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Compare Colombia (2002) - Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2004)

Compare Colombia (2002) z Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2004)

 Colombia (2002)Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2004)
 ColombiaCongo, Democratic Republic of the
Administrative divisions 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Distrito Capital de 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 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu
Age structure 0-14 years: 31.6% (male 6,552,961; female 6,399,666)


15-64 years: 63.6% (male 12,694,293; female 13,375,425)


65 years and over: 4.8% (male 886,921; female 1,098,961) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 48.2% (male 14,122,237; female 14,008,654)


15-64 years: 49.3% (male 14,097,301; female 14,646,285)


65 years and over: 2.5% (male 590,262; female 853,191) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Airports 1,066 (2001) 230 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 96


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 38


914 to 1,523 m: 36


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
total: 24


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 954


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 51


914 to 1,523 m: 315


under 914 m: 587 (2002)
total: 206


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 92


under 914 m: 97 (2004 est.)
Area total: 1,138,910 sq km


land: 1,038,700 sq km


water: 100,210 sq km


note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank
total: 2,345,410 sq km


land: 2,267,600 sq km


water: 77,810 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Montana slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Background Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Colombian Government escalated during the 1990s, undergirded in part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence, the movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to overthrow the government. An anti-insurgent army of paramilitaries has grown to be several thousand strong in recent years, challenging the insurgents for control of territory and illicit industries such as the drug trade and the government's ability to exert its dominion over rural areas. While Bogota continues to try to negotiate a settlement, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. Since 1997, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; Joseph KABILA remains as president and is joined by four vice presidents from the former government, former rebel camps, and the political opposition.
Birth rate 21.99 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 44.73 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $24 billion


expenditures: $25.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues: $269 million


expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)
Capital Bogota Kinshasa
Climate tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Coastline 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) 37 km
Constitution 5 July 1991 a new constitution was adopted 17 July 2003
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Colombia


conventional short form: Colombia


local long form: Republica de Colombia


local short form: Colombia
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo


conventional short form: none


local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo


local short form: none


former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire


abbreviation: DROC
Currency Colombian peso (COP) Congolese franc (CDF)
Death rate 5.66 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 14.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $39 billion (2001 est.) $11.6 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Anne W. PATTERSON


embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831


mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038


telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811


FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197
chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS


embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa


mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828


telephone: [243] (88) 43608


FAX: [243] (88) 43467
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Alberto MORENO Mejia


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
chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU


chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691


FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
Disputes - international Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian drug activities penetrate Peruvian border area Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war, tribal conflict, and rebel gang fighting that has drawn in neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; in the Great Lakes region and Sudan, heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to end conflict, but unchecked localized violence continues unabated; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area
Economic aid - recipient $NA $195.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview Colombia's economy suffered from weak domestic demand, austere government budgets, and a difficult security situation. A new president takes office in 2002 and will face economic challenges ranging from pension reform to reduction of unemployment. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil and coffee, face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are depressed. Problems in public security are a concern for Colombian business leaders, who are calling for progress in the government's peace negotiations with insurgent groups. Colombia is looking for continued support from the international community to boost economic and peace prospects. The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, has increased external debt, and has resulted in the deaths from war, famine, and disease of perhaps 3.5 million people. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. Several IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP data. Economic stability, aided by international donors, improved in 2003. New mining contracts have been approved, which - combined with high mineral and metal prices - could improve Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth.
Electricity - consumption 40.348 billion kWh (2000) 3.839 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 37 million kWh (2000) 1.097 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 77 million kWh (2000) 60 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 43.342 billion kWh (2000) 5.243 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 26%


hydro: 73%


nuclear: 0%


other: 1% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m


note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Exchange rates Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,275.89 (January 2002), 2,299.63 (2001), 2,087.90 (2000), 1,756.23 (1999), 1,426.04 (1998), 1,140.96 (1997) Congolese francs per US dollar - NA (2003), 346.485 (2002), 206.617 (2001), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the two dominant parties - the PL and PSC - and independents


elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006)


election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez received 53% of the vote; Vice President Francisco SANTOS was elected on the same ticket
chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president


elections: prior to the overthrow of MOBUTU Sese Seko, the president was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997); formerly, there was also a prime minister who was elected by the High Council of the Republic; note - a Transitional Government is drafting a new constitution with free elections scheduled to be held in NA 2005


election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition


note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's assassination in January 2001, negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections scheduled to be held in NA 2005
Exports $12.3 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt
Exports - partners US 43%, Andean Community of Nations 22%, EU 14%, (2001 est.) Belgium 54.9%, US 15.4%, Zimbabwe 11.1%, Finland 4.8% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 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 light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $255 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $40.05 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 19%


industry: 26%


services: 55% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 55%


industry: 11%


services: 34% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.5% (2001 est.) 6.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 4 00 N, 72 00 W 0 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note only South American country with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea straddles equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands
Heliports 1 (2002) -
Highways total: 110,000 km


