Map of Colombia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 nearly five-decade long conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization had ceased to function. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization emerging criminal groups arose whose members include some former paramilitaries. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government but continue attacks against civilians. Large areas of the countryside are under guerrilla influence or are contested by security forces. In October 2012 the Colombian Government started formal peace negotiations with the FARC aimed at reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire and incorporating demobilized FARC members into mainstream society and politics. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.


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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

Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N 72 00 W

Map reference

Area
Rank: 26
Land: 1,038,700 km²
Water: 100,210 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Border countries: (5) Brazil 1644 km; Ecuador 590 km; Panama 225 km; Peru 1800 km; Venezuela 2,050 km

Coastline: 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1760 km North Pacific Ocean 1448 km)

Maritime claims
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 (Llanos)

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas coal iron ore nickel gold copper emeralds hydropower

Land use
Permanent crops: 1.66%
Other: 96.5% (2011)

Irrigated land: 10,870 km² (2011)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 2,132 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts
Volcanism: Galeras (elev. 4,276 m) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes having erupted in 2009 and 2010 causing major evacuations; it has been deemed a 'Decade Volcano' by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Nevado del Ruiz (elev. 5,321 m) 129 km (80 mi) west of Bogota erupted in 1985 producing lahars that killed 23,000 people; the volcano last erupted in 1991; additionally after 500 years of dormancy Nevado del Huila reawakened in 2007 and has experienced frequent eruptions since then; other historically active volcanoes include Cumbal Dona Juana Nevado del Tolima and Purace

Geography
Note: only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea


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Population: 45,745,783 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 30
Growth rate: 1.1% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 108
Below poverty line: 34.1% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Colombian

Ethnic groups: mestizo 58% white 20% mulatto 14% black 4% mixed black-Amerindian 3% Amerindian 1%

Languages: Spanish (official)

Religions: Roman Catholic 90% other 10%

Demographic profile:

Age structure
15-24 years: 18.2% (male 4,241,621/female 4,101,552)
25-54 years: 41.5% (male 9,376,745/female 9,597,744)
55-64 years: 8% (male 1,705,451/female 1,962,606)
65 years and over: 6.5% (male 1,242,980/female 1,728,922) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 41.9 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 9.3 %
Potential support ratio: 10.7 (2014)

Median age
Male: 27.6 years
Female: 29.5 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.1% (2014 est.)
Rank: 108

Birth rate: 16.98 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 118

Death rate: 5.33 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 178

Net migration rate: -0.66 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 142

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: BOGOTA (capital) 8.744 million; Medellin 3.497 million; Cali 2.352 million; Barranquilla 1.836 million; Bucaramanga 1.065 million (2011)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution especially in Bogota from vehicle emissions
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.4

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 106
Male: 18.77 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.96 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 99
Male: 71.82 years
Female: 78.42 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 111

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 79.1% (2010)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.47 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 1.4 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 66
People living with hivaids: 160,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 32
Deaths: 14,000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 20

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever malaria and yellow fever (2014)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 17.3% (2008)
Rank: 112

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.4% (2010)
Rank: 106

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 93

Literacy
Total population: 93.6%
Male: 93.5%
Female: 93.7% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2011)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Colombia
Local long form: Republica de Colombia
Local short form: Colombia

Government type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 4 36 N 74 05 W
Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington DC during Standard Time)

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 Archipielago de San Andres Providencia y Santa Catalina (colloquially San Andres y Providencia) Santander Sucre Tolima Valle del Cauca Vaupes Vichada

Dependent areas

Independence: 20 July 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day 20 July (1810)

Constitution: several previous; latest promulgated 5 July 1991; amended many times last in 2011 (2014)

Legal system: civil law system influenced by the Spanish and French civil codes

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: President Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderon (since 7 August 2010); Vice President Angelino GARZON (since 7 August 2010)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 30 May 2010 with a runoff election 20 June 2010 (next to be held in May 2014)
Election results: Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderon elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderon 69.06% Antanas MOCKUS 27.52%

Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held on 14 March 2010 (next to be held in March 2014); Chamber of Representatives - last held on 14 March 2010 (next to be held in March 2014)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - U Party 28 PC 22 PL 17 PIN 9 CR 8 PDA 8 Green Party 5 other parties 5; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - U Party 47 PC 38 PL 37 CR 15 PIN 12 PDA 4 Green Party 3 other parties 10; note - as of 1 January 2011 the Senate currently has 101 seats after one seat became vacant due to a PL senator losing his seat for illegal collusion with the FARC; the Chamber of Representatives also has one seat vacant after only 165 of the 166 candidates were credentialed

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the Congress from candidates submitted by the president; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court magistrates - 3 nominated by the president 3 by the Supreme Court and 3 elected by the Senate; judges elected for individual 2-8 year terms
Subordinate courts: Superior Tribunals (appellate courts for each of the judicial districts); regional courts; civil municipal courts; Superior Military Tribunal; first instance administrative courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: BCIE BIS CAN Caricom (observer) CD CDB CELAC FAO G-3 G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES LAIA Mercosur (associate) MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA UN UNASUR UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNSC (temporary) UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,118 Leroy Place NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 387-8,338
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 232-8,643
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Beverly Hills (CA) Boston Chicago Houston Miami New York San Francisco San Juan (Puerto Rico)
In the us consulate: Newark (NJ)
From the us embassy: Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50 Bogota D.C.
From the us mailing address: Carrera 45 No. 24B-27 Bogota D.C.
From the us telephone: [57] (1) 275-2000
From the us FAX: [57] (1) 275-4,600

Flag description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top double-width) blue and red; the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia the short-lived South American republic that broke up in 1830; various interpretations of the colors exist and include: yellow for the gold in Colombia's land blue for the seas on its shores and red for the blood spilled in attaining freedom; alternatively the colors have been described as representing more elemental concepts such as sovereignty and justice (yellow) loyalty and vigilance (blue) and valor and generosity (red); or simply the principles of liberty equality and fraternity

National symbols: Andean condor

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Rafael NUNEZ/Oreste SINDICI

National heritage


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Economy overview: Colombia's consistently sound economic policies and aggressive promotion of free trade agreements in recent years have bolstered its ability to face external shocks. Real GDP has grown more than 4% per year for the past three years continuing almost a decade of strong economic performance. All three major ratings agencies have upgraded Colombia's government debt to investment grade. Nevertheless Colombia depends heavily on oil exports making it vulnerable to a drop in oil prices. Economic development is stymied by inadequate infrastructure weakened further by recent flooding. Moreover the unemployment rate of 10.3% in 2012 is still one of Latin America's highest. The SANTOS Administration's foreign policy has focused on bolstering Colombia's commercial ties and boosting investment at home. The US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was ratified by the US Congress in October 2011 and implemented in 2012. Colombia has signed or is negotiating FTAs with a number of other countries including Canada Chile Mexico Switzerland the EU Venezuela South Korea Turkey Japan China Costa Rica Panama and Israel. Foreign direct investment - notably in the oil and gas sectors - reached a record $10 billion in 2008 but dropped to $7.2 billion in 2009 before beginning to recover in 2010 and reached a record high of nearly $16 billion in 2012. Colombia is the third largest Latin American exporter of oil to the United States and the United States' largest source of imported coal. Inequality underemployment and narcotrafficking remain significant challenges and Colombia's infrastructure requires major improvements to sustain economic expansion.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 29

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 84

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 110

Gross national saving:
Rank: 74

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 16.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 23.6%
Investment in inventories: -0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 18.2%
Imports of goods and services: -19.7%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 37.6%
Services: 55.9% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee cut flowers bananas rice tobacco corn sugarcane cocoa beans oilseed vegetables; shrimp; forest products

Industries: textiles food processing oil clothing and footwear beverages chemicals cement; gold coal emeralds

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2012 est.)
Rank: 88

Labor force: 23.09 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 28
By occupation industry: 13%
By occupation services: 68% (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate: 10.8% (2011 est.)
Rank: 110

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 34.1% (2011 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 44.4% (2010 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 53.8 (1996)
Rank: 8

Budget
Expenditures: $106.1 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 0.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 37

Taxes and other revenues: 29.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 98

Public debt: 42.9% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 89

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.4% (2011 est.)
Rank: 101

Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2010)
Rank: 72

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 11.22% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 71

