Colombia has a diverse population that reflects its colorful history and the societies that have populated her since ancient times.

Religion - The major religion is Roman Catholicism.

Language - The country's language is Spanish.

Health conditions - Colombia now has the third highest number of internally displaced people in the world, after Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Though Colombian law provides for health benefits for the displaced, in reality, people remain outside the health care system because they have no knowledge or information about these benefits.  The most common health problems are respiratory complaints and diarrheas diseases caused by crowded living conditions, poor sanitation and a lack of clean water.

In Colombia there are 11 million children under 15 years of age.
One third of all children are anemic. Stunting affects 14% of children under age five; 7% of newborns have low birth weight. 

Estimates of the number of street children in Bogota shake wildly from a conservative 2,500 to a huge 110,000 (UNICEF). One quarter of Columbia's children between the ages of 6 and 15 do not attend school. The Government estimates that approximately 6,000 children are engaged as combatants by both paramilitary groups and guerrillas.  More than one million children have been displaced in the last 15 years. Child labor is a significant problem as well. Over one million children between the ages of five and seventeen are working. 

The art and culture of Colombia peaked around the 16th century, which is prior to the arrival of Spanish settlers. Colombians have been producing art for thousands of years; with ornate golden figures and jewelry from previous millennia have been discovered both by ruthless conquistadors and careful archaeological investigators.
The Colombian author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, won the Nobel Prize for his book One Hundred Years Of Solitude, which follows the history of the Buendias, a Columbian family, and their small town of Macondo through the 20th century.

Pastimes - Colombians enjoy gambling, especially at government-sponsored lotteries that fund social programs. Like many other Latin American peoples, Colombians attend bullfights, an inheritance of their Spanish culture.
Common outdoor recreational pastimes include fishing, shooting, and hunting.

Organized sports have grown steadily in popularity among the Colombians, and the most widely played and watched sport is football (soccer). Basketball and baseball draw an increasing number of fans, and golf, tennis, and skiing are enjoyed by a smaller number of people who can afford the costs.

Holidays & Festivals - The Colombian calendar is full of festivals, carnivals and fairs. Some celebrations are local, others are national. Some last a day, others go on for several days. This means that almost every day there is a festival taking place somewhere in Colombia. Christmas, Easter and Corpus Christi are solemnly celebrated in many rural communities. Many cities have special festivals each year. In Barranquilla there is a large carnival during the four days before Ash Wednesday, during which people parade in streets in masks and costumes.  Click here to find more Colombian holidays on Earth Calendar.

Colombian Cuisine - There is a large variety of dishes that reflect the difference in regional climates. For example, in Bogota and the Andean region, "ajiaco" is the traditional dish. It is a type of soup made of chicken, yucca root and potatoes, flavored with a locally grown herb called "guasca". Traditionally, cream and capers are added just before eating. The soup is served with white rice, salads flavored with lemon, avocado, or plantain chips, sweet or salty.

Statistics and information from CIA WORLD FACTBOOK, WIKIPEDIA, and UNICEF.