| Colombia |  | Click to enlarge

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

Home Reference Maps Appendixes Print-Friendly Page
This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006

Legend: Definition Field Listing Rank Order

| Introduction | Colombia | Top of Page

Background:

Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. Paramilitary groups challenge the insurgents for control of territory and the drug trade. Most paramilitary members have demobilized since 2002 in an ongoing peace process, although their commitment to ceasing illicit activity is unclear. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.

| Geography | Colombia | Top of Page

Location: | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama
Geographic coordinates: | 4 00 N, 72 00 W
Map references: | South America
Area: | total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank
Area - comparative: | slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries: | total: 6,004 km border countries: Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,496 km (est.), Venezuela 2,050 km
Coastline: | 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: | tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
Terrain: | flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation
Natural resources: | petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower
Land use: | arable land: 2.01% permanent crops: 1.37% other: 96.62% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 8,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: | deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: | only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

| People | Colombia | Top of Page

Population: | 43,593,035 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 30.3% (male 6,683,079/female 6,528,563) 15-64 years: 64.5% (male 13,689,384/female 14,416,439) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 996,022/female 1,279,548) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 26.3 years male: 25.4 years female: 27.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.46% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 20.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 71.99 years male: 68.15 years female: 75.96 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.54 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 190,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 3,600 (2003 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Colombian(s) adjective: Colombian
Ethnic groups: | mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
Religions: | Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%
Languages: | Spanish
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 92.4% female: 92.6% (2003 est.)

| Government | Colombia | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Colombia conventional short form: Colombia local long form: Republica de Colombia local short form: Colombia
Government type: | republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Capital: | Bogota

Administrative divisions:

32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada

Independence: | 20 July 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 20 July (1810)
Constitution: | 5 July 1991
Legal system: | based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and is gradually being implemented; judicial review of executive and legislative acts
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the two dominant parties - the PL and PSC - and independents
elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006)
election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez received 53% of the vote; Vice President Francisco SANTOS was elected on the same ticket

Legislative branch:

bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in March 2006); House of Representatives - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in March 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 28, PSC 13, independents and smaller parties (many aligned with conservatives) 61; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 54, PSC 21, independents and other parties 91

Judicial branch:

four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the constitution; rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the constitution, and international treaties); Superior Judicial Council (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms)

Political parties and leaders: | Colombian Communist Party or PCC [Jaime CAICEDO]; Conservative Party or PSC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Democratic Pole or PDI [Samuel MORENO Rojas]; Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA] note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized political parties, most of which do not have a presence in either house of Congress
Political pressure groups and leaders: | two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or ELN; largest illegal paramilitary group, a roughly organized umbrella group of disparate paramilitary forces, is United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC
International organization participation: | BCIE, CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Andres PASTRANA chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338 FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831 mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038 telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811 FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197
Flag description: | three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center

| Economy | Colombia | Top of Page

Economy - overview:

Colombia's economy has been on a recovery trend during the past two years despite a serious armed conflict. The economy continues to improve thanks to austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, and an improved security situation in the country. Ongoing economic problems facing President URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. New exploration is needed to offset declining oil production. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by URIBE, which succeeded in reducing the public-sector deficit below 1.5% of GDP. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector. Coffee prices have recovered from previous lows as the Colombian coffee industry pursues greater market shares in developed countries such as the United States.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $303.7 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $98.47 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 4.3% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $7,100 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 11.9% industry: 50.4% services: 37.7% (2005 est.)
Labor force: | 20.52 million (2005)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 22.7%, industry 18.7%, services 58.5% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 10.2% (2005)
Population below poverty line: | 49.2% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 7.9% highest 10%: 34.3% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 53.8 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 4.9% (2005)
Investment (gross fixed): | 19.1% of GDP (2005)
Budget: | revenues: $46.82 billion expenditures: $48.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: | 44.2% of GDP (2005)
Agriculture - products: | coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp
Industries: | textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
Industrial production growth rate: | 3% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production: | 50.43 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption: | 48.83 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 1.082 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 48.4 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production: | 512,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 270,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves: | 1.492 billion bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 127.6 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance: | $1.3 billion (2005)
Exports: | $19.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers
Exports - partners: | US 42.1%, Venezuela 9.7%, Ecuador 6% (2004)
Imports: | $18 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity
Imports - partners: | US 29.1%, Venezuela 6.5%, China 6.4%, Mexico 6.2%, Brazil 5.8% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $14.95 billion (2005)
Debt - external: | $37.06 billion (30 June 2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $NA
Currency (code): | Colombian peso (COP)
Exchange rates: | Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002), 2,299.63 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Colombia | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 7.767 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 10,400,600 (2004)
Telephone system: | general assessment: modern system in many respects domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities international: country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: | 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997)
Internet country code: | .co
Internet hosts: | 386,610 (2005)
Internet users: | 3,585,688 (2004)

| Transportation | Colombia | Top of Page

Airports: | 981 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 100 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 11 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 881 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 273 under 914 m: 572 (2005)
Heliports: | 2 (2005)
Pipelines: | gas 4,360 km; oil 6,134 km; refined products 3,140 km (2004)
Railways: | total: 3,304 km standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2004)
Roadways: | total: 110,000 km paved: 26,000 km unpaved: 84,000 km (2000)
Waterways: | 18,000 km (2005)
Merchant marine: | total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 40,463 GRT/55,802 DWT by type: cargo 13, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 2 registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Panama 6) (2005)
Ports and terminals: | Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Muelles El Bosque, Puerto Bolivar, Santa Marta, Turbo

| Military | Colombia | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marines, and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana)
Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 10,212,456 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 6,986,228 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males: 389,735 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $3.3 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 3.4% (FY01)

| Transnational Issues | Colombia | Top of Page

Disputes - international:

Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; dispute with Venezuela over maritime boundary and Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics, guerrilla, and paramilitary activities penetrate all of its neighbors' borders and have created a serious refugee crisis with over 300,000 persons having fled the country, mostly into neighboring states

Refugees and internally displaced persons: | IDPs: 2,900,000 - 3,400,000 (conflict between government and FARC; drug wars) (2004)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in 2004 was 114,100 hectares, virtually unchanged from 2003, but down one-third from its peak of 169,800 ha); producing a potential of 430 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplying most of the US market and the great majority of cocaine to other international drug markets; important supplier of heroin to the US market; opium poppy cultivation fell 50% between 2003 and 2004 to 2,100 hectares yielding a potential 3.8 metric tons of pure heroin, mostly for the US market; in 2004, aerial eradication treated over 130,000 hectares of coca but aggressive replanting on the part of growers means Colombia remains a key producer; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso exchange

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006