Colombia

• highlands subject to volcanic eruptions;
• occasional earthquakes;
• periodic droughts

• deforestation;
• soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides;
• air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions

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

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:

0.79 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

noun:

Colombian(s)

adjective:

Colombian

conventional long form:

Republic of Colombia

conventional short form:

Colombia

local long form:

Republica de Colombia

local short form:

Colombia

• 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

• 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

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

• 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)

• 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

• 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

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:

Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Washington, DC

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

• 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

lowest 10%:

1%

highest 10%:

44% (1999)

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

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

total:

3,304 km

standard gauge:

150 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2004)

total:

112,998 km

paved:

26,000 km

unpaved:

84,000 km (2000)

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)

• 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;
• dispute with Venezuela over maritime boundary and Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of Venezuela;
• Colombian-organized illegal narcotics, guerrilla, and paramilitary activities penetrate all of its neighbors' borders and have created a serious refugee crisis with over 300,000 persons having fled the country, mostly into neighboring states

• 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