Colombia

Airports

1,167 total, 1,023 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 8 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 191 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

83 major transport aircraft

Highways

75,450 km total; 9,350 km paved, 66,100 km earth and gravel surfaces

Inland waterways

14,300 km, navigable by river boats

Merchant marine

31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 289,794 GRT/443,369 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 1 chemical tanker, 3 petroleum tanker, 8 bulk, 10 container; note - in addition, 2 naval tankers are sometimes used commercially

Pipelines

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

Ports

Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Covenas, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco

Railroads

3,386 km; 3,236 km 0.914-meter gauge, single track (2,611 km in use), 150 km 1. 435-meter gauge

Telecommunications

nationwide radio relay system; 1,890,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 413 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 28 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations and 11 domestic satellite earth stations

Branches

Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, including Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia), National Police (Policia Nacional)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $624 million, 1.4% of GDP (1991)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 9,214,691; 6,240,601 fit for military service; 353,691 reach military age (18) annually

Agriculture

growth rate 3% (1991 est.) accounts for 22% 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 $4.39 billion; current expenditures $3.93 billion, capital expenditures $1.03 billion (1989 est.)

Currency

Colombian peso (plural - pesos); 1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

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

9,624,000 kW capacity; 38,856 million kWh produced, 1,150 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1 - 711.88 (January 1992), 633.08 (1991), 550.00 (1990), 435.00 (1989), 336.00 (1988), 242.61 (1987)

Exports

$7.5 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: petroleum (19%), coffee, coal, bananas, fresh cut flowers partners: US 40%, EC 21%, Japan 5%, Netherlands 4%, Sweden 3%

External debt

$17.0 billion (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $45 billion, per capita $1,300; real growth rate 3.7% (1990 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis, coca, and opium; about 37,500 hectares of coca under cultivation; major supplier of cocaine to the US and other international drug markets

Imports

$6.1 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, paper products partners: US 36%, EC 16%, Brazil 4%, Venezuela 3%, Japan 3%

Industrial production

growth rate 1% (1991 est.); accounts for 21% 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)

26.8% (1991)

Overview

Economic development has slowed gradually since 1986, but growth rates remain high by Latin American standards. Conservative economic policies have kept inflation and unemployment near 30% and 10%, respectively. The rapid development of oil, coal, and other nontraditional industries over the past four years has helped to offset the decline in coffee prices - Colombia's major export. The collapse of the International Coffee Agreement in the summer of 1989, a troublesome rural insurgency, and drug-related violence have dampened growth, but significant economic reforms are likely to facilitate a resurgent economy in the medium term. These reforms center on fiscal restraint, trade liberalization, and privatization of state utilities and commercial banks.

Unemployment rate

10.5% (1991)

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

Comparative area

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

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

Environment

highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; deforestation; soil damage from overuse of pesticides; periodic droughts

Land area

1,038,700 km2; includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land 4%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 29%; forest and woodland 49%; other 16%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Maritime claims

Continental shelf: not specified Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

crude oil, 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

Total area

1,138,910 km2

Administrative divisions

23 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento), 5 commissariats* (comisarias, singular - comisaria), and 4 intendancies** (intendencias, singular - intendencia); Amazonas*, Antioquia, Arauca**, Atlantico, 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*; note - there may be a new special district (distrito especial) named Bogota; the Constitution of 5 July 1991 states that the commissariats and intendancies are to become full departments and a capital district (distrito capital) of Santa Fe de Bogota is to be established by 1997

Capital

Bogota

Communists

18,000 members (est.), including Communist Party Youth Organization (JUCO)

Constitution

5 July 1991

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Jaime GARCIA Parra; Chancery at 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-8338; there are Colombian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Tampa US: Ambassador Morris D. BUSBY; Embassy at Calle 38, No. 8-61, Bogota (mailing address is P. O. Box A. A. 3831, Bogota or APO AA 34038); telephone [57] (1) 285-1300 or 1688; FAX [571] 288-5687; there is a US Consulate in Barranquilla

Elections

President: last held 27 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994); results - Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo (Liberal) 47%, Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado (National Salvation Movement) 24%, Antonio NAVARRO Wolff (M-19) 13%, Rodrigo LLOREDA (Conservative) 12% Senate: last held 27 October 1991 (next to be held March 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (102 total) Liberal 58, Conservative 22, AD/M-19 9, MSN 5, UP 1, others 7 House of Representatives: last held 27 October 1991 (next to be held March 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (161 total) Liberal 87, Conservative 31, AD/M-19 13, MSN 10, UP 3, other 17

Executive branch

president, presidential designate, Cabinet

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

Independence

20 July 1810 (from Spain)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo (since 7 August 1990)

Legal system

based on Spanish law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of a nationally elected upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a nationally elected lower chamber or House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes)

Long-form name

Republic of Colombia

Member of

AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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), led by Manuel MARULANDA and Alfonso CANO; National Liberation Army (ELN), led by Manuel PEREZ; and dissidents of the recently demobilized People's Liberation Army (EPL) led by Francisco CARABALLO

Political parties and leaders

Liberal Party (PL), Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo, president; Social Conservative Party (PCS), Misael PASTRANA Borrero; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado; Democratic Alliance M-19 (AD/M-19) is headed by 19th of April Movement (M-19) leader Antonio NAVARRO Wolf, 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

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

republic; executive branch dominates government structure

Birth rate

24 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

31 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

12,000,000 (1990); services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990)

Languages

Spanish

Life expectancy at birth

69 years male, 74 years female (1992)

Literacy

87% (male 88%, female 86%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Colombian(s); adjective - Colombian

Net migration rate

NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

984,000 members (1989), about 8.2% of labor force; the Communist-backed Unitary Workers Central or CUT is the largest labor organization, with about 725,000 members (including all affiliate unions)

Population

34,296,941 (July 1992), growth rate 1.9% (1992)

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%

Total fertility rate

2.6 children born/woman (1992)