paved: 26,000 km


unpaved: 84,000 km (2000)
total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 44% (1999) (1999)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in 2001 was 169,800 hectares, a 25% increase over 2000); potential production of opium between 2000 and 2001 increased by 33% to 40 metric tons; potential production of heroin increased to 4.3 metric tons; the world's largest processor of coca derivatives into cocaine; supplier of about 90% of the cocaine to the US market and the great majority of cocaine to other international drug markets; important supplier of heroin to the US market; active aerial eradication program; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Columbia through the black market peso exchange illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
Imports $12.7 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners US 35%, EU 16%, Andean Community of Nations 15%, Japan 5% (2001 est.) South Africa 17%, Belgium 14.9%, France 12.6%, Germany 6.8%, Kenya 5.4%, Netherlands 4% (2003)
Independence 20 July 1810 (from Spain) 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
Industrial production growth rate 4% (2001 est.) NA
Industries textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement
Infant mortality rate 23.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 94.69 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 103.18 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 85.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.6% (2001) (2001) 14% (2003 est.)
International organization participation BCIE, CAN, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 18 (2000) -
Irrigated land 8,500 sq km (1998 est.) 110 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch four, coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justical (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Higher Council of Justice for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law, judges are selected from the nominees of the Higher Council of Justice for eight-year terms); Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the constitution, rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the constitution, and international treaties); Higher Council of Justice (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; members of the disciplinary chamber resolve jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 18.3 million (1999 est.) 14.51 million (1993 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990) (1990) NA
Land boundaries total: 6,004 km


border countries: Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,496 km (est.), Venezuela 2,050 km
total: 10,730 km


border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Land use arable land: 1.9%


permanent crops: 1.96%


other: 96.14% (1998 est.)
arable land: 2.96%


permanent crops: 0.52%


other: 96.52% (2001)
Languages Spanish French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
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 based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006); House of Representatives - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PL 28, PSC 13, independents and smaller parties (many aligned with conservatives) 61; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 54, PSC 21, independents and other parties 91
a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000


elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.85 years


male: 67 years


female: 74.83 years (2002 est.)
total population: 49.14 years


male: 47.06 years


female: 51.28 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 91.3%


male: 91.2%


female: 91.4% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba


total population: 65.5%


male: 76.2%


female: 55.1% (2003 est.)
Location Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Map references South America Africa
Maritime claims continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
Merchant marine total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 32,438 GRT/43,126 DWT


ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 3, container 1, petroleum tanker 2


note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1 (2002 est.)
none
Military branches Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, including Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana), National Police (Policia Nacional) Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $3.3 billion (FY01) $115.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.4% (FY01) 1.4% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 10,946,932 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 12,706,971 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 7,308,703 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 6,480,645 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 379,295 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 20 July (1810) Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Nationality noun: Colombian(s)


adjective: Colombian
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber
Net migration rate -0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) -0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: fighting between the Congolese Government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese internally displaced and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2004 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 3,585 km; petroleum products 1,350 km; natural gas 830 km; natural gas liquids 125 km gas 54 km; oil 71 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Conservative Party or PSC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Liberal Party or PL [Horatio SERPA Uribe]; Patriotic Union or UP is a legal political party formed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and Colombian Communist Party or PCC [Jaime CAICEDO]; 19 of April Movement or M-19 [Antonio NAVARRO Wolff]


note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized political parties, most of which do not have a presence in either house of Congress
Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR (three factions: MPR-Fait Prive [Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo]; MPR/Vunduawe [Felix VUNDUAWE]; MPR/Mananga [MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo]); Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI (two factions: UFERI [Lokambo OMOKOKO]; UFERI/OR [Adolph Kishwe MAYA])
Political pressure groups and leaders two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or ELN; largest anti-insurgent paramilitary group is United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC NA
Population 41,008,227 (July 2002 est.) 58,317,930


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 55% (2001) (2001) NA
Population growth rate 1.6% (2002 est.) 2.99% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Bahia de Portete, Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Leticia, Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco, Turbo Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Radio broadcast stations AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios 21 million (1997) -
Railways total: 3,304 km


standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge (connects Cerrejon coal mines to maritime port at Bahia de Portete)


narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (major sections not in use) (2000 est.)
total: 5,138 km


narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2003)
Religions Roman Catholic 90% Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system general assessment: modern system in many respects


domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities


international: satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables
general assessment: poor


domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 5,433,565 (December 1997) 10,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,800,229 (December 1998) 1 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997) 4 (2001)
Terrain flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Total fertility rate 2.64 children born/woman (2002 est.) 6.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 17% (2001 est.) NA (2003 est.)
Waterways 18,140 km (navigable by river boats) (April 1996) 15,000 km (navigation on the Congo curtailed by fighting) (2004)
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