1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
1,139,600 km2; settled area 28% consisting of cropland and fallow 5%, pastures 14%, woodland, swamps, and water 6%,urban and other 3%; unsettled area 72%—mostly forest and savannah
Coastline
2,414 km
Land boundaries
6,035 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (economic including fishing 200 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
58% mestizo, 20% Caucasian, 14% mulatto, 4% Negro, 3% mixed Negro-Indian, 1% Indian
Labor force
5.9 million (1973); 30% agriculture, 15% industry, 19% services, 13% commerce/hotels, 18% other (1973); 18.5% unemployment (1979)
Language
Spanish
Literacy
72-75% of population over 15 years old
Nationality
noun—Colombian(s); adjective—Colombian
Organized labor
13% of labor force (1968)
Population
26,631,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.6%
Religion
95% Roman Catholic
Government
Branches
President, bicameral legislature, judiciary
Capital
Bogotá
Communists
10,000-12,000 members est.
Elections
every fourth year; next presidential election scheduled for May 1982; last congressional election March 1982; municipal and departmental elections every two years, last held February 1980 Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party, President Julio César Turbay and former President Alfonso López Michelsen; Conservative Party, Alvaro Gómez Hurtado, Misael Pastrana Borrero, and Belisario Betancur head two principal factions
Government leader
President Julio César TURBAY Ayala
Legal system
based on Spanish law; religious courts regulate marriage and divorce; constitution decreed in 1886, amendments codified in 1946 and 1968; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations National holiday: Independence Day, 30 July
Member of
FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ISO, ITU, LAFTA and Andean Sub-Regional Group (created in May 1969 within LAFTA), OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Official name
Republic of Colombia
Other political or pressure groups
Communist Party (PCC), Gilberto Vieira White; PCC/ML, Chinese Line Communist Party
Political subdivisions
22 departments, 3 Intendants, 5 Commissariats, Bogota Special District
Suffrage
age 18 and over
Type
republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Voting strength
1978 presidential election—Julio César Turbay 49%, Belisario Betancur 46%, Gen. Alvaro Valencia 1.3%; 1978 municipal election, 55% Liberal Party, 36% Conservative Party, 9% combined far left parties; 70% abstention of eligible voters
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—coffee, rice, corn, sugarcane, plantains, bananas, cotton, tobacco; caloric intake, 2,140 calories per day per capita (1970)
Budget
(1980) revenues $2.9 billion; expenditures $2.8 billion
Crude steel
356,000 metric tons produced (1976), 14 kg per capita
Electric power
5,000,000 kW capacity (1981); 22.0 billion kWh produced (1981), 808 kWh per capita
Exports
$4,113 million (f.o.b., 1980); coffee, fuel oil, cotton, tobacco, sugar, textiles, cattle and hides, bananas
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
catch 63,965 metric tons 1977; exports $10.6 million (1973), imports $10.3 million (1973)
GNP
$30.58 million (1980 est.; in current dollars), $1,112 per capita (1980; in current dollars); 73% private consumption, 8% public consumption, 20% gross investment
Imports
$3,851 million (f.o.b., 1980); transportation equipment, machinery, industrial metals and raw materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, fuels, fertilizers, paper and paper products, foodstuffs and beverages
Major industries
textiles, food processing, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, and metal products
Major trade partners
exports—4% Japan, 29% US, Germany, 9% Venezuela, 5% Netherlands; imports—35% US, 8% Germany, 10% Japan, 3% Ecuador, 4% UK, 5% Venezuela, 4% France (1977)
Monetary conversion rate
56.39 pesos=US$1 (September 1981, changes frequently)
Communications
Airfields
634 total, 633 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,660 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 89 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
118 major transport aircraft, including 6 leased in
Highways
65,125 km total; 8,655 km paved, 48,510 km gravel, 7,960 earth
Inland waterways
14,300 km, navigable by river boats
Pipelines
crude oil, 3,585 km; refined products, 1,350 km; natural gas, 830 km; natural gas liquids, 125 km
Ports
5 major, 5 minor
Railroads
3,436 km, all 0.914-meter gauge, single track
Telecommunications
nationwide radio-relay system; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station and 3 domestic satellite stations; 1.52 million telephones (5.3 per 100 popl.); 325 AM, 130 FM, and 86 TV stations
Military and Security
Military budget
proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $312.7 million; about 7.6% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 6,442,000; 4,570,000 fit for military service; about 326,000 reach military age (18) annually