Background: Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged after the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A decades-long conflict between government forces, paramilitaries, and antigovernment insurgent groups heavily funded by the drug trade, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitaries demobilized by the end of 2006, and the AUC as a formal organization ceased to operate. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, new criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. After four years of formal peace negotiations, the Colombian Government signed a final peace accord with the FARC in November 2016, which was subsequently ratified by the Colombian Congress. The accord calls for members of the FARC to demobilize, disarm, and reincorporate into society and politics. The accord also committed the Colombian Government to create three new institutions to form a 'comprehensive system for truth, justice, reparation, and non-repetition,' to include a truth commission, a special unit to coordinate the search for those who disappeared during the conflict, and a 'Special Jurisdiction for Peace' to administer justice for conflict-related crimes. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug-related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong and independent democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.

Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 72 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 1,138,910 km²
Land: 1,038,700 km²
Water: 100,210 km²
Note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 6,672 km
Border countries: (5) Brazil 1,790 km; Ecuador 708 km; Panama 339 km; Peru 1,494 km; Venezuela 2,341 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 (Llanos)

Elevation
Highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,730 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 593 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 37.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 1.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 34.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 54.4% (2018 est.)
Other: 8.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 10,900 km² (2012)

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 km²), Orinoco (953,675 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 3.72 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 360 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 25.04 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 2.36 trillion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts

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

Population
Distribution: the majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated: 49,336,454 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.54% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 35.7% (2019 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Colombian(s)
Adjective: Colombian

Ethnic groups: Mestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Amerindian 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)

Languages: Spanish (official) and 65 Amerindian languages
Major-language samples:

Religions: Christian 92.3% (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 1%, unspecified 6.7% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile: Colombia is in the midst of a demographic transition resulting from steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The birth rate has fallen from more than 6 children per woman in the 1960s to just below replacement level today as a result of increased literacy, family planning services, and urbanization. However, income inequality is among the worst in the world, and almost one-third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.45% (male 5,663,590/female 5,413,209)
15-64 years: 66.66% (male 16,066,724/female 16,820,068)
65 years and over: 10.89% (2023 est.) (male 2,367,369/female 3,005,494)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 43.5
Youth dependency ratio: 31
Elderly dependency ratio: 12.5
Potential support ratio: 8 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 32.4 years (2023 est.)
Male: 31.2 years
Female: 33.6 years

Population growth rate: 0.54% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 15.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: the majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 82.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 11.508 million BOGOTA (capital), 4.102 million Medellin, 2.864 million Cali, 2.349 million Barranquilla, 1.381 million Bucaramanga, 1.088 million Cartagena (2023)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation resulting from timber exploitation in the jungles of the Amazon and the region of Chocó; illicit drug crops grown by peasants in the national parks; soil erosion; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 14.04 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 97.81 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 81.52 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.7 years (2015 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 75 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 13.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 71.3 years
Female: 78.7 years

Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 81% (2015/16)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 87.5% of population
Improved total: 97.7% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 12.5% of population
Unimproved total: 2.3% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 9% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 2.33 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 22.3% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 4.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 8.5% (2020 est.)
Male: 12.4% (2020 est.)
Female: 4.6% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.7% (2015/16)

Education expenditures: 4.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.6%
Male: 95.4%
Female: 95.9% (2020)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 15 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 26.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 21.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 32.8%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Colombia
Conventional short form: Colombia
Local long form: República de Colombia
Local short form: Colombia
Etymology: the country is named after explorer Christopher COLUMBUS

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Bogota
Geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W
Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: originally referred to as "Bacata," meaning "enclosure outside of the farm fields," by the indigenous Muisca

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

Independence: 20 July 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest promulgated 4 July 1991
Amendments: proposed by the government, by Congress, by a constituent assembly, or by public petition; passage requires a majority vote by Congress in each of two consecutive sessions; passage of amendments to constitutional articles on citizen rights, guarantees, and duties also require approval in a referendum by over one half of voters and participation of over one fourth of citizens registered to vote; amended many times, last in 2020

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
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: least one parent must be a citizen or permanent resident of Colombia
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Gustavo Francisco PETRO Urrego (since 7 August 2022); Vice President Francia Elena MÁRQUEZ Mina (since 7 August 2022); the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Gustavo Francisco PETRO Urrego (since 7 August 2022); Vice President Francia Elena MÁRQUEZ Mina (since 7 August 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term; election last held on 29 May 2022 with a runoff held on 19 June 2022 (next to be held on 31 May 2026); note - political reform in 2015 eliminated presidential reelection
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of the Civil-Agrarian and Labor Chambers each with 7 judges, and the Penal Chamber with 9 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 magistrates); Council of State (consists of 27 judges); Superior Judiciary Council (consists of 13 magistrates)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the Supreme Court members from candidates submitted by the Superior Judiciary Council; judges elected for individual 8-year terms; Constitutional Court magistrates - nominated by the president, by the Supreme Court, and elected by the Senate; judges elected for individual 8-year terms; Council of State members appointed by the State Council plenary from lists nominated by the Superior Judiciary Council
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:
Note: Colombia has numerous smaller political parties and movements

