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Colombians

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For other uses, see Colombian.
Colombians
Colombianos
Flag of Colombia
Total population
c. 59.2 million (2020 estimate)
Diaspora c. 7.6 million[1]
0.8% of world's population
Regions with significant populations
 Colombia 51,632,359 (2020 est.)[2]
 United States2,656,867[3]
 Venezuela2,496,843[4]
 Spain513,585[5]
 Ecuador239,753[3]
 Chile183,706[6]
70,035[7]
 Panama160,738[8]
 Argentina126,372[9]
 Canada87,574[10]
 Italy64,012[3]
 Australia52,658[11]
 Costa Rica43,575[12]
 Peru23,350[13]
 Netherlands18,351[14]
 France14,227[15][16]
 Scotland10,351[17]
 Germany10,283[18]
Rest of the world602,835[3]
Languages
Primarily Colombian Spanish (>99%) and Indigenous languages (0,8%)[19]
Other languages of Colombia spoken by minority groups
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic;[20]
Protestant minority
See Religion in Colombia
Related ethnic groups
Other Latin Americans, Spanish people
Part of a series on the
History of Colombia
Coat of arms of Colombia
Timeline
Pre-Columbian period pre-1499
Spanish colonization 1499–1550
New Kingdom of Granada 1550–1717
Viceroyalty of New Granada 1717–1819
1810–1816
Gran Colombia 1819–1831
Republic of New Granada 1831–1858
Granadine Confederation 1858–1863
United States of Colombia 1863–1886
Republic of Colombia 1886–present
flag Colombia portal

Colombians (Template:Lang-es) are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Colombian.

Colombia is a multiethnic society, home to people of various ethnic, religious and national origins. As a result, majority of Colombians do not equate their nationality with their ethnicity but with allegiance to Colombia, while embracing and espousing the aforementioned simultaneously.

The majority of the Colombian population is made up of Old World immigrants and their descendants. Following the initial period of Spanish conquest and immigration, different waves of immigration and settlement of non-indigenous peoples took place over the course of nearly six centuries and continue today. Elements of indigenous Amerindian and more recent immigrant customs, languages and religions have combined to form the culture of Colombia and thus a modern Colombian identity.

Racial and ethnic groups

Main article: Demographics of Colombia
See also: Race and ethnicity in Colombia

Mestizo Colombians

Main article: Mestizo Colombians

Estimates of the mestizo population in Colombia vary widely, as Colombia's national census does not distinguish between white and mestizo Colombians. According to the 2005 census, the mestizo and white population combined make up approximately 85.9% of the Colombian population, but there is no official estimate of the mestizo population exclusively. Among Colombians, people with mestizo skin tones are sometimes referred to as "trigueños/as".[21]

European Colombians

Main article: White Colombians

Most Colombians of European descent are primarily descended from Spanish settlers, while other Europeans arrived during the 19th and 20th centuries.[22] These migrations primarily brought Irish, British, Dutch, German, Swiss, Danish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Belgian, Russian, French and Italian immigrants who migrated to the Caribbean region. There are smaller numbers of Polish, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Czech, Greek and Croatian communities that immigrated during the Second World War and the Cold War.[citation needed]

Middle Eastern Colombians

Main articles: Arab Colombians and History of the Jews in Colombia

Many Colombians are descended from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine, who moved to Colombia to escape the repression of the Turkish Ottoman Empire and/or financial hardships. When they were first processed in Colombia's ports, they were classified as "Turks". It is estimated that Colombia has a Lebanese population of 700,000 direct descendants and 1,500,000 who have partial ancestry. Most Syrian-Lebanese immigrants established themselves in the Caribbean Region of Colombia in the towns of Santa Marta, Lorica, Fundación, Aracataca, Ayapel, Calamar, Ciénaga, Cereté, Montería and Barranquilla near the basin of the Magdalena River. Many Arab Colombians adapted their names and surnames to the Spanish language to assimilate more quickly in their communities. Some Colombian surnames of Arab origin include: Guerra (originally Harb), Domínguez (Ñeca), Durán (Doura), Lara (Larach), Cristo (Salibe), among other surnames. Most of these immigrants were Arab Christians and others were Muslims and Druze.[23]

There are about 8,000 Colombians of Jewish origin who practice Judaism,[24] most of them live in Bogotá. Ashkenazi, German and Sephardi Jews run their independent religious organizations. The Confedracíon de Asociaiones Judía de Colombia coordinates Jews and institutions that practice the religion.

Consequently, there were other immigrants from the Middle East, including a number of Armenian, Turkish, Georgian and Cypriot immigrants who arrived in the country during the early 20th century.

Indigenous Colombians

Main article: Indigenous peoples in Colombia
The Wayuu represent the largest indigenous ethnic group in Colombia.

