Thursday, May 20, 2010

Colombia

A brief country overview of Colombia

Colombia is the home country for a large portion of the current residents of Jackson Heights. Colombia is frequently mentioned in media reports for negative things that have gone in the country. Colombia is a country though rich in culture, with a diverse population, and a rich culinary and artistic heritage.

According to the CIA World Factbook Colombia is the home to 43,677,372 people. The median age of the population is 27.1 years old, and the birth rate is 18.09/1,000. The infant mortality rate is 17.37 deaths/1,000 live births. 74% of the population lives in urban areas, and 90% of the population is Catholic. 58% of the population is mestizo, 20% is white, 14% mulatto, 4% black, 3% mixed Black/Amerindian, and 1% Amerindian. 46.8% of the population is living below the poverty line. The life expectancy at birth is 74.07 years, and 90.4% of the population is literate. Colombia is the world’s leading producer of coca derivatives, and also produces heroin and marijuana. The violence in Colombia has at times threatened to spill into other countries and is one of the leading causes for their citizens to leave to go to other countries or the United States. As mentioned, more people have been displaced from their homes in Colombia than in any other country outside Africa with the majority of them being black.

Reference
CIA The World Factbook. Accessed from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html#top

Mexico and Indonesia

Country comparisons of Mexico and Indonesia

Mexico
GDP Per Capita $13,500 country comparison to the world 83
Infant mortality rate: 18.42 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world 110
Median age total: 26.3 years
Life expectancy total: 76.06 years country comparison to the world 71
Type of government: federal republic
Major religious groups: Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1%
Degree of Religious Freedom: Mexico provides freedom of religion with restrictions, and generally has less freedom of religion as compared to other countries in North America.

Indonesia
GDP Per Capita $4000 country comparison to the world 155
Infant mortality rate 29.97 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world 74
Median age total: 27.6 years
Life expectancy total: 70.76 years country comparison to the world 137
Type of government: republic
Major religious groups: Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other 3.4%
Degree of Religious Freedom: Indonesia does not provide for freedom of religion in its constitution and the social regulation of religion in Indonesia is extremely high even when compared to other Southeast Asian countries. Religious persecution in Indonesia is measurably high as well.
References:
Central Intelligence Agency. 2009. "The World Factbook". Retrieved May 2, 2010 at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook .
Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. "National Profiles". Retrieved May 2, 2010 at http://www.thearda.com/internationalData .