COLOMBIA
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COLOMBIA
@Colombia:Geography
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
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COLOMBIA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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BOGOTA 3,975,000 4.38N, 75.04W 57-1 GMT-5
Medell¡n 1,419,000 6.15N, 75.36W 57-4 GMT-5
Cali 1,400,000 3.24N, 76.30W 57-23 GMT-5
Barranquilla 897,000 11.10N, 74.50W 57-5 GMT-5
Cartagena 491,000 10.24N, 75.33W 57-59 GMT-5
Pereira 390,000 4.47N, 75.46W 57-61 GMT-5
C£cuta 357,000 7.55N, 72.31W 57-70 GMT-5
Bucaramanga 342,000 7.08N, 73.10W 57-73 GMT-5
Manizales 330,000 5.03N, 75.32W 57-69 GMT-5
Ibagu‚ 269,000 4.25N, 75.20W 57-82 GMT-5
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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
Land boundaries: total 7,408 km, Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km,
Panama 225 km, Peru 2,900 km, Venezuela 2,050 km
Coastline: 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448
km)
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes
Mountains, eastern lowland plains
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel,
gold, copper, emeralds
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 29%
forest and woodland: 49%
other: 16%
Irrigated land: 5,150 sq km (1989 est.)
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
Note: only South American country with coastlines on both North
Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
@Colombia:People
Population: 36,200,251 (July 1995 est.)
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.)
Population growth rate: 1.7% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 21.89 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 26.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.48 years
male: 69.68 years
female: 75.38 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Colombian(s)
adjective: Colombian
Ethnic divisions: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed
black-Indian 3%, Indian 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
total population: 88%
male: 88%
female: 88%
Labor force: 12 million (1990)
by occupation: services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990)
@Colombia:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Colombia
conventional short form: Colombia
local long form: Republica de Colombia
local short form: Colombia
Digraph: CO
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 in 1992-93; judicial review of executive and
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso)
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
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
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justical),
Constitutional Court, Council of State
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
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
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
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
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
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
FAX: [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
Economy
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.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $172.4 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 5.7% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $4,850 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22.6% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.9% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $16 billion (1995 est.)
expenditures: $21 billion (1995 est.)
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)
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)
External debt: $12.6 billion (1994 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1994 est.); accounts for about
20% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 10,220,000 kW
production: 33 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 890 kWh (1993)
Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear,
beverages, chemicals, metal products, cement; mining - gold, coal,
emeralds, iron, nickel, silver, salt
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
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
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), $399 million
Currency: 1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos
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)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Colombia:Transportation
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)
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
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
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
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
@Colombia:Communications
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
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 413, FM 0, shortwave 28
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 33
televisions: NA
@Colombia:Defense Forces
Branches: Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, includes
Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana),
National Police (Policia Nacional)
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.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.2 billion (1992
est.)
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