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Before the Spanish colonization of the region that would become the country of Colombia, the territory was the home of many different indigenous peoples. Today more than fifty different indigenous ethnic groups exist in Colombia. Most of them speak languages belonging to the Chibchan and Cariban linguistic families. The Colombian government has established 567 reserves for indigenous peoples and they are inhabitated by more than 800,000 persons. Some of the largest indigenous groups are the Arhuacos, the Muisca, the Kuna people, the Witoto, the Páez, the Tucano, the Wayuu and the Guahibo.
Because of its strategic location Colombia has received several immigration waves during its history. Most of these immigrants have settled in the Caribbean Coast; Barranquilla (the largest city in the Colombian Caribbean Coast) has the largest population of Arab Lebanese, Jewish, Italian, German, American, Chinese, French, Portugesse and Gypsy descendants. There are also important communities of German and Chinese descendants on the Caribbean Coast.
More than two-thirds of all Colombians live in urban areas, a figure significantly higher than the world average. The literacy rate (94 percent) in Colombia is also well above the world average, and the rate of population growth is slightly higher than the world average.
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