COLOMBIA 



1476 



COLOMBIA 



of about 30,000 uncivilized Indians only about 

 eleven people to the square mile, and 300,000 

 than in tho city of New York alone. 

 Difficulties of transportation and communica- 

 tion must still be overcome before advantage 

 can be taken of the riches and fertility which 

 abound. 



The People. The southern and southeastern 

 plains, or llanos, are still inhabited by uncivil- 

 ised Indians of tribes which formerly inhabited 

 all Colombia. The civilized population is con- 

 centrated in northern and western portions, 



LOCATION MAP 



Showing, also, the proportion of the continent 

 occupied by the republic. 



mostly on the high table-lands from 3,000 to 

 9,000 feet over the sea level, where the climate 

 is temperate or cold all the year around. The 

 religion of the republic is Roman Catholicism, 

 but other forms of -religion are permitted. The 

 population is singularly diversified. Ten per 

 cent of the people are of pure Spanish blood, 

 imbued with the characteristics of the ruling 

 class of Spain. The Indians of unmixed blood 

 constitute fifteen per cent, and some of them 

 still speak their native languages; most of the 

 other tongues have become extinct. Forty per 

 cent of the population is a mixture of Spanish 

 and Indian,' and twenty-five per cent is made 

 up of negroes and negro mixtures. The latter 

 divisions constitute the laboring class. The 



people of mingled Spanish and Indian blood are 

 generally the small traders and farmers. The 

 seclusion of the inhabitants of the mountain 

 cities, by reason of the difficulties of travel 

 and transportation, has been productive of 

 conservation of the old Spanish mode of life 

 and habit of thought. This is seen in home fur- 

 nishings, forms of courtesy, taste in literature 

 and in art, in amusements and in many old- 

 fashioned virtues. 



Cities. The principal cities are Bogota 

 (140,000 inhabitants), the capital, the city of 

 perpetual spring ; Medellin (72,000 inhabitants) , 

 in the gold center; Barranquilla (50,000 inhab- 

 itants), a river port of industrial development, 

 and Cartagena (37,000 inhabitants), a seaport. 

 Over six per cent of the population of the 

 republic live in those four cities; the most 

 important are described under their titles in 

 these volumes. 



Education. Free education, which is not 

 compulsory, is largely maintained by the state. 

 There are over 4,535 primary schools, with 

 nearly 305,600 pupils. Most of the 301 schools, 

 with 25,500 pupils, for secondary education, 

 are maintained by the state, but are directed 

 by religious orders. The oldest university is 

 at Bogota. Besides there is a school of mines 

 at Medellin, and there are thirty-six schools 

 of arts and trades. A national library, museum 

 and observatory are maintained at Bogota, 

 and smaller ones in the principal cities. 



Commercial Opportunities. The difficulties 

 of transportation in the mountain regions, the 

 disinclination of the whites to manual labor 

 and the reluctance of their proud families to 

 engage in petty trade have up to this day 

 worked in restricting commerce. Unskilled 

 labor is abundant, and the mestizos have a 

 relish for trade; and by an extension of their 

 acquaintance with all classes in this strangely- 

 mixed land, North Americans will find multi- 

 plied opportunities for trade and investment 

 in Colombia when the resentment against the 

 United States, caused by its interference with 

 the attempted suppression of the Panama 

 secession, shall have been overcome. If up 

 to the present the Colombian people have 

 shown themselves somewhat reluctant in trying 

 to obtain the help mentioned, it is only due 

 to the fact that various treaties pending at 

 different times between Colombia and the 

 United States have come to naught. 



There are new lines for the development of 

 American commerce, the scope of which can- 

 not be measured, but may safely be stated as 



