YPO-WPO Colombia was established in 1976. We currently have 70 members, 26 member and spouse forums, and a very active and Colombia does not go unnoticed. Leaving old, negative stereotypes aside, Colombia evokes, coffee - Juan Valdez - emeralds, flowers, coal, oil and gas, flourishing industry, highly skilled workforce, beautiful women,vallenato, salsa, cumbia, tourism, biodiversity, year - round climate diversity, coasts on two oceans, never ending savannahs, jungle paradises, political stability, democracy - the oldest in Latin America -, continued economic growth- You name it- we've got it - and we're working day in and day out to make our country even better.
But above all, and something we're really proud of, is the warmth and hospitality of our people, a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic cauldron of passionate, happy and hard-working men and women thriving to overcome longstanding challenges and eager to seize the opportunities that come along with our country's steadfast insertion into an increasingly globalized world. Colombia -the northernmost country in South America- has a privileged geographical location, just above the Equator. Extending over 1,138,910 square kilometers, with a population of over 46 million, Colombia is the fourth largest Spanish speaking country in the world, the third largest in Latin America.
We are a tropical paradise featuring golden beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the overwhelming Andes which divide our territory into three parts, and luscious tropical rainforests. Likewise, Colombia boasts large and thriving metropolises such as its capital city Bogotá, Medellín -2013 Innovative City of the Year-, Barranquilla and Cali, colonial treasures such as Cartagena de Indias - whose walled city and fortress were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site-, Villa de Leyva or Mompox, plus an important number of medium sized cities and uncountable small, picturesque villages.
Our widely varied topography offers breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable ecological and adventure-filled tourism destinations of all sorts throughout all of our six distinct geographical regions: the Amazon, Andean, Caribbean, Insular, Orinoco, and Pacific regions.
Our varied geography is the habitat of a huge environmental wealth, featuring more than 1,800 bird species, over 700 species of amphibians, more than 130 thousand plant species and over 450 mammal species. Thus, Colombia is one of the seventeen mega-diverse countries on the world (out of 195 countries worldwide), which house one third of the planet's entire biodiversity.
Despite the global economic recession, foreign direct investment in Colombia has tripled over the last decade, exports have quadrupled, and the economy has steadily grown. A new and clear-cut peace process which has garnered widespread support both domestically and internationally is under way, and thus Colombia’s outlook for the coming years is even more encouraging.
Stay up to date on the many things that this land of passion has to offer. Follow Colombia on Twitter at https://twitter.com/brandcolombia And prepare yourself to be constantly surprised. Because, as our new country brand name (www.colombia.com) rightfully states, The Answer is Colombia.