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Emigration from Colombia


Emigration from Colombia is determined by economic, social, and security issues linked mainly to the Colombian armed conflict. Emigration from Colombia is one of the largest in volume in Latin America. According to the 2005 Colombian census or DANE, about 3,331,107 Colombian citizens currently permanently reside outside of Colombia. According the US Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey, around 801,363 persons claiming Colombian origins live in the US.

Main destinations

The most popular destinations for Colombian emigrants are the USA , Panama, Venezuela , Ecuador , Brazil , Spain and the UK ; and, to a lesser degree, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Chile, Canada, Dutch Antilles, Australia, France, Costa Rica, and Israel. Due to the current sociopolitical situation in Colombia, emigration affects Colombians of all social standings and geographic zones. The highest rates of emigration have been registered in the main urban centers of the interior zone of the country: Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Bucaramanga, Pereira, Manizales, and Cucuta.

Perhaps the most well-known concentration of Colombians abroad is the Jackson Heights section of Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is sometimes called El Chapinerito or "Little Chapinero" after a middle-class section of Bogota with similar architecture and ambiance. More recently, the area of Jackson Heights associated with Colombians has become home to Mexican and Ecuadorian immigrants. Other Queens neighborhoods with a Colombian presence are Elmhurst, Corona, and Woodside. The 2006 American Community Survey put out by the US Census Bureau reports that 80,116 persons claiming Colombian origins live in Queens, while 244,164 are spread out in the entire New York metropolitan area.

Colombian restaurants and bakeries are important institutions for the Colombian diaspora. These eateries have popularized formerly regional dishes like the well-portioned Bandeja paisa among Colombians from all parts of the country.

Social and economic impact

Over-represented among emigrants are intellectuals, scholars, artists, and qualified professionals and technicians: a phenomenon known as brain drain," which has helped deepen the social and economic crisis in Colombia. The current state of the economy of Colombia is heavily influenced by the remittance economy of the emigrants, whose earnings abroad often support entire families at home in Colombia. According to El Tiempo, a major broadsheet newspaper printed in Bogota, the value of remittances from Colombians living abroad is ranked third as the main source of income in Colombia and has already surpassed the value of coffee exports.

Stereotypes

Colombian immigrants are sometimes associated with narco-trafficking and other criminal elements. These stereotypes are considered unfair, crude, and hurtful by most Colombians. The Colombian government-funded Colombia is Passion advertisement campaign was an attempt to improve Colombia's image abroad, with mixed results.

Human trafficking

The Colombian government has developed prevention programs against illegal groups that offer emigration help to unsuspecting people, many of whom are eventually forced into slavery, forced prostitution and human trafficking in foreign countries.

See also

Colombian diaspora

Internal migration in Colombia

Immigration to Colombia

Colombia in Popular Culture

External links

- 1County1Language.com. Online social debate on the subject of immigration and language.

Stalker's Guide to International Migration - Comprehensive interactive website on migration

Casahistoria - European emigration since 1800 - links to 19th & 20th century global European emigration

Migration Information Source

The History of Immigration, by Jorge Majfud

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Emigration from Colombia


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