Asian Colombians

Panama Canal Railway In 1854, many Chinese migrants arrived in Colombian territory for the construction of the Panama Canal Railway across the Isthmus of Panama, as the domestic labor force was insufficient. Around 705 Chinese immigrants came to Panama from Guandong province to work on the railway after demonstrating their skills working on the construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad on the west coast of the United States. The Chinese migrants being brought into both projects were a desperate measure by the managers of the railway companies, who did not have enough workers among the native population for the construction and failed to import enough Irish, German, and other European migrants to make up for the deficit. Sugar industry At the beginning of the 20th century, Indian Muslim migrants settled in the towns of the Cauca River valley, some just temporarily and others permanently, to engage in the commercial activity demanded by the new working population of the nascent sugar industry. These immigrants brought a variety of products to rural areas, both granting credit and accepting barter. Panamanian independence Toraji Irie, a renowned Japanese writer, states in his work on Japanese migration to other regions of the World that the first Japanese migrants who arrived in Colombia in 1903, the year Panama gained independence and Colombia lost control of the Isthmus of Panama, came as a result of the Colombian Government seeking help from Japan in hiring workers to guard land bordering Panama against U.S. incursions. In 1928, this was the smallest migratory group, being somewhat small compared to other South American countries like Brazil, Peru or Venezuela. Despite this, some Japanese families began settling in Valle del Cauca, where many became farmers. Late 20th century Between 1970 and 1980, there was a small yet constant flow of Asian migration (mainly from China) into Colombian cities, primarily Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín, Santa Marta, Neiva, Manizales, Cúcuta and Pereira, which continues to this day. Other very small groups of Asian migrants came from India, == Arab ==

Most Arab Colombians are of Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian origins, largely emigrating from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. Many of them settled in cities like Barranquilla and Maicao. The total population of Colombians of Middle Eastern descent was put at 3.2 million by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). As the Arab population in Colombia grows, so does its Muslim community. From 2007 to 2023, Bogotá went from having 1 mosque to 6. == East Asian ==

Chinese A large portion of Chinese emigration into Colombian in the 21st century has been composed of employees and business executives who have moved to Colombia following the multinational corporations they work for, some of which providing housing and accommodations for them directly. This has encouraged the development of ethnic enclaves in cities that welcome multinational corporations, such as Medellín, Barranquilla, and Cali. While many Chinese resident workers are on temporary visas, the enclaves are established and composed of many permanent Chinese-Colombian residents and citizens. In 2014, it was estimated that there were 25,000 Chinese peolple living in Colombia. As of 2018, the Chinese embassy totaled around 20,000 Chinese citizens living in Colombian cities. Due to Chinese immigration to Colombia, dishes such as arroz chino have become popular street food. == See also ==