Colombia is a country of paradoxes. Because of the high culture of its ruling classes, Bogotá is called the “Athens of Latin America,” yet over one-third of the population is illiterate. The country is unusually well-endowed with natural resources, has a relatively large land area and a population of 15.6 million, but the per capita income is only the eighth highest in Latin America. Colombia is relatively underpopulated, with the same population as the Netherlands and 35 times its area, but there are millions of landless campesinos. Living in Bogotá, and walking the paths of the wealthy, it is difficult for a foreigner (and also for many Bogotanians) to believe that most Colombians are desperately poor. This is because Bogotá and the other main cities are like islands in a sea of poverty.