Many airlines provide services between major cities. Domestic flights are reasonably priced and make for much shorter transit, allowing you to spend more time exploring your destinations. Colombia is steadily growing as a popular retirement haven. Expats report being happier and healthier and their cost of living is a lot lower than it was back home. When Wendy and Darren Howarter decided to move to Colombia, their friends and family thought they were crazy.
The same apartment in a similarly sized city, such as Chicago, would have cost at least twice as much. There are countries in the world. And while there is no perfect place on this earth, we are all in search of our own personal slice of paradise. At the tip of the continent, Colombia is the gateway to South America.
About the size of the states of California and Texas combined, this country has shed its dark past and is becoming a haven for retirees. The New York Times lists Colombia as 2 out of 52 places to go in Is Colombia right for you? Here are a few pros and cons to help with your decision. Many people have an outdated perception of Colombia.
The country has transformed from its dark past of violence and drug cartels and is now a vibrant, thriving, and welcoming place to live. Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world The city of Valledupar was first named Valley of Upar, after the Indigenous leader cacique Upar of the Chimila people.
Mangrove and coconut trees adorn the coasts of the Caribbean Sea, but the commercialized trees mahogany, oak, walnut, cedar, pine, and many varieties of balsam grow in the Amazon Forest, and at medium altitude, in the Cordillera. Current Economic Situation The economic recovery started since due to an increase in agricultural and industrial production. While exports reached a ceiling because of low coffee prices, imports picked up due to the economic expansion, the strengthening of the peso, and the liberalization of the economy.
In , the victory of the Liberal Party candidate at the presidential elections led to the adoption of a government program with a strong social component, which did not have a negative impact on the Colombian economy. Work on new oil deposits offers a favorable outlook in the medium term, and oil is increasingly replacing coffee as the major revenue earner; it now represents nearly half of the country's export earnings.
Nevertheless, the first signs of an economic recession appear starting in This also illustrates the end of the effects of the economic liberalization launched in in Growth slows down and unemployment and inflation rise.
On-going Decentralization Process Background, Objectives, and Legal Framework Colombia formally launched its decentralization process in the s, but in reality the government remained highly centralized until the s. The economic importance of some regions and cities and their political influence are due more to their geography and the country's turbulent history rather than to decentralization policy. The most significant advances of decentralization are thus relatively recent and are within the context of the municipalization of rural development that is taking place in many Latin American countries.
The current decentralization process started with the decision of the Colombian government to revise the constitution in This was the high point of a process started in by the passing of a decentralization law making local autonomy a highly important part of the institutional landscape of the country. It was thus decided that mayors of municipalities would be elected, and that new mechanisms for community participation be created.
The objective of decentralization was mainly political because the intent was to give mayors and citizens the means to deal with the presence of guerrillas and drug traffickers in their localities.
Functions, Resources, and Autonomy of Decentralized Entities The decentralization law of and the constitutional reform law of assigned to different levels of government departments and municipalities new functions in matters relating to consultation and decision-making, implementation, control and financing.
Though efforts were made to give the departments and municipalities extra resources to accomplish their new tasks, it appears on the one hand, that these resources have not been sufficient, and on the other, that the decentralized entities have only limited autonomy in the use of these resources.
Since then, Colombia has had several civil wars and relatively few times of peace. All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes.
Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Colombia's people are as diverse as its landscape. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Map created by National Geographic Maps. Watch "Destination World".
The government has made great strides to secure peace with revolutionaries, minimize crime, and protect its strong democratic institutions. Read More. Need your Trip ID Number? Give us a call and we'll look it up for you: 1.
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