| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long
form: Republic of Colombia
conventional short form: Colombia
local long form: Republica de Colombia
local short form: Colombia |
| Capital: |
Bogota |
| Location: |
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
4 00 N, 72 00 W |
| 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 |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly less than three times the size of Montana |
| 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 |
| Coastline: |
3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate: |
tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands |
| Terrain: |
flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains |
| Elavation
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 |
| Natural
Resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic; executive branch dominates government structure |
| Administratives
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 |
| Independence |
20 July 1810 (from Spain) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day, 20 July (1810) |
| Constitution: |
5 July 1991 |
| Legal
System; |
based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004; judicial review of executive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| 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 May 2006)
election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez received 53% of the vote; Vice President Francisco SANTOS was elected on the same ticket |
| 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 March 2006); House of Representatives - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held 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 |
| 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) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Colombian Communist Party or PCC [Jaime CAICEDO]; Conservative Party or PSC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Democratic Pole or PDI [Samuel MORENO Rojas]; Liberal Party or PL [Juan Fernando CRISTO]
note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized political parties, most of which do not have a presence in either house of Congress |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
42,954,279 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 30.7% (male 6,670,950/female 6,516,371)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 13,424,433/female 14,142,825)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 968,127/female 1,231,573) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 26.04 years
male: 25.14 years
female: 26.93 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Colombian(s)
adjective: Colombian |
| Ethnic groups: |
mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% |
| Languages: |
Spanish |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
8,768,100 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
6,186,200 (2003) |
| 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: country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.co |
| Internet hosts: |
115,158 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
2,732,200 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 3,304 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 112,998 km
paved: 26,000 km
unpaved: 84,000 km (2000) |
| Waterways: |
9,187 km (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
gas 4,360 km; oil 6,134 km; refined products 3,140 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Bahia de Portete, Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Leticia, Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco, Turbo |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 35,427 GRT/46,301 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 11, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 2
registered in other countries: 7 (2005) |
| Airports: |
980 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 101
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 39
914 to 1,523 m: 39
under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 879
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 272
under 914 m: 572 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
1 (2004 est.) |
|
