Colombian Investment IV - The Amazon

Investing in Colombia I V - The Amazon

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Investing in Colombia I V - The Amazon

When one considers Latin American investments and investing in Colombia in particular the famous words of Baron Rothschild come to mind.

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This 18th century investor and banker is credited with saying that “The time to buy [stocks] is when there is blood in the streets.”

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He was talking about 18th century wars and rebellions but his words are pertinent in the New World today.

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Specifically, Colombia is coming out of a half century long rebellion and many investors have not yet caught on. This is the forth of a four part series about Investing in Colombia.

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We will deal briefly with the history of the Colombian Civil War and then give thought to investment opportunities in the Colombian Amazon.

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The Colombian Civil War

The current Colombian civil war has lasted from the mid 1960’s to the present. Rebels say they are fighting for the rights of the Colombian poor.

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The primary rebel group is FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia).

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The rebels primarily have occupied remote areas of the jungle, especially in the Amazon Basin with occasional forrays into the cities.

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. An increasingly aggressive campaign by the Colombian government has driven FARC from the cities and forced them to cross borders into Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama in search of sanctuary.

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Despite the claim that FARC simply wants to improve the lot of poor Colombians they have been tied to drug trafficking.

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Many Colombian families can name a member of two who were assassinated by FARC for opposing extortion efforts by the rebels.

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On the other hand government allied paramilitary forces fighting FARC are also accused of drug trafficking and terrorism.

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The good news is that the conflict is settling down and Colombian Peace Talks have begun. The time has come for investing in Colombia.

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The Amazonia of Colombia

The Southeast portion of Colombia, a third of its territory, lies east of the Andes in the Amazon Basin.

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This 400,000 square kilometer region is part of the Amazon rain forest.

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The region is divided into six departments, Amazonas, Caquetá, Guainía, Guavirre, Putumayo, and Vaupés.

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If there is a last region where investing in Colombia by foreign investors will be welcome and safe it is probably the Southeast of the country.

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Air travel in and out of the region is chancy at times.

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River travel can take weeks.

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However, the same riches that have caused environmental concerns in Brazil lie in the Colombian Amazon.

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This will be a good region to keep an eye on for opportunities for investing in Colombia, albeit at a distance.

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In this region think of timber, oil, and minerals as well as eco tourism.

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The Rising Colombian Peso

The Colombian peso has outperformed all other currencies versus the US dollar in 2012.

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For those interested in offshore investment and offshore banking, Colombia may well be the place to be as its economy takes off.

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Invest in Colombia and take advantage of the rise of Colombian business prospects.

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Bank your profits in Colombia and take advantage of the rising Colombian peso.

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For more about investing in Colombia, read Colombian Investment I - The Caribbean, Colombian Investment II - Bogota, and Colombian Investment III - The Cafetero.

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For more questions about investing in Colombia, Panama, or throughout Latin America, visit www.RobertGirga.com.

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