Stock of narrow money: $35.45 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 51

Stock of broad money: $119.8 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 48

Stock of domestic credit: $139 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 42

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 34

Current account balance: $-9.837 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 177

Exports: $56.68 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 55
Commodities: petroleum coal emeralds coffee nickel cut flowers bananas apparel
Partners: US 36.6% China 5.5% Spain 4.8% Panama 4.7% Venezuela 4.4% Netherlands 4.1% (2012)

Imports: $50.52 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 51
Commodities: industrial equipment transportation equipment consumer goods chemicals paper products fuels electricity
Partners: US 24.2% China 16.3% Mexico 10.9% Brazil 4.8% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $31.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 47

Debt external: $76.92 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 52

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $95.61 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 37

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $31.96 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 41

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 63.65 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 42
Consumption: 45.35 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 49
Exports: 1.294 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 52
Imports: 8.22 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 28
Installed generating capacity: 13.54 million kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 49
Generation sources fossil fuels: 32.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 175
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 67
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 66.6% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 25
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 84

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 969,100 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 24
Crude oil exports: 777,900 bbl/day (2009)
Crude oil exports rank: 18
Crude oil imports: 10 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 81
Crude oil proven reserves: 2.2 billion bbl (1 January 2014 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 35

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 313,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 42
Products consumption: 287,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 44
Products exports: 92,410 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 46
Products imports: 49,790 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 70

Natural gas
Production: 10.95 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 41
Consumption: 9.08 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 51
Exports: 2.11 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 44
Imports: 40,290 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 76
Proven reserves: 169.9 billion m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 48

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 71.15 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 49

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 6.291 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 27
Mobile cellular: 49.066 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 29

Telephone system
Domestic: fixed-line connections stand at about 15 per 100 persons; mobile cellular telephone subscribership is about 100 per 100 persons; competition among cellular service providers is resulting in falling local and international calling rates and contributing to the steep decline in the market share of fixed line services
International: country code - 57; multiple submarine cable systems provide links to the US parts of the Caribbean and Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 10 (6 Intelsat 1 Inmarsat 3 fully digitalized international switching centers) (2011)

Broadcast media: combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media provide service; more than 500 radio stations and many national regional and local TV stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .co
Hosts: 4.41 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 24
Users: 22.538 million (2009)
Users rank: 18

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 3.8% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 27

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation is 18 months (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 836 (2014)
Rank: 8
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 39
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 53
With paved runways under 914 m: 18 (2014)
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 25
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 201
With unpaved runways: 488 (2014)

Heliports: 3 (2014)

Pipelines: gas 4,991 km; oil 6,796 km; refined products 3,429 km (2014)

Railways
Rank: 95
Standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 498 km 0.950-m gauge; 226 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 34

Waterways: 24,725 km (18,300 km navigable; the most important waterway the River Magdalena of which 1488 km is navigable is dredged regularly to ensure the safe passage of cargo vessels and container barges) (2012)
Rank: 6

Merchant marine
Rank: 106
By type: cargo 9 chemical tanker 1 petroleum tanker 2
Registered in other countries: 4 (Antigua and Barbuda 1 Panama 2 Portugal 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals
River port: Barranquilla (Rio Magdalena)
Oilgas terminal: Covenas offshore terminal
Dry bulk cargo port: Puerto Bolivar (coal)


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Disputes international: in December 2007 ICJ allocated San Andres Providencia and Santa Catalina islands to Colombia under 1928 Treaty but did not rule on 82 degrees W meridian as maritime boundary with Nicaragua; managed 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 neighboring borders and have caused Colombian citizens to flee mostly into neighboring countries; Colombia Honduras Nicaragua Jamaica and the US assert various claims to Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Bank

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 12 (2012)

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of coca opium poppy and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator with 83,000 hectares in coca cultivation in 2011 a 17% decrease over 2010 producing a potential of 195 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplies cocaine to nearly all of the US market and the great majority of other international drug markets; in 2012 aerial eradication dispensed herbicide to treat over 100,549 hectares combined with manual eradication of 30,486 hectares; a significant portion of 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 is estimated to have fallen to 1100 hectares in 2009 while pure heroin production declined to 2.1 mt; most Colombian heroin is destined for the US market (2014)