Geografía económica del Caribe colombiano

Abstract

For a long time the Continental Caribbean region has been one of the poorest in Colombia. The region has recently shown growth rates similar to those of the country as a whole. However, the Continental Caribbean remains poor compared to other regions; its per capita gdp is only 80% of that of the rest of the
country. Physical geography helps explain the region’s specialization in primary products, which have few linkages with other sectors and have limited generation of income and employment. For example, the mining sector, which is directly related to natural resources and geography, accounts for 66% of the region’s exports. Climate is also important to understand the economic performance of the Continental Caribbean. Limited rainfall during long periods of the year and high temperatures, combined with record figures for solar brightness and radiation, produce unfavorable soil conditions for commercial agriculture, with the exception of a few areas. Variable geographic features of the territory explain disparities in the location of the population and in socioeconomic conditions. An example is the scattered and isolated population of the southern part of the department of Bolívar. Though it is, after Atlántico, the department with thehighest gdp per capita in the region, Bolívar has clusters of municipalities with high levels of poverty, comparable to those in Chocó, the poorest department of Colombia.