Between the Stronger economic regions of Colombia Are: Bogotá, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Santander and Bolivar, among others.
Colombia is the fourth most important economy in Latin America and is among the 31 most outstanding in the world, according to data from the International Monetary Fund .
With strong growth in the last decade, the country is only behind regional powers such as Brazil, Mexico and Argentina in Latin America. It has a strong sector of production of primary goods, which are those that are intended to meet people's fundamental needs like food or clothing.
The main Colombian industries are the coffee, livestock, oil, emerald, floriculture, automotive and textile industries, but in addition this country is a great exporter of gold, sapphires and diamonds. In recent years, its service delivery has taken on a prominent importance.
Despite being an advanced economy, Colombia has great problems of social inequality and imbalances in the productive data of each region. For example: 65% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is distributed only among six departments, out of the 32 in which its territory is divided.
List of the 10 most economical regions of Colombia
1- Bogotá
According to local and international economic indicators, it is the main productive region of Colombia with a representation in the gross domestic product of close to 25%.
With a very strong and advanced industrial sector, complemented by trade and financial sectors, Bogota is a very attractive place for investments.
This part of the country accounts for a quarter of Colombia's total economy. It stands out in the chemical industry, textiles and in the manufacture of other products such as metals, machinery, equipment, printing, food, beverages, tobacco and wood.
2- Antioquia
Located in the northeast of the country and with the Pacific Ocean as its limit, Antioquia represents 13% of Colombia's GDP, making it the second most productive zone.
It distributes its economy among the three sectors: primary , secondary Y tertiary , With strong subregions in the agricultural, manufacturing, tourism, services (which occupies a leading place) and trade.
The coffee is its star product, being Antioquia the main producer of the country. Colombia was the first to export its goods to the world, just pushed by this infusion.
3- Valle del Cauca
This small western region of Colombia, located between mountain ranges, is the third in importance in terms of Gross Domestic Product of the country.
Agriculture, fishing and non-metallic minerals are the drivers of the local economy, which, despite its good growth rates, has lost its preponderance in the Colombian economy.
4- Santander
Located in the Andean region, it is a little far from the economic indexes of its three predecessors. However, its growth data puts it at the top thanks to a successful process of industrialization that will soon produce results in the future.
With a strong agricultural and tourism sector, Santander also has a thriving group of energy, oil and mining companies, as well as important metal-mechanic and poultry projects.
This department is the first producer of tobacco, cacao and cassava in Colombia, three typical products of the country's economy.
5- Meta
Part of the Orinoquía Is one of the most extensive departments in the country. This makes it an internal power, ranks fifth in national GDP share driven by livestock, agriculture and mining.
Within legal crops, rice, African palm, bananas and maize are its main strengths, accompanied by the extraction of oil and gas, which has taken a significant momentum in recent decades.
Outside of the law, in Meta there are large plantations of coca leaf, which is used as the main component of cocaine. While this left many economic gains, it turned the area into a dangerous place with a fierce internal struggle, accompanied by guerrillas, against drug trafficking.
6- Cundinamarca
Located in the center of the country and with Bogota as capital, this region has an economic life of its own outside the most important city of the country.
With a rich variety of natural resources , Cundinamarca is Colombia's sixth largest region in terms of gross domestic product.
Coal and salt, in the first place, push the economic indicators of the area. But also the presence of deposits of lime, iron, sulfur, emeralds, quartz, lead, gypsum, copper and marble, make their competitiveness is expanding.
In addition, outside the industrialization of Bogota, this region counts on rich productions of coffee, maize, wheat, barley and sugar cane.
7- Bolívar
Located in the northern region, known as the Caribbean, and with Cartagena de Indias as its main city, it owes its name to the liberator Simon Bolivar .
This department has one of the most diverse economies in the country, with a large production of goods and services from different industries, placing it in seventh place in Colombia.
Its great economic impulse comes from the hand of the provision of services, especially in tourism and commerce, but also has a thriving industrial sector.
The petrochemical companies keep Bolívar among the most important regions of the country, especially for the boom in the refinement of petroleum, other chemical derivatives and plastics.
Traditionally, it is one of the places where the agricultural sector had a great development. The timber industry and fishing, thanks to its proximity to the Pacific, are other outstanding sectors.
8- Atlantic
Small in territorial terms, but with one of the largest population masses in the country, the Atlantic department is the eighth most prominent in economic terms in Colombia.
In the capital, Barranquilla, industry and commerce, thanks to the port, are the main sectors. However, in the interior, services and the agricultural question drive the region.
Among its most outstanding products are those linked to the chemical, metal-mechanic and pharmaceutical sectors. It also excels in the food, beverage and paper industry. Its great capital is the labor force, with an enormous number of labor-intensive people.
9- Boyacá
It was one of the key regions for the independence of Colombia almost three centuries ago. It was in Boyacá where the nation's founding battles took place with Simon Bolivar as leader.
In addition, Boyacá has the particularity of having different productive areas in its territory, each with its strategic goods and services. It is the 9th most important in the national GDP.
his Industrial Corridor Brings together 90% of the local industry, with a strong service sector. To this must be added a strong presence of trade, agriculture, mining, tourism and handicrafts, which are also vital for their economic reality.
While investments are experiencing a time of instability, exports, agriculture, mining (with emerald deposits and other stones and minerals) and livestock keep the region afloat.
10- Tolima
Historically, it is a region whose production was linked to gold and tobacco, but slowly agribusiness was gaining ground to complete a major economy for Colombia.
Its strategic location, between mountains, make it a very attractive site for tourism, a sector to which this department was able to extract its revenue, to make it one of its main sources of income.
Also mining, with gold as star metal, and the textile industry push Tolima to the top ten of Colombia's productive regions for the time being.
Although the cotton agribusiness is a strong supporter, its place of privilege is threatened by the importance of the domestic services sector. A sector that in Tolima is underdeveloped, which makes it lose competitiveness with other regions and departments, in addition to generating some type of dependency.
References
- The economic regions of Colombia: an analysis of clusters, Juan David Barón, Banco de la República, 2002.
- Bank of the Republic. "Foreign Debt of Colombia". Archived from the original on November 28, 2015. Retrieved on November 17, 2009.
- DANE Directorate of Synthesis and National Accounts and Bank of the Republic. Recovered from: dane.gov.co.
- Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá. Recovered from: ccb.org.co.