Colombia (2003) | Heard Island and McDonald Islands (2004) | |
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 | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 31.3% (male 6,601,581; female 6,447,679)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 12,931,093; female 13,626,333) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 913,798; female 1,141,589) (2003 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp | - |
Airports | 1,050 (2002) | - |
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) |
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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) |
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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: 412 sq km
land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly less than three times the size of Montana | slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC |
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 steps up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. | These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve. |
Birth rate | 21.59 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $24 billion
expenditures: $25.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
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Capital | Bogota | - |
Climate | tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands | antarctic |
Coastline | 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) | 101.9 km |
Constitution | 5 July 1991 | - |
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: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
Currency | Colombian peso (COP) | - |
Death rate | 5.63 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $38.4 billion (2002 est.) | - |
Dependency status | - | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage |
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 |
none (territory of Australia) |
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 |
none (territory of Australia) |
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 | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | - |
Economy - overview | Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflict. Other economic problems facing the new president URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high 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. Colombian business leaders are calling for greater progress in solving the conflict with insurgent groups. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by President URIBE and have pledged enough funding to cover Colombia's debt servicing costs in 2003. | No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing around the islands. |
Electricity - consumption | 39.81 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - exports | 210 million kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 40 million kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - production | 42.99 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 26%
hydro: 72.7% nuclear: 0% other: 1.3% (2001) |
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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: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions | NA |
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 |
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Ethnic groups | mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% | - |
Exchange rates | Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,504.24 (2002), 2,299.63 (2001), 2,087.9 (2000), 1,756.23 (1999), 1,426.04 (1998) | - |
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 |
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Exports | NA (2001) | - |
Exports - commodities | petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers | - |
Exports - partners | US 44.8%, Venezuela 9.4%, Ecuador 6.8% (2002) | - |
Fiscal 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 | the flag of Australia is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $251.6 billion (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 13%
industry: 30% services: 57% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $6,100 (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1.5% (2002 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 72 00 W | 53 06 S, 72 31 E |
Geography - note | only South American country with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea | - |
Heliports | 1 (2002) | - |
Highways | total: 110,000 km
paved: 26,000 km unpaved: 84,000 km (2000) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 44% (1999) |
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Illicit drugs | illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in 2002 was 144,450 hectares, a 15% decline since 2001); potential production of opium between 2001 and 2002 declined by 25% to 91 metric tons; potential production of heroin declined to 11.3 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 Colombia through the black market peso exchange | - |
Imports | NA (2001) | - |
Imports - commodities | industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity | - |
Imports - partners | US 32.6%, Venezuela 7%, Mexico 5.3%, Japan 5.3%, Brazil 5.2%, Germany 4.2% (2002) | - |
Independence | 20 July 1810 (from Spain) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | 4% (2001 est.) | - |
Industries | textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds | - |
Infant mortality rate | total: 22.47 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.2% (2002 est.) | - |
International organization participation | BCIE, CAN, Caricom (observer), CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 18 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 8,500 sq km (1998 est.) | 0 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) | - |
Labor force | 18.3 million (1999 est.) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990) | - |
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 |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 1.9%
permanent crops: 1.96% other: 96.14% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
Languages | Spanish | - |
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 | the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply |
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 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 71.14 years
male: 67.29 years female: 75.12 years (2003 est.) |
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Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5% male: 92.4% female: 92.6% (2003 est.) |
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Location | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama | islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica |
Map references | South America | Antarctic Region |
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 fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 51,445 GRT/55,930 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 6, container 1, petroleum tanker 3 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1 (2002 est.) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols |
Military branches | Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, including Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana), National Police (Policia Nacional) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $3.3 billion (FY01) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.4% (FY01) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 11,101,719 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 7,403,433 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 392,468 (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 20 July (1810) | - |
Nationality | noun: Colombian(s)
adjective: Colombian |
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Natural hazards | highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts | Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower | fish |
Net migration rate | -0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | - |
Pipelines | gas 4,360 km; oil 6,134 km; refined products 3,140 km (2003) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Conservative Party or PSC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Liberal Party or PL [Piedad CORDOBA and Juan Manuel LOPEZ Cabrales]; 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 |
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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 | - |
Population | 41,662,073 (July 2003 est.) | uninhabited (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 55% (2001) | - |
Population growth rate | 1.56% (2003 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Bahia de Portete, Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Leticia, Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco, Turbo | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) | - |
Railways | total: 3,304 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2002) |
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Religions | Roman Catholic 90% | - |
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: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
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 |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 5,433,565 (December 1997) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,800,229 (December 1998) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997) | - |
Terrain | flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains | Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky |
Total fertility rate | 2.61 children born/woman (2003 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 17.4% (2002 est.) | - |
Waterways | 18,140 km (navigable by river boats) (April 1996) | - |