THE BEST DESTINY FOR BUSINESS

To the North of South America, Colombia presents the most varied range of thermic levels in its territory. You can choose from warm coastal cities to modern metropolises in the mountain ranges to visit, here is where Bogotá stands.

Not in vain Colombia is the third most inhabited Country in Latin America . Its capital, Bogotá, counts with more than 7 million inhabitants making it one of the most active city with a very attractive market and a must for any multinational and regional company.

During the last 2 decades, Bogotá has edged through important investments in infrastructure and the arrival of a great number of new companies, let alone thousands under creation.

COLOMBIA, A COUNTRY FOR UNDERTAKERS

The privileged geographical position of the Republic of Colombia, with 1.141.748 square kilometers of coast on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, offers entrepreneurs in the world the opportunity to access many markets, particularly those in Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean Region and South America.

Its natural resources, labor, professional talent and 46.039.144 inhabitants, make this country one of Latin America mercantile centers with greater projection toward the future.

Colombian culture is rich in arts, letters, music and education; it has artists and writers of international prestige as Maestro Botero and Nobel Prize, Gabriel García Márquez. Colombian music is admired continent-wide and its language known as the best spoken Spanish. It has 356 museums in service and 21 under structuring, from which 12 of great prestige are in Bogotá; Among these, the Museum of Gold and the National Museum.

Trade Agreements

Free trade Agreements with the Andean Community, Mexico and Chile; partial agreements with MERCOSUR, Central America and the Caribbean, as well as tariff preferences with the United States - APTEA - with Canada and soon with the European Union and TLC signature , make Colombia a country present in the Globalization of the markets.

The favorable conditions for the growth of Colombia economy in 2005 can largely be attributed to the reliability by the private sector on the handling and future of economy; the democratic safety policy, the fiscal adjustment, the monetary handling, the low levels that interest rates have shown towards their historical averages and the favorable perspectives of the external context and the dynamism observed in the growth of employment, investment and productivity, with a GDP 5.75% growth .Colombian economy is expected to keep the growth rhythm seen last year for year 2006.

BOGOTA: ENTRANCE GATE TO SOUTH AMERICA

The capital city located in a plateau in the Oriental Mountain range of the Andes, 2.640 meters above sea level has a total area of 1.732 square kilometers (173.200.000 hec), rural area of 122.256.000 (hec), urban area: 38.430.000 (hec), expansion land: 2.974 (hec) and 6.635.960 million inhabitants corresponding to 47.9% men and 52.1% women; Its currency is the Colombian peso and its official language is Spanish. Because of its location near the equatorial line, Bogotá doesn't have marked seasons and offers a very pleasant and homogeneous climate throughout the year with an average annual temperature of 14ºC (57ºF).

Bogotá is the geographical center of the South American continent, just an hour of flight from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Caribbean, placing it near any city of America; Because of the above it is called the entrance gate to South America.

Today, Bogotá is a cosmopolitan city in constant expansion. It is one of the metropolitan areas of biggest growth, not only in Colombia but also in South America; multitudes of immigrants from all parts in the world, make of the capital a true microcosmos of the nation. It has a great variety of industries such as automobile assembly, grocery processing, print mills and editor publishers, manufacturing of drinks, textile, metal articles, machinery, electric equipment, etc. Many banks and corporations have their headquarters in Bogotá. Rail and freeways, including the Pan-American freeway connect the city to other big centers.

Bogotá economy is considered to be the most dynamic in the country . It reaches 25% GDP and 52% of the foreign investment concentrates on the Capital District, where more than 120 out of 500 most important multinational companies worldwide have their headquarters. At the end of year 2004, the foreign investment in the region registered US $1562 million, increasing nearly three times the figure of the previous year. One of the most traditional markets in the city, footwear, gathers 50% of the national industry. 150 thousand families of leather tanners, makers, salespersons, shoe polishers or shoemakers make a living out of this business. According to the president of the stock exchange in Colombia, those transactions corresponding to Bogotá, reach 800 thousand million pesos, including stock- and non-stock market.

Characterized by the diversity of cultures and customs, and by its patrimonial and architectural wealth, recognized by its collection of pre-Columbian gold artwork, Bogotá opens up, both to residents and visitors, everything a modern city can offer; a vibrant and diverse cultural and intellectual life, restaurants, night clubs and a great variety of amusement sites. The city has the biggest cultural inventory in the country: 42 museums, 12 libraries and 36 churches with colonial and republican treasures, 20 plazas, 7 boulevards and groves, 132 national monuments, about one thousand properties of architectural conservation, 21 national monuments, 21 theaters, 66 movie theaters and 20 cultural centers, as well as about 30 malls.

Bogotá is today a renovated city, product of the urbanistic and cultural transformation in the last decade. The recovery of the public space, the enhancement of squares and parks, the adoption of a modern public transportation system and the advances in a civic culture are part of the new face the city presents.