from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Colombia
Introduction
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
Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea,
between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North
Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama
Geographic 4 00 N, 72 00 W
coordinates:
Map South America
references:
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, and
Serrana Bank
Area - slightly less than twice the size of Texas
comparative:
Land total: 6,004 km
boundaries: 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 territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m
note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same
elevation
Natural petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold,
resources: copper, emeralds, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 2.01%
permanent crops: 1.37%
other: 96.62% (2005)
Irrigated 9,000 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional
hazards: earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - deforestation; soil and water quality damage from
current overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in
issues: Bogota, from vehicle emissions
Environment - party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
international Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
agreements: 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 - only South American country with coastlines on both the
note: North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
People
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 1.46% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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 total: 20.35 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 24.25 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 16.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 71.99 years
expectancy at male: 68.15 years
birth: female: 75.96 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.54 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.7% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 190,000 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 3,600 (2003 est.)
deaths:
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
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Colombia
conventional short form: Colombia
local long form: Republica de Colombia
local short form: Colombia
Government republic; executive branch dominates government
type: structure
Capital: name: Bogota
geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento)
divisions: 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 Independence Day, 20 July (1810)
holiday:
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 chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7
branch: 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)
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 (eligible for a
second term); election last held 28 May 2006 (next to
be held in May 2010)
election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez
reelected president; percent of vote - Alvaro URIBE
Velez 62%, Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz 22%, Horacio SERPA Uribe
12%, other 4%
Legislative bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate
branch: 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 12 March 2006 (next to be
held in March 2010); House of Representatives - last
held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - PSUN 20, PC 18, PL 17, CR 15, PDI
11, other parties 21; House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 36,
PSUN 30, PC 29, CR 20, PDA 42, other parties 42
Judicial four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme
branch: 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 Clandestine Communist Party of Colombia or PCC [Jaime
parties and CAICEDO]; Colombian Conservative Party or PC [Carlos
leaders: HOLGUIN Sardi]; Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA
[Samuel MORENO Rojas]; Liberal Party or PL [Cesar
GAVIRIA]; Social National Unity Party or PSUN [Juan
Manuel SANTOS]
note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized
political parties, most of which do not have a presence
in either house of Congress
Political two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia -
pressure Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and
groups and National Liberation Army or ELN; largest illegal
leaders: paramilitary group, a roughly organized umbrella group
of disparate paramilitary forces, is United
Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC
International BCIE, CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB,
organization IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
participation: 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 chief of mission: Ambassador Carolina BARCO Isakson
representation chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
in the US: 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 chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD
representation embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo
from the US: 3831
mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO
AA 34038
telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811
FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197
Flag three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width),
description: blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is
longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms
superimposed in the center
Economy
Economy - Colombia's economy has been on a recovery trend during
overview: 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 $341.1 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $97.73 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 5.2% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $7,900 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 12.5%
composition by industry: 34.2%
sector: services: 53.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 20.52 million (2005)
Labor force - agriculture: 22.7%
by occupation: industry: 18.7%
services: 58.5% (2000 est.)
Unemployment 11.8% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 49.2% (2005)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 7.9%
income or highest 10%: 34.3% (2004)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 53.8 (2005)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 5% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 18.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $46.82 billion
expenditures: $48.77 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: 49.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn,
products: sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest
products; shrimp
Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear,
beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
Industrial 3.7% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 50.43 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 26%
production by hydro: 72.7%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 1.3% (2001)
Electricity - 48.83 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 1.082 billion kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 48.4 million kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 512,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 270,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 1.492 billion bbl (2005 est.)
reserves:
Natural gas - 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2004 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2004 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 127.6 billion cu m (2005)
proved
reserves:
Current $-1.931 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $19.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers
commodities:
Exports - US 41.8%, Venezuela 9.9%, Ecuador 6.3% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $18 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - industrial equipment, transportation equipment,
commodities: consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels,
electricity
Imports - US 28.5%, Mexico 8.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 6.5%,
partners: Venezuela 5.7% (2005)
Reserves of $14.96 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $32.35 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $NA
recipient:
Currency Colombian peso (COP)
(code):
Currency code: COP
Exchange Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,320.75 (2005),
rates: 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002),
2,299.63 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 7,678,800 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 21.85 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: modern system in many respects
system: 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 AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 21 million (1997)
Television 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 4.59 million (1997)
Internet .co
country code:
Internet 581,877 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 18 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 4.739 million (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 984 (2006)
Airports - total: 101
with paved over 3,047 m: 2
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 38
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 12 (2006)
Airports - total: 883
with unpaved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35
914 to 1,523 m: 275
under 914 m: 572 (2006)
Heliports: 2 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 4,360 km; oil 6,140 km; refined products 3,158 km
(2006)
Railways: total: 3,304 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 110,000 km
paved: 26,000 km
unpaved: 84,000 km (2000)
Waterways: 18,000 km (2005)
Merchant total: 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 42,413 GRT/58,737
marine: DWT
by type: cargo 13, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 3
registered in other countries: 7 (Antigua and Barbuda
2, Panama 5) (2006)
Ports and Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Muelles El
terminals: Bosque, Puerto Bolivar, Santa Marta, Turbo
Military
Military Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional,
branches: includes naval aviation, marines, and coast guard), Air
Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana) (2006)
Military 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service age service; conscript service obligation - 24 months
and (2004)
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 10,212,456
available for females age 18-49: 10,561,562 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 6,986,228
for military females age 18-49: 8,794,465 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 389,735
reaching females age 18-49: 383,146 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $3.3 billion (FY01)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 3.4% (FY01)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and
international: 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 IDPs: 2,900,000 - 3,400,000 (conflict between
internally government and FARC; drug wars) (2004)
displaced
persons:
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