At about 43 people per square kilometer, Colombia is one of the least densely populated countries in our website. However, to walk into Colombia is to walk into a country that has been ravaged by war. Over the past 20 years, 3.8 million people have been forced to leave their homes because of conflict.

If you live in Colombia, this is your life:

~Every year your country's population grows by 1.433% (2007 est.), which is about 19,216,365 new citizens per year.

~You live at a high risk of diseases such as bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, and leptospirosis.

~Most of the mothers you know have about 2-3 children, which is a relatively small number.
~10% of your neighbors are not able to enjoy reading or writing, because they are illiterate.

~Only about 1 person has HIV/AIDS out of the 100 people you passed at the market today.

~Your closest friends and family are expected to live to be about 76 if they are girls, and 68 if they are boys, so they will live a long full life.

~Out of the next 100 babies born in your neighborhood, 2 will be stillborn or miscarried.

~Nearly everybody you know primarily speaks Spanish.

~Deforestation is a major problem around, and everyday more trees disappear.

Your country does have plans to change the deforestation and the ravaging wars, though. Within the last 20 years the Colombian government has passed many new laws to help protect the environment and stop the violence. The bills and treaties passed are as follows:

~Antarctic Treaty

~Biodiversity

~Climate Change

~Climate Change- Kyoto Protocol

~Desertification

~Endangered Species

~Hazardous Wastes

~Marine Life Conservation

~Ozone Layer Protection

~Ship Pollution

~Tropical Timber 83

~Tropical Timber 94

~Wetlands

~Law of the Sea (signed but not ratified)