ColombiAPI: Access Colombian Data via APIs and Curated Datasets"

In ColombiAPI: Access Colombian Data via APIs and Curated Datasets

knitr::opts_chunk$set(
  collapse = TRUE,
  comment = "#>"
)

library(ColombiAPI)
library(dplyr)
library(ggplot2)

Introduction

The ColombiAPI package provides a comprehensive interface to access diverse public data about Colombia through multiple APIs and curated datasets. The package integrates four different APIs: API-Colombia for Colombian-specific data including geography, culture, tourism, and government information; World Bank API for economic and demographic indicators; Nager.Date API for public holidays; and REST Countries API for general country information. This allows users to retrieve up-to-date or historical information on topics such as geographic locations, cultural attractions, economic indicators, demographic data, and public holidays.

In addition to API-access functions, the package includes curated datasets covering a wide range of topics, including Bogota air stations, business and holiday dates, public schools, Colombian coffee exports, cannabis licenses, Medellin rainfall, malls in Bogota, indigenous languages, student admissions and school statistics, forest liana mortality, municipal and regional data, connectivity and digital infrastructure, program graduates, vehicle counts, international visitors, and GDP projections. These datasets provide a rich and multifaceted view of Colombian social, economic, environmental, and technological information.

ColombiAPI is designed to support users working with data related to Colombia by integrating international RESTful APIs with Colombian-specific APIs and structured, reliable datasets from public, academic, and government sources into a single, easy-to-use R package.

ColombiAPI Functions

The ColombiAPI package provides several core functions to access real-time or historical information about Colombia from public APIs such as API-Colombia, World Bank API, Nager.Date, and the REST Countries API.

Below is a list of the main functions included in the package:

• get_colombia_airports(): Get Colombia's Airports from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_attractions(): Get All Touristic Attractions of Colombia from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_child_mortality(): Get Colombia's Under-5 Mortality Rate from World Bank.

• get_colombia_cities(): Get All Cities of Colombia from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_cpi(): Get Colombia's Consumer Price Index (2010 = 100) from World Bank.

• get_colombia_departments(): Get Colombia's Departments from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_energy_use(): Get Colombia's Energy Use (kg of oil equivalent per capita) from World Bank.

• get_colombia_gdp function(): Get Colombia's GDP (current US$) from World Bank.

• get_colombia_holidays(): Get official public holidays in Colombia for a given year, e.g., get_colombia_holidays(2025).

• get_colombia_hospital_beds(): Get Colombia's Hospital Beds (per 1,000 people) from World Bank.

• get_colombia_invasive_species(): Get Invasive Species of Colombia from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_life_expectancy(): Get Colombia's Life Expectancy at Birth (Total, Years) from World Bank.

• get_colombia_literacy_rate(): Get Colombia's Adult Literacy Rate from World Bank.

• get_colombia_native_communities(): Get Native Communities of Colombia from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_natural_areas(): Get Natural Areas of Colombia from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_population(): Get Colombia's Total Population from World Bank.

• get_colombia_presidents(): Get Colombia's Presidents from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_radios(): Get Radios of Colombia from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_regions(): Get Colombia's Regions from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_typical_dishes(): Get Typical Dishes of Colombia from API Colombia.

• get_colombia_unemployment(): Get Colombia's Unemployment Rate (Total) from World Bank.

• get_country_info_co(): Get Country Information for Colombia from restcountries.

• view_datasets_ColombiAPI(): View available curated datasets included in ColombiAPI.

These functions allow users to access high-quality and structured information on Colombia, which can be combined with tools like dplyr and ggplot2 to support a wide range of data analysis, visualization, and research tasks. In the following sections, you’ll find examples on how to work with ColombiAPI in practical scenarios.

Colombia's GDP (Current US$) from World Bank 2022 - 2017

colombia_gdp <- head(get_colombia_gdp())

print(colombia_gdp)

Colombia's Life Expectancy at Birth from World Bank 2022 - 2017

colombia_life_expectancy <- head(get_colombia_life_expectancy())

print(colombia_life_expectancy)

Colombia's Total Population from World Bank 2022 - 2017

colombia_population <- head(get_colombia_population())

print(colombia_population)

Monthly Average Rainfall in Medellin

Medellin_rain_tbl_df %>%
  group_by(month) %>%
  summarise(mean_rainfall = mean(rainfall, na.rm = TRUE), .groups = "drop") %>%
  ggplot(aes(x = month, y = mean_rainfall)) +
  geom_line(size = 1, color = "steelblue") +
  geom_point(size = 2, color = "darkred") +
  labs(
    title = "Climatological Monthly Average Rainfall in Medellin",
    subtitle = "Each point represents the long-term mean rainfall for that month, averaged across all years",
    x = "Month",
    y = "Mean Rainfall (mm)"
  ) +
  theme_minimal()

Dataset Suffixes

Each dataset in ColombiAPI is labeled with a suffix to indicate its type and structure:

• _df: A standard data frame.

• _tbl_df: A tibble, a modern version of a data frame with better formatting and functionality.

• _Date: An object of type Date.

Datasets Included in ColombiAPI

In addition to API functions, ColombiAPI includes several preloaded datasets that provide valuable insights into various aspects of Colombia:

• Bogota_airstations_df: A data frame containing coordinates of air quality monitoring stations in Bogota.

• Bogota_business_Date: A Date object listing official business dates in Bogota.

• Colombia_coffee_tbl_df: A tibble with details of Colombian coffee export and import for the year 2016.

Viewing All Available Datasets

The ColombiAPI package includes a built-in function, view_datasets_ColombiAPI(), which allows users to view a comprehensive list of all datasets available in the package directly from the console:

view_datasets_ColombiAPI()

Conclusion

The ColombiAPI package provides a comprehensive and powerful interface for accessing both real-time data through public APIs and a wide range of curated datasets about Colombia. By integrating multiple data sources — including API-Colombia for Colombian-specific data on geography, culture, tourism, and government information; World Bank API for economic and demographic indicators; Nager.Date API for public holidays; and REST Countries API for general country information — the package allows users to explore Colombia from multiple perspectives in a structured and consistent way.

In addition to API-driven data, ColombiAPI offers preloaded curated datasets covering diverse topics such as Bogota air stations, business and holiday dates, public schools, Colombian coffee exports, cannabis licenses, Medellin rainfall, malls in Bogota, indigenous languages, student admissions and school statistics, forest liana mortality, municipal and regional data, connectivity and digital infrastructure, program graduates, vehicle counts, international visitors, and GDP projections. This dual approach of combining live API data with curated datasets empowers users to analyze Colombia’s social, economic, environmental, technological, and cultural landscape in greater depth.

Designed to support reproducible research, education, policy analysis, and data journalism, ColombiAPI makes it possible to seamlessly integrate Colombian data into the R ecosystem, ensuring accessibility, reliability, and clarity for a wide range of applications.

ColombiAPI documentation built on Nov. 5, 2025, 6:59 p.m.