Colombia, Latin America The flag of Colombia was officially adopted on November 26, 1861. The yellow band takes up half the flag and signifies the gold found in the Colombian land. The blue stripe represents the seas off its shores and red stands for the blood spilled on the battlegrounds for freedom. Other interpretations of the colors include the sovereignty and justice (yellow), loyalty and vigilance (blue) and valor and generosity (red). Colombia is located near the equator. Therefore, the majority of the time the weather is very hot. The climate is tropical and it is humid along the coast and WEATHER eastern plains. In the highlands of the Andes Mountains it’s significantly cooler. Colombia has five natural regions, each region usually maintains a constant temperature throughout the year. LIFESPAN Life expectancy on average is 75 years old (males 71 years, females 78 years). Despite a serious armed conflict, Colombia has experienced positive growth over the past several years. However, high unemployment is a major concern ECONOMY and is contributing to extreme inequality in the income distribution of the population. Over 45% of the population is below the poverty line. RELIGION Catholic 90% and others 10%. The educational experience of many Colombian children begins with preschool academy until the age of 5. Basic education is compulsory and has two stages (primary and secondary). In many rural areas teachers are poorly qualified and only five years of primary schooling are offered. Basic education is followed by SCHOOLING Middle vocational education. After the successful completion of all the basic and middle education years, a high-school diploma is awarded. Students in their final year of middle education take the ICFES test in order to gain access to higher education. CROPS Coffee, bananas, rice, and corn. The national flower of Colombia is the Cattleya Trianae (Christmas Orchid). FLOWERS Other flowers include Carnations and Protea. Colombia exports more fresh flowers than any other country except Holland. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Colombia. Other activities include SPORTS cycling, boxing and inline roller skating. C:\Users\Chris\Desktop\Country Sheets\Completed Conversion\Colombia.doc Printed 2/16/2012 .