Facts About Colombia
The dominant religion in Colombia is Roman Catholicism.
Colombia has a divide between two cultural identities: the costeños and the cachacos.
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The costeños, settlers on the coast, are more racially diverse and rural.
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The costeños have appropriated much Yoruba and Santeria into their culture. Their Catholicism is very literal and everyday. Márquez, a costeño himself, recalls a childhood where the spiritual existed in religious as well as secular life.
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By comparison, the cachacos in the mountains, are more urbane and aristocratic.
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Coffee and petroleum are Colombia’s primary exports. A US stranglehold on its banana production (through the United Fruit Company) led to violent uprisings amongst workers in 1902.
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The coast/mountain social divide continues economically, with the coast supporting the banana industry and the mountain area supporting the coffee industry.
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