Colombia

• 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 (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 (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 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

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

0-14 years:

23.89% (male 5,895,637 /female 5,611,298)

15-24 years:

16.96% (male 4,161,661 /female 4,006,875)

25-54 years:

41.98% (male 10,043,080 /female 10,177,042)

55-64 years:

9.44% (male 2,145,031 /female 2,404,090)

65 years and over:

7.73% (male 1,555,848 /female 2,168,434) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

45.6 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

35.4 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

10.2 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

9.8 (2015 est.)

total:

30.4 years (2018 est.)

male:

29.4 years

female:

31.4 years

• 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:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.89 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.72 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

13.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

16 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

10.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

76.2 years (2018 est.)

male:

73 years

female:

79.5 years

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)

etymology:

originally referred to as "Bacata," meaning "enclosure outside of the farm fields," by the indigenous Muisca

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

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 2018 (2018)

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 Ivan DUQUE Marquez (since 7 August 2018);
• Vice President Marta Lucia RAMIREZ Blanco (since 7 August 2018);
• the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Ivan DUQUE Marquez (since 7 August 2018); Vice President Marta Lucia RAMIREZ Blanco (since 7 August 2018)

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 27 May 2018 with a runoff held on 17 June 2018 (next to be held in 2022);
• note - political reform in 2015 eliminated presidential reelection

election results:

• Ivan DUQUE Marquez elected president in second round;
• percent of vote - Ivan DUQUE Marquez (CD) 54%, Gustavo PETRO (Humane Colombia) 41.8%, other/blank/invalid 4.2%

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

• Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Jorge Enrique ROBLEDO]
• Citizens Option (Opcion Ciudadana) or OC [Angel ALIRIO Moreno] (formerly known as the National Integration Party or PIN)
• Conservative Party or PC [Hernan ANDRADE]
• Democratic Center Party or CD [Alvaro URIBE Velez]
• Green Alliance [Claudia LOPEZ Hernandez]
• Humane Colombia [Gustavo PETRO]
• Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA]
• People's Alternative Revolutionary Force or FARC [Rodrigo LONDONO Echeverry]
• Radical Change or CR [Rodrigo LARA Restrepo]
• Social National Unity Party or U Party [Roy BARRERAS]

note: Colombia has numerous smaller political movements

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark WELLS (since 