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Compare Colombia (2007) - Dominican Republic (2004)

Compare Colombia (2007) z Dominican Republic (2004)

 Colombia (2007)Dominican Republic (2004)
 ColombiaDominican Republic
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 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde
Age structure 0-14 years: 29.8% (male 6,696,471/female 6,539,612)


15-64 years: 64.8% (male 14,012,140/female 14,732,874)


65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,042,645/female 1,355,856) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 33.3% (male 1,502,062; female 1,435,135)


15-64 years: 61.4% (male 2,767,880; female 2,658,861)


65 years and over: 5.3% (male 219,230; female 250,466) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
Airports 934 (2007) 31 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 103


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 39


914 to 1,523 m: 42


under 914 m: 12 (2007)
total: 13


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 831


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 34


914 to 1,523 m: 216


under 914 m: 580 (2007)
total: 18


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 5


under 914 m: 10 (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, and Serrana Bank
total: 48,730 sq km


land: 48,380 sq km


water: 350 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of Texas slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Background Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. More than 32,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had largely ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin BALAGUER became president. He maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere over the past decade.
Birth rate 20.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 23.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $49.09 billion


expenditures: $49.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
revenues: $2.601 billion


expenditures: $3.353 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2003 est.)
Capital name: Bogota


geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Santo Domingo
Climate tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
Coastline 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) 1,288 km
Constitution 5 July 1991; amended many times 28 November 1966, amended 25 July 2002
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: Dominican Republic


conventional short form: The Dominican


local long form: Republica Dominicana


local short form: La Dominicana
Currency - Dominican peso (DOP)
Death rate 5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $38.47 billion (2006 est.) $6.567 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD


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 Hans H. HERTELL


embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo


mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500


telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171


FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Carolina BARCO Isakson


chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338


FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Flavio Dario Espinal JACOBO


chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280


FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)


consulate(s): Mobile
Disputes - international memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea - final public hearings are scheduled for 2007; dispute with Venezuela over maritime boundary and Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics, guerrilla, and paramilitary activities penetrate all of its neighbors' borders and have caused over 300,000 persons to flee the country, mostly into neighboring states despite efforts to control illegal migration, destitute Haitians fleeing poverty and violence continue to cross into the Dominican Republic; illegal migration of Dominicans and other nationals across the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico has increased in the last year
Economic aid - recipient $NA (2005) $239.6 million (1995)
Economy - overview Colombia's economy has experienced positive growth over the past three years despite a serious armed conflict. The economy continues to improve in part because of austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, an improved security situation in the country, and high commodity prices. Ongoing economic problems facing President URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment, and to achieving congressional passage of a fiscal transfers reform; furthermore, new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production. However, the government's economic policy, democratic security strategy, and the signing of a free trade agreement with the US have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector. The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy which enjoyed GDP growth of more than 7% in 1998-2000. Growth subsequently plummeted as part of the global economic slowdown. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy, the source of 87% of export revenues. Resumption of a badly needed IMF loan was slowed due to government repurchase of electrical power plants.
Electricity - consumption 38.91 billion kWh (2005) 8.543 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 1.758 billion kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 16 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 50.47 billion kWh (2005) 9.186 billion kWh (2001)
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: Lago Enriquillo -46 m


highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%
Exchange rates Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,358.6 (2006), 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002) Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.8307 (2003), 18.6098 (2002), 16.9516 (2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.0331 (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)


cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the three largest parties that supported President URIBE's reelection - the PSUN, PC, and CR - and independents


elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010)


election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez reelected president; percent of vote - Alvaro URIBE Velez 62%, Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz 22%, Horacio SERPA Uribe 12%, other 4%
chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008)


election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7%
Exports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Exports - commodities petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel, bananas, cut flowers ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
Exports - partners US 35.7%, Venezuela 11.4%, Ecuador 5.4% (2006) US 83.8%, Canada 1.5%, Haiti 1.5% (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 a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon
GDP - purchasing power parity - $52.71 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 12%


industry: 35.6%


services: 52.4% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 10.7%


industry: 31.5%


services: 57.8% (2003)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.8% (2006 est.) -0.7% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 4 00 N, 72 00 W 19 00 N, 70 40 W
Geography - note only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti
Heliports 2 (2007) -
Highways - total: 12,600 km


paved: 6,224 km


unpaved: 6,376 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 7.9%


highest 10%: 34.3% (2004)
lowest 10%: 2.1%


highest 10%: 37.9% (1998)
Illicit drugs illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator with 144,000 hectares in coca cultivation in 2005, a 26% increase over 2004, producing a potential of 545 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplies cocaine to most of the US market and the great majority of other international drug markets; in 2005, aerial eradication dispensed herbicide to treat over 130,000 hectares but aggressive replanting on the part of coca growers means Colombia remains a key producer; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso exchange; important supplier of heroin to the US market; opium poppy cultivation fell 50% between 2003 and 2004 to 2,100 hectares yielding a potential 3.8 metric tons of pure heroin, mostly for the US market; no poppy estimate was conducted in 2005 transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions
Imports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Imports - commodities industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners US 26.9%, Brazil 8.6%, Mexico 8.5%, China 6%, Venezuela 5.6%, Japan 4.1% (2006) US 52.1%, Venezuela 11.9%, Mexico 4.7%, Colombia 4.2% (2003)
Independence 20 July 1810 (from Spain) 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
Industrial production growth rate 5.8% (2006 est.) 2% (2001 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
Infant mortality rate total: 20.13 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 23.86 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 16.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 33.28 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 35.75 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 30.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4.3% (2006 est.) 27.5% (2003 est.)
International organization participation BCIE, CAN, Caricom (observer), CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 9,000 sq km (2003) 2,590 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council 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); Superior Judicial Council (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms) Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by a the National Judicial Council comprised of the President, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing party member)
Labor force 20.34 million (2006 est.) 2.3 million - 2.6 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 22.7%


industry: 18.7%


services: 58.5% (2000 est.)
agriculture 17%, industry 24.3%, services and government 58.7% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries total: 6,309 km


border countries: Brazil 1,644 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,800 km, Venezuela 2,050 km
total: 360 km


border countries: Haiti 360 km
Land use arable land: 2.01%


permanent crops: 1.37%


other: 96.62% (2005)
arable land: 22.65%


permanent crops: 10.33%


other: 67.02% (2001)
Languages Spanish Spanish
Legal system based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and is gradually being implemented; judicial review of executive and legislative acts based on French civil codes; undergoing modification in 2004 towards an accusatory system
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 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010); House of Representatives - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSUN 20, PC 18, PL 18, CR 15, PDI 10, other parties 21; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 35, PSUN 33, PC 29, CR 20, PDA 8, other parties 41
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.27 years


male: 68.44 years


female: 76.24 years (2007 est.)
total population: 67.63 years


male: 65.98 years


female: 69.35 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92.8%


male: 92.9%


female: 92.7% (2004 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 84.7%


male: 84.6%


female: 84.8% (2003 est.)
Location Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Map references South America Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 6 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine total: 15 ships (1000 GRT or over) 35,949 GRT/49,161 DWT


by type: cargo 11, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 3


registered in other countries: 5 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Panama 4) (2007)
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,230 GRT/17,011 DWT


by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: Pakistan 1, Singapore 1


registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)
Military branches National Army (Ejercito Nacional), National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Naval Infantry (Infanteria de Marina, Colmar), and Coast Guard), Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia, FAC) (2007) Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $180 million (1998)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.4% (2005 est.) 1.1% (1998)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 2,354,800 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 1,474,978 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 90,434 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 20 July (1810) Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Nationality noun: Colombian(s)


adjective: Colombian
noun: Dominican(s)


adjective: Dominican
Natural hazards highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Net migration rate -0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines gas 4,360 km; oil 6,140 km; refined products 3,158 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders Colombian Conservative Party or PC [Julio MANZUR Abdala]; Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz]; Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo]; Radical Change or CR [German VARGAS Lleras]; Social National Unity Party or U Party [Carlos GARCIA Orjuela]


note: Colombia has 15 formally recognized political parties, and numerous unofficial parties that did not meet the vote threshold in the March 2006 legislative elections required for recognition
Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Vicente Sanchez BARET]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN]
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 Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Foundation for Institution-Building (FINJUS)
Population 44,379,598 (July 2007 est.) 8,833,634 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 49.2% (2005) 25%
Population growth rate 1.433% (2007 est.) 1.33% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors - Barahona, La Romana, Manzanillo, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo
Radio broadcast stations AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways total: 3,304 km


standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)
total: 1,743 km


standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge


note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076-m, 0.889-m, and 0.762-m gauges (2003)
Religions Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% Roman Catholic 95%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.024 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.951 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.769 male(s)/female


total population: 0.961 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age


note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote
Telephone system general assessment: modern system in many respects; telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s; multiple providers of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular services; fixed-line connections stand at about 18 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage is approaching 70 per 100 persons


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


international: country code - 57; submarine cables provide links to the US, parts of the Caribbean, and Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers (2007)
general assessment: NA


domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network


international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 7.865 million (2006) 901,800 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 29.763 million (2006) 2,120,400 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 60 (1997) 25 (2003)
Terrain flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Total fertility rate 2.51 children born/woman (2007 est.) 2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 11.1% (2006 est.) 16.5% (2003 est.)
Waterways 18,000 km (2006) -
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