in Colombia. The second zone is the Pacific Ocean Coastal region. This region is extremely different from the Andes Mountain Ranges. It is also a different biome. The third zone is the Caribbean Sea Coastal region. It must have a very different feel from the first two because the water is warm and so is the general temperature. This makes it different from the Pacific Ocean because although the general temperature is warm, the water is colder. The fourth zone is the Llanos (Ya-nose) Plains. They are enormous, and almost all of Colombia’s bodies of water are situated within the Llanos Plains. The fifth and final zone is the Amazon Rainforest. This is, of course, the area of Colombia bordering Brazil, as most of the Rainforests are within their borders. The Rainforests are humid, hot and full of life. They are the location which receives the greatest amount of rainfall in Colombia, which is fitting, seeing as the name is //Rain//forests. As you can see, Colombia has a great deal of diversity when it comes to Geography. The climate in Colombia can also be broken up into zones, although only three. People commonly think of South America as a continent which is very hot all the time. This is not true in Colombia. Colombia’s climate varies from hot to cold greatly, due to major changes in altitude. So, the three climate zones are three different altitudes. The first climate zone is the area 0-900 meters above sea level. This zone is referred to as the hot zone. The next zone is 900-1,980 meters above sea level and is referred to as the temperature zone. It is a bit cooler, as it should be. The final zone is around 2,000-3,500 meters above sea level and is referred to as the cold zone. The majority of Colombia (about 86%) is in the hot zone. If you are a tourist going to Colombia, this information should be important to you. Why? Because if you only pack a bathing suit and shorts, then you definitely want to steer clear of the Andes Mountain range. You also would be advised to stick with the Carribean Sea Coastal region. If you are a great admirer of nature, then you should probably head for the Rainforest region. You want to pack a lot of water and bug spray and you have to know what you are doing. You should also know that there are only 3 seasons in Colombia. They are summer, winter, and the rainy season. You should pack accordingly. You should also know that there is a fairly large amount of wild in Colombia. You should bring a guide if you plan to venture into the true nature of Colombia. If you are careful, Colombia's geography shoulod be very manageable.

= __Profile__ =


 * The Infant Mortality rate in Colombia is 16.39 deaths out of every 1,000 infants. That is more than 10 out of every thousand more than the U.S.A’s Infant Mortality rate. This shows that the hospitals, doctors, and ambulances in Colombia are not as high quality as they are in the United States. It also lets us know that the Colombian Government may not have as much money to spend on hospitals and doctors as the American Government does.
 * Colombia’s literacy rate is a little over 90%. People learn to read and write by going to school, so this shows that 1 out of every 10 Colombians hasn’t gone to school. This fact means that education is not as important in Colombia as it is here in the U.S. In fact, there is a recent survey that shows that there are more children in Colombia with jobs than children that are going to school
 * The GDP per capita in Colombia is $9,800. This statistic means that the average person in Colombia has only $9,800 purchasing power. This fact indicates that even if Colombia is a fairly rich country, the individual people are not wealthy. This fact suggests spatial inequality.
 * The net migration rate in Colombia is -o.67 immigrants out of 1,000 populantants. This shows that people are not coming to Colombia. It shows that Colombia is not a growing country at the moment. Rarely will an immigrant say, "It is my deepest dream to go to Colombia."

__Flag__

Colombia's Flag is very simple. It is made up of three horizontal bands. The colors of these bands are yellow, blue, and red, in that order.

__ Sources __
 * Wikipedia-Major Colombian Carnivals and Festivals
 * Wikipedia- Geography of Colombia
 * Wikipedia-Colombian Cuisines
 * Wikipedia-Colombian Art
 * CIAworldFactbook-Colombia