Colombia

agricultural land:

37.5%;

• arable land 1.4%;
• permanent crops 1.6%;
• permanent pasture 34.5%

forest:

54.4%

other:

8.1% (2011 est.)

• 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

• 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 (mudflows) 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

• 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

noun:

Colombian(s)

adjective:

Colombian

• 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

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.72 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

total number:

988,362

percentage:

9%

note: data represent children ages 5-17 (2009 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Colombia

conventional short form:

Colombia

local long form:

Republica de Colombia

local short form:

Colombia

etymology:

the country is named after explorer Christopher COLUMBUS

name:

Bogota

geographic coordinates:

4 36 N, 74 05 W

time difference:

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

• several previous;
• latest promulgated 5 July 1991;
• amended many times, last in 2015 (2016)

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

chief of state:

• President Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderon (since 7 August 2010);
• Vice President German VARGAS Lleras (since 7 August 2014);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderon (since 7 August 2010); Vice President German VARGAS Lleras (since 7 August 2014)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term;
• election last held on 25 May 2014 with a runoff election 15 on June 2014 (next to be held on 27 May 2018);
• note - recent political reform eliminated presidential reelection;
• beginning in 2018, presidents can only serve one 4-year term

election results:

• Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderon reelected president in runoff;
• percent of vote - Juan Manuel SANTOS Calderon (U Party) 51.0%, Oscar Ivan ZULUAGA (CD) 45.0%, other 4.0%

description:

bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; 100 members elected nationally - not by district or state - and two elected on a special ballot for indigenous communities to serve 4-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

Senate - last held on 9 March 2014 (next to be held in March 2018); Chamber of Representatives - last held on 9 March 2014 (next to be held in March 2018)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - U Party 21, CD 20, PC 18, PL 17, CR 9, PDA 5, Green Party 5, other 7;
• Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - PL 39, U Party 37, PC 27, CD 19, CR 16, Green Party 6, PDA 3, other 19

highest court(s):

• 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 31 members);
• 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

• Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Clara LOPEZ]
• Conservative Party or PC [David BARGUIL]
• Democratic Center Party or CD [Alvaro URIBE Velez, Oscar Ivan ZULUAGA]
• Green Alliance [Jorge LONDONO, Antonio SANGUINO, Luis AVELLANEDA, Camilo ROMERO]
• Liberal Party or PL [Horacio SERPA]
• Citizens Option (Opcion Ciudadana) or OC (formerly known as the National Integration Party or PIN) [Angel ALIRIO Moreno]
• Radical Change or CR [Carlos Fernando GALAN]
• Social National Unity Party or U Party [Roy BARRERAS, Jose David NAME]

note: Colombia has eight major political parties, and numerous smaller movements

• Central Union of Workers or CUT
• Colombian Confederation of Workers or CTC
• General Confederation of Workers or CGT
• National Liberation Army or ELN
• Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC

note: FARC and ELN are the two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia

chief of mission:

Ambassador Juan Carlos PINZON Bueno (since 3 August 2015)

chancery:

2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 387-8338

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-8643

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark (NJ), Orlando, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulate(s):

Boston, Chicago, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kevin WHITAKER (since 11 June 2014)

embassy:

Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50, Bogota, D.C.

mailing address:

Carrera 45 No. 24B-27, Bogota, D.C.

telephone:

[57] (1) 275-2000

FAX:

[57] (1) 275-4600

• 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

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

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

agriculture:

17%

industry:

21%

services:

62% (2011 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.1%

highest 10%:

42% (2012 est.)

general assessment:

• modern system in many respects with a nationwide microwave radio relay system, a domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations, and a fiber-optic network linking 50 cities;
• telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s;
• multiple providers of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular services

domestic:

• fixed-line connections stand at about 15 per 100 persons;
• mobile cellular telephone subscribership is about 120 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)

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

12; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 157

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

30,742,928

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,317,562,271 mt-km (2015)

total:

2,141 km

standard gauge:

150 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

1,991 km 0.914-m gauge (2015)

country comparison to the world: 94

total:

12

by type:

cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 2

registered in other countries:

4 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Panama 2, Portugal 1) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 105

major seaport(s):

Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean) - Cartagena, Santa Marta, Turbo; Pacific Ocean - Buenaventura

river port(s):

Barranquilla (Rio Magdalena)

oil terminal(s):

Covenas offshore terminal

dry bulk cargo port(s):

Puerto Bolivar (coal)

container port(s) (TEUs):

Cartagena (1,853,342)

• 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

IDPs:

6.3 million (conflict between government and illegal armed groups and drug traffickers since 1985; about 300,000 new IDPs each year since 2000) (2015)

stateless persons:

12 (2015)

• 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 1,100 hectares in 2009 while pure heroin production declined to 2.1 mt;
• most Colombian heroin is destined for the US market (2013)