Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR

Chapter 5: Colombia
Nueva Esperanza: A Resettlement Case with Risk
Management and Land Use Planning Approach
By Narzha Poveda Gómez
A. Country Context
Colombia, located in the northwestern corner of South
America, covers 1,141,748 km 2 and is divided into 32
departments that include 1,122 municipalities and a
capital district. It has six regions: the Andean, Caribbean,
Pacific, Orinoquia, Amazon and various islands
(Map 5.1).
Map 5.1. Regions and Departments
1. Population
Based on National Statistics Department (Departamento
Nacional de Estadísticas, DANE) projections for
2010, Colombia has a population of 45,324,305. Three
quarters (76 percent) live in urban areas and 24 percent
in rural areas; 70 percent inhabit the Andes range,
which has three branches in the country, occupying almost
half of the territory. In the 20th century, migration
from rural to urban areas has been exacerbated by social
strife and armed conflict.
Colombia became a predominantly urban country in
less than a half century (as illustrated in Figure 5.1).
According to a 2005 population census, 19.6 percent
of urban inhabitants and 53.5 percent of those in rural
areas has Unsatisfied Basic Need (Necesidades Básicas
Insatisfechas, NBI), which reflects the huge disparities
between these sectors.
Figure 5.1. Percentage of Rural and Urban Population
100
Source: Instituto Gegráfico Agustín Codazzi, IGAC. Atlas de Colombia.
Percentage
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Urban population
Rural population
1938 1951 1964 1973 1993 2005
Year
Source: National Statistics Department (DANE)
Chapter 5 Nueva Esperanza: A Resettlement Case with Risk Management and Land Use Planning Approach | Colombia |
59