Originally, Colombia's territory was inhabited entirely by Amerindian groups. Colombia's indigenous cultures evolved from three main groups—the Quimbayas, who inhabited the western slopes of the Cordillera Central; the Chibchas; and the Kalina (Caribs). The Muisca culture, a subset of the larger Chibcha ethnic group and famous for their use of gold, were responsible for the legend of El Dorado. Today indigenous people comprise roughly 3.4% of the population in Colombia.[21] More than fifty different indigenous ethnic groups inhabit Colombia. Most of them speak languages belonging to the Chibchan and Cariban language families.[citation needed]

Historically there are 567 reserves (resguardos) established for indigenous peoples and they are inhabited by more than 800,000 people. The 1991 constitution established that their native languages are official in their territories, and most of them have bilingual education systems teaching both native languages and Spanish. Some of the largest indigenous groups are the Wayuu,[25] the Arhuacos, the Muisca, the Kuna people, the Witoto, the Páez, the Tucano and the Guahibo. The departaments (departamentos) with the biggest indigenous population are Cauca, La Guajira and Nariño.[citation needed]

Asian Colombians

The majority of Asian Colombians are descended from East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. In 1928, several Japanese families settled in Valle del Cauca where they came as farmers to grow crops. Between 1970 and 1980, it was estimated that there were more than 6,000 Chinese immigrants in Colombia. Their current communities are found in Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín, Santa Marta, Manizales, Cucutá and Pereira. There are also smaller Asians that immigrated to Colombia, such as Indians, Koreans, Filipinos and Pakistanis.

Afro-Colombians

Main article: Afro-Colombians
Afro-Colombian children.

10.4% of Colombians are full Black African or mulatto (of mixed Black African and European ancestry).[26] Black Africans were brought as slaves, mostly to the coastal lowlands, beginning early in the 16th century[27] and continuing into the 18th century.[citation needed]

Immigrant groups

Main article: Immigration to Colombia

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) and other Caribbean cities have the largest population of Lebanese, Italian, French and Gypsy descendants. There are also important communities of American and Chinese descendants in the Caribbean Coast. Most immigrants are Venezuelans, they are evenly distributed throughout the country.[28]

Languages

Main article: Languages of Colombia
See also: Colombian Spanish

There are 101 languages listed for Colombia in the Ethnologue database, of which 80 are spoken today as living languages. There are about 500,000 speakers of indigenous languages in Colombia today.[29]

Education

Main article: Education in Colombia

The educational experience of many Colombian children begins with attendance at a preschool academy until age five (Educación preescolar). Basic education (Educación básica) is compulsory by law.[30] It has two stages: Primary basic education (Educación básica primaria) which goes from first to fifth grade – children from six to ten years old and Secondary basic education (Educación básica secundaria), which goes from sixth to ninth grade. Basic education is followed by Middle vocational education (Educación media vocacional) that comprises the tenth and eleventh grades. It may have different vocational training modalities or specialties (academic, technical, business and so on.) according to the curriculum adopted by each school.

After the successful completion of all the basic and middle education years, a high-school diploma is awarded. The high-school graduate is known as a bachiller, because secondary basic school and middle education are traditionally considered together as a unit called bachillerato (sixth to eleventh grade). Students in their final year of middle education take the ICFES test (now renamed Saber 11) in order to gain access to higher education (Educación superior). This higher education includes undergraduate professional studies, technical, technological and intermediate professional education and post-graduate studies.

Bachilleres (high-school graduates) may enter into a professional undergraduate career program offered by a university; these programs last up to five years (or less for technical, technological and intermediate professional education and post-graduate studies), even as much as six to seven years for some careers, such as medicine. In Colombia, there is not an institution such as a college; students go directly into a career program at a university or any other educational institution to obtain a professional, technical or technological title. Once graduated from the university, people are granted a (professional, technical or technological) diploma and licensed (if required) to practice the career they have chosen. For some professional career programs, students are required to take the Saber-Pro test, in their final year of undergraduate academic education.[31]

Public spending on education as a proportion of gross domestic product in 2012 was 4.4%. This represented 15.8% of total government expenditure. In 2012, the primary and secondary gross enrolment ratios stood at 106.9% and 92.8% respectively. School-life expectancy was 13.2 years. A total of 93.6% of the population aged 15 and older were recorded as literate, including 98.2% of those aged 15–24.[32]

Religion

Main article: Religion in Colombia
See also: Status of religious freedom in Colombia

