People in rural Colombia are often displaced from their land by the guerilla and they head to the cities where it is safer. This has resulted in Colombia being one of the most urbanised countries in the world.
The nine eastern lowlands departments, constituting about 54% of Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of less than one person per square kilometer (two persons per sq mi.). About 80 percent of people living in Colombia's rural areas are poor.
Movement from rural to urban areas was very heavy in the mid-twentieth century , but has since tapered off. The urban population increased from 31% of the total population in 1938, to 57% in 1951 and about 70% by 1990. Currently the figure is about 77%. Thirty cities have a population of 100,000 or more.
Coca cultivation is a major illegal business in Colombia. In several rural regions, large tracts of land have been used for coca plant cultivation. According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime survey, coca cultivation was estimated at 212,511 acres (860 km²) in December 2006.
Colombia produces about 12% of the coffee in the world, second only to Brazil. There are two main regions of coffee production in Colombia: Medillín, Armenia, and Manizales (MAM) in the central region and Bogotá and Bucaramanga in the eastern mountainous region. MAM coffees are known for their heavy body, rich flavor, and fine acidity. Colombian coffee beans are grown at high altitudes and in the shade of banana and rubber trees. This coffee is among the best in the world, rich, full-bodied, and perfectly balanced. Coffea Arabica L., more commonly known as the Arabica bean, prefers higher altitudes and drier climates than its cousin, the lower quality Robusta bean (C. Robusta). Therefore, the arid mountains and the well-drained, rich volcanic soil of Colombia provide ideal conditions for growing high quality coffee.
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