1995 Edition

Area

total area: 1,138,910 sq km land area: 1,038,700 sq km comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Montana note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank

Climate

tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Coastline

3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)

Environment

current issues: deforestation; soil damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions natural hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

International disputes

maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; territorial dispute with Nicaragua over Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank

Irrigated land

5,150 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 7,408 km, Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 2,900 km, Venezuela 2,050 km

Land use

arable land: 4% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 29% forest and woodland: 49% other: 16%

Location

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds

Note

only South American country with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

Terrain

flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains

Age structure

0-14 years: 32% (female 5,784,010; male 5,925,600) 15-64 years: 63% (female 11,642,870; male 11,245,235) 65 years and over: 5% (female 888,358; male 714,178) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

21.89 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

4.69 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Indian 3%, Indian 1%

Infant mortality rate

26.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

12 million (1990) by occupation: services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990)

Languages

Spanish

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.48 years male: 69.68 years female: 75.38 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1985) total population: 88% male: 88% female: 88%

Nationality

noun: Colombian(s) adjective: Colombian

Net migration rate

-0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

36,200,251 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

1.7% (1995 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%

Total fertility rate

2.4 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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

Capital

Bogota

Constitution

5 July 1991

Digraph

CO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos LLERAS de la Fuente chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President Ernesto SAMPER Pizano (since 7 August 1994); election last held 29 May 1994 (next to be held May 1998) and resulted in no candidate receiving more than 50% of the total vote; a run-off election to select a president from the two leading candidates was held on 19 June 1994; results - Ernesto SAMPER Pizano (Liberal Party) 50.4%, Andres PASTRANA Arango (Conservative Party) 48.6%, blank votes 1%; Humberto de la CALLE was elected vice president in a new proceedure that replaces the traditional designation of vice presidents by newly elected presidents. cabinet: Cabinet

FAX

[1] (202) 232-8643 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Washington, DC consulate(s): Atlanta and Tampa

[57] (1) 288-5687 consulate(s): Barranquilla

Flag

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

House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes)

elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (161 total) Liberal Party 89, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF) 53, AD/M-19 2, other 17

Independence

20 July 1810 (from Spain)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justical), Constitutional Court, Council of State

Legal system

based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of executive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress (Congreso)

Member of

AG, CCC, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Colombia conventional short form: Colombia local long form: Republica de Colombia local short form: Colombia

National holiday

Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

Other political or pressure groups

three insurgent groups are active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Manuel MARULANDA and Alfonso CANO; National Liberation Army (ELN), Manuel PEREZ; and dissidents of the recently demobilized People's Liberation Army (EPL), Francisco CARABALLO; Francisco CARABALLO was captured by the government in June 1994

Political parties and leaders

Liberal Party (PL), Juan Guillermo ANGEL; Conservative Party (PC), Fabio VALENCIA Cossio; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado; New Democratic Force (NDF), Andres PASTRANA Arango; Democratic Alliance M-19 (AD/M-19) is a coalition of small leftist parties and dissident liberals and conservatives; Patriotic Union (UP) is a legal political party formed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Colombian Communist Party (PCC), Carlos ROMERO

Senate (Senado)

elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (102 total) Liberal Party 59, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF) 31, other 12

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Type

republic; executive branch dominates government structure

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Myles R. R. FRECHETTE embassy: Calle 38, No. 8-61, Bogota mailing address: Apartado Aereo 3831, Bogota; APO AA 34038 telephone: [57] (1) 320-1300

Agriculture

growth rate 3.8% (1994 est.); accounts for about 15% of GDP; crops make up two-thirds and livestock one-third of agricultural output; climate and soils permit a wide variety of crops, such as coffee, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseeds, vegetables; forest products and shrimp farming are becoming more important

Budget

revenues: $16 billion (1995 est.) expenditures: $21 billion (1995 est.)

Currency

1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $399 million

Electricity

capacity: 10,220,000 kW production: 33 billion kWh consumption per capita: 890 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1 - 846.67 (January 1995), 844.84 (1994), 863.06 (1993), 759.28 (1992), 633.05 (1991), 502.26 (1990)

Exports

$8.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: petroleum, coffee, coal, bananas, fresh cut flowers partners: US 39%, EC 25.7%, Japan 2.9%, Venezuela 8.5% (1992)

External debt

$12.6 billion (1994 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of coca, opium poppies, and cannabis; about 45,000 hectares of coca under cultivation; the world's largest processor of coca derivatives into cocaine; supplier of cocaine to the US and other international drug markets; active eradication program against narcotics crop

Imports

$10.6 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products partners: US 36%, EC 18%, Brazil 4%, Venezuela 6.5%, Japan 8.7% (1992)

Industrial production

growth rate 5% (1994 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP

Industries

textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, metal products, cement; mining - gold, coal, emeralds, iron, nickel, silver, salt

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

22.6% (1994 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $172.4 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$4,850 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

5.7% (1994 est.)

Overview

Colombia's economy has grown steadily since 1991, when the government implemented sweeping economic reform measures. President SAMPER, who took office in August 1994, has pledged to maintain those reforms while expanding government assistance for poor Colombians, who continue to make up about 40% of the population. In an effort to bring down inflation, SAMPER has arranged a "social pact" with business and labor to curtail price hikes and trim inflation to 18%. The rapid development of oil, coal, and other nontraditional industries, along with copious inflows of capital and strengthening of prices for coffee, have helped keep growth at 5%-6%. Development of the massive Cusiana oilfield provides the means to sustain this level over the next several years. Exporters say, however, that their sales have been hampered by the appreciation of the Colombian peso, and farmers have sought government help in adjusting to greater foreign competition. Moreover, increased foreign investment and even greater domestic growth have been hindered by an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure and by violence stemming from drug trafficking and persistent rural insurgency.

Unemployment rate

7.9% (1994 est.)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 413, FM 0, shortwave 28 radios: NA

Telephone system

1,890,000 telephones; modern system in many respects local: NA intercity: nationwide microwave radio relay system; 11 domestic earth stations international: 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations

Television

broadcast stations: 33 televisions: NA

Airports

total: 1,307 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 31 with paved runways under 914 m: 734 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 80 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 419

Highways

total: 107,377 km (1991) paved: 12,778 km unpaved: gravel/earth 94,599 km

Inland waterways

14,300 km, navigable by river boats

Merchant marine

total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 104,577 GRT/142,617 DWT ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 9, container 4, oil tanker 3

Pipelines

crude oil 3,585 km; petroleum products 1,350 km; natural gas 830 km; natural gas liquids 125 km

Ports

Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Leticia, Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco, Turbo

Railroads

total: 3,386 km standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 3,236 km 0.914-m gauge (2,611 km in use)

Branches

Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana), National Police (Policia Nacional)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.2 billion (1992 est.) ________________________________________________________________________ COMOROS

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 9,851,980; males fit for military service 6,640,348; males reach military age (18) annually 349,599 (1995 est.)