The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) does not collect religious statistics and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies and a survey, about 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, the majority of which (70.9%) are Roman Catholic, while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere to Protestantism (primarily Evangelicalism).[33] Some 4.7% of the population is atheist or agnostic, while 3.5% claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion. 1.8% of Colombians adhere to Jehovah's Witnesses and Adventism and less than 1% adhere to other religions, such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Indigenous religions, Hare Krishna movement, Rastafari movement, Eastern Orthodox Church and spiritual studies. The remaining people either did not respond or replied that they did not know. In addition to the above statistics, 35.9% of Colombians reported that they did not practice their faith actively.[33][34][35]

While Colombia remains a mostly Roman Catholic country by baptism numbers, the 1991 Colombian constitution guarantees freedom and equality of religion.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cuando los colombianos eran los mayores migrantes de Suramérica". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Tiempo. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. ^ "¿Cuántos somos?". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE). Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Bérubé, Myriam. "Colombia: In the Crossfire". migrationpolicy.org. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Colombians in Venezuela".
  5. ^ "Población (españoles/extranjeros) por País de Nacimiento, sexo y año". INE. 2 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Extranjeros en Chile superan el millón 110 mil y el 72% se concentra en dos regiones: Antofagasta y Metropolitana" (in Spanish). El Mercurio. 9 April 2018.
  7. ^ Statistics Canada (2016). "2016 Census: Data tables". 12.statcan.gc.ca.
  8. ^ "Diversity news page". 5 April 2009. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  9. ^ Población nacida en el extranjero en la República, por grupos de edad, según sexo y país de nacimiento Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo de Panamá
  10. ^ Estadisticas Radicaciones 2014 [Residencies 2014] (PDF) (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Buenos Aires: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Argentina. 2014. ISBN 978-950-896-420-5.
  11. ^ "Estimated resident population, Country of birth - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2018. Australian Bureau of Statistics". 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  12. ^ 385.899 extranjeros viven en Costa Rica La Nación
  13. ^ [1] Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática del Perú
  14. ^ "CBS StatLine - Bevolking; generatie, geslacht, leeftijd en herkomstgroepering, 1 januari". Statline.cbs.nl. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  15. ^ https://fr.statista.com/statistiques/633809/immigres-colombiens-france-age/
  16. ^ https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/colombie/presentation-de-la-colombie/
  17. ^ "CBS StatLine - Bevolking; generatie, geslacht, leeftijd en herkomstgroepering, 1 januari". Statline.cbs.nl. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Anzahl der Ausländer in Deutschland nach Herkunftsland (Stand: 31. Dezember 2014)". De.statista.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  19. ^ "65 Lenguas Nativas de las 69 en Colombia son Indígenas". ONIC. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  20. ^ "CIA – The World Factbook – Colombia". Cia.gov. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  21. ^ a b "COLOMBIA UNA NACIÓN MULTICULTURAL" (PDF). DANE - El Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  22. ^ Latin America during World War II by Thomas M. Leonard, John F. Bratzel, P.117
  23. ^ Fawcett de Posada, Louise; Posada Carbó, Eduardo (1992). "En la tierra de las oportunidades: los sirio-libaneses en Colombia" [In the land of opportunity: the Syrian-Lebanese in Colombia] (PDF). Boletín Cultural y Bibliográfico (in Spanish). 29 (29). publicaciones.banrepcultural.org: 8–11. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  24. ^ Congress, World Jewish. "World Jewish Congress". www.worldjewishcongress.org. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  25. ^ EPM (2005). "La etnia Wayuu". Empresas Publicas de Medellin (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 February 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
  26. ^ Colombia: People 2019, CIA World Factbook
  27. ^ "African Origins of AfroColombian Lastnames" (PDF). Clopedia Afrocolombiana. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  28. ^ "Aumenta El Numero De Inmigrantes Venezolanos En Colombia 017591". Ntn24.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  29. ^ The Languages of Colombia Archived 16 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ Colombian Constitution of 1991 (Title II - Concerning rights, guarantees, and duties - Chapter 2 - Concerning social, economic and cultural rights - Article 67)
  31. ^ "Ministerio de Educación de Colombia, Estructura del sistema educativo". 29 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007.
  32. ^ "UNESCO Institute for Statistics Colombia Profile". Uis.unesco.org. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  33. ^ a b Cely, Beltrán; Mauricio, William (2013). Del monopolio católico a la explosión pentecostal' (PDF) (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Centro de Estudios Sociales (CES), Maestría en Sociología. p. 101. ISBN 978-958-761-465-7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2016.
  34. ^ Beltrán Cely, William Mauricio. "Descripción cuantitativa de la pluralización religiosa en Colombia" (PDF). Universitas humanística 73 (2012): 201–238. – bdigital.unal.edu.co. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  35. ^ "Religion in Latin America, Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region". Pewforum.org. Pew Research Center. 13 November 2014.
  36. ^ Colombian Constitution of 1991 (Title II – Concerning rights, guarantees, and duties – Chapter I – Concerning fundamental rights – Article 19)
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