Colombia

Airports

total: 1,233 usable: 1,059 with permanent-surface: 69 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-2,459 m: 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 200

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

27 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 227,719 GRT/356,665 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 3 oil tanker, 8 bulk, 7 container

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 Colombiana), National Police (Policia Nacional)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $630 million, 1.3% of GDP (1993 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 9,428,358; fit for military service 6,375,944; reach military age (18) annually 356,993 (1993 est.)

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 $5.0 billion; current expenditures $5.1 billion, capital expenditures $964 million (1991 est.)

Currency

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

10,193,000 kW capacity; 36,000 million kWh produced, 1,050 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates

Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1 - 820.08 (January 1993), 759.28 (1992), 633.05 (1991), 502.26 (1990), 382.57 (1989), 299.17 (1988)

Exports

$7.4 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: petroleum, coffee, coal, bananas, fresh cut flowers partners: US 44%, EC 21%, Japan 5%, Netherlands 4%, Sweden 3% (1991)

External debt

$17 billion (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis, coca, and opium; about 37,500 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

Imports

$5.5 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products partners: US 36%, EC 16%, Brazil 4%, Venezuela 3%, Japan 3% (1991)

Industrial production

growth rate -0.5% (1991); accounts for 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)

25% (1992)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $51 billion (1992 est.)

National product per capita

$1,500 (1992 est.)

National product real growth rate

3.3% (1992 est.)

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 in recent 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, energy rationing, and drug-related violence have dampened growth. The level of violence, in Bogota in particular, surged to higher levels in the first quarter of 1993, further delaying the economic resurgence expected from government reforms. These reforms center on fiscal restraint, trade and investment liberalization, financial and labor reform, and privatization of state utilities and commercial banks.

Unemployment rate

10% (1992)

Area

total area: 1,138,910 km2 land area: 1,038,700 km2 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

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

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 km2 (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, between Panama and Venezuela

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

continental shelf: not specified 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

Administrative divisions

23 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento), 5 commissariats*, (comisarias, singular Casanare**, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia*, Guaviare*,, Huila, La Guajira,

Capital

Bogota

Constitution

5 July 1991

Digraph

CO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Jaime GARCIA Parra chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 387-8338 consulates general: Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) consulates: Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Tampa

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, other 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 Justical), Constitutional Court, Council of State

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 executive and legislative acts; 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)

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, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNPROFOR, 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

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

Providencia**, Santander, Sucre, Tolima,, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes*, Vichada*, note

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Type

republic; executive branch dominates government structure

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Morris D. BUSBY embassy: Calle 38, No. 8-61, Bogota mailing address: P. O. Box A. A. 3831, Bogota or APO AA 34038 telephone: [57] (1) 285-1300 or 1688 FAX: [57] (1) 288-5687 consulate: Barranquilla

Birth rate

23.4 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

4.82 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

29.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

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

Languages

Spanish

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.72 years male: 68.99 years female: 74.53 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 87% male: 88% female: 86%

Nationality

noun: Colombian(s) adjective: Colombian

Net migration rate

-0.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

34,942,767 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

1.83% (1993 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%

Total fertility rate

2.54 children born/woman (1993 est.)