Doing Business in Colombia
Sabrina Apker
Steve Cota
Paul Yanez
Brad Durham
Professor Juan Meraz
Abstract
Colombia is the first country reaching into the northern part of South America. Because of the location that Colombia is blessed with, the country is considered a major trade route from North and Central America to the South American countries. The official name is the Republic of Columbia and their capital is Bogota. The population is estimated at 40,349,388 people. The ethnicity of the country is of a racially diverse make up. The main part of the population is made up of Native Americans and European mix ancestry. The country claims a republic government with an executive branch that dominates the government structure. The dominate language is Spanish. Although freedom of religion is a national right, ninety percent of the country is Roman Catholic. Colombia has been able to tap into many of their natural resources; such as petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, and hydropower. The agriculture of the country consists of mainly crops that require rich soil materials. These crops consist of coffee, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans and vegetables. The majority of the land is used for pasture while about half of Colombia’s land is forests. The central and western parts of Colombia are dominated by the Andes Mountains which extend the entire length of the country from north to south. When communicating with Colombians, one should make good eye contact and talk about the positive aspects of the Colombian culture. The Colombians value the dress by people as a form of status. Gift giving is an essential gesture in the Colombian culture. The willingness to answer and ask questions and discuss pleasantries before entering into a conversation of business is essential. The people of Colombia are hardworking and peace loving folk who have been taught the importance of respect. In Colombia there are four discrete classes: the upper class, the middle class, the lower class and the masses. Even though unemployment is still a rapid problem Colombia ranks high when considering GDP. Although, half of the countries total accumulation of capital comes from drug sales. Colombia is seeing advances in their economics but poverty is still a main issue that the country is stressed to conquer.
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