International organization participation: BCIE, BIS, CAN, Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CELAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, 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, Pacific Alliance, PCA, PROSUR, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Gilberto MURILLO URRUTIA (since 16 September 2022)
In the us chancery: 1724 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 387-8,338
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 232-8,643
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Francisco L. PALMIERI (since 1 June 2022)
From the us embassy: Carrera 45, No. 24B-27, Bogota
From the us mailing address: 3,030 Bogota Place, Washington DC 20,521-3,030
From the us telephone: [57] (1) 275-2000
From the us FAX: [57] (1) 275-4,600
From the us email address and website:

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
Note: similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center

National symbols: Andean condor; national colors: yellow, blue, red

National anthem
Name: "Himno Nacional de la Republica de Colombia" (National Anthem of the Republic of Colombia)
Lyrics/music: Rafael NUNEZ/Oreste SINDICI
Note: adopted 1920; the anthem was created from an inspirational poem written by President Rafael NUNEZ

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 9 (6 cultural, 2 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy overview: prior to COVID-19, one of the most consistent growth economies; declining poverty; large stimulus package has mitigated economic fallout, but delayed key infrastructure investments; successful inflation management; sound flexible exchange rate regime; domestic economy suffers from lack of trade integration and infrastructure

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 68.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 22.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 14.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -19.7% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 30.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 62.1% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar cane, milk, oil palm fruit, potatoes, rice, bananas, cassava leaves, plantains, poultry, maize

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

Industrial production growth rate: 9.65% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 26.137 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 26.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 21.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 32.8%

Population below poverty line: 35.7% (2019 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 54.2 (2020 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.2%
Highest 10%: 39.6% (2015 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $94.985 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $103.098 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -2.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 14.23% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.1% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.75% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: United States 31%, China 11%, Panama 6%, Ecuador 5% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, coal, coffee, gold, refined petroleum (2021)

Imports:
Partners: United States 27%, China 20%, Mexico 7%, Brazil 6% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, broadcasting equipment, packaged medicines, corn (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 2 million (2020)
Access electrification-total population: 99.9% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 100% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 99.9% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 19.769 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 69,856,680,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 251 million kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 1.302 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 5.724 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 32.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 65.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 51.395 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 8.547 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 69.861 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 79,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 4.554 billion metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 756,400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 352,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 481,300 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 2.036 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 303,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 56,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 57,170 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 11,305,086,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Consumption: 11,708,232,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Imports: 403.146 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 87.782 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 81.007 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 12.666 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 47.679 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 20.662 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 34.703 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 7,587,694 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 75 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150 (2021 est.)

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 (2019)

Internet
Country code: .co
Users total: 37.96 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 73% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 7,764,772 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Military Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Militares de Colombia

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for compulsory (men) and voluntary (men and women) military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months; conscripted soldiers reportedly include regular soldiers (conscripts without a high school degree), drafted high school graduates (bachilleres), and rural (campesino) soldiers who serve in their home regions (2023)
Note 1: conscripts reportedly comprise about 50% of the Colombian military's active force with more than 50,000 conscripts brought into the military annually
Note 2: the Colombian military first incorporated women in 1976 in administrative positions; women were incorporated as non-commissioned officers in 1983 and officers in 2009; women comprised about 1% of the military in 2023

Space program
Overview: has a small program focused on acquiring satellites, particularly remote sensing (RS) satellites; operates satellites and produces nanosatellites; researches other space technologies, including telecommunications, satellite navigation, and astronautics; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies or commercial space industries, including those of Denmark, India, Russia, the US, and some members of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: National Liberation Army (ELN); Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army (FARC-EP); Segunda Marquetalia
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 12 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 157
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 33,704,037 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,349,450,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HJ, HK

Airports: 836 (2021)
With paved runways: 121
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 715
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 3 (2021)

Pipelines: 4,991 km gas, 6,796 km oil, 3,429 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 2,141 km (2019)
Standard gauge: 150 km (2019) 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 1,991 km (2019) 0.914-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 205,379 km (2019)

Waterways: 24,725 km (2019) (18,225 km navigable; the most important waterway, the River Magdalena, of which 1,092 km is navigable, is dredged regularly to ensure safe passage of cargo vessels and container barges)

Merchant marine
Total: 148 (2022)
By type: general cargo 28, oil tanker 12, other 108

Ports and terminals
Major seaports:
Oil terminals: Covenas offshore terminal
Container ports teus: Buenaventura (1,082,746), Cartagena (3,343,810) (2021)
River ports: Barranquilla (Rio Magdalena)
Dry bulk cargo ports:

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
Refugees country of origin: 1,842,390 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum, are recognized as refugees, or received alternative legal stay) (2022)
IDPs: 6,863,334 (conflict between government and illegal armed groups and drug traffickers since 1985) (2023)
Stateless persons: 11 (2022)

Illicit drugs: Colombia is the world’s top cocaine producer and exporter; is a source of heroin and marijuana; coca cultivation estimated at 234,000 hectares (ha) in 2021; pure cocaine production decreased to 972 metric tons in 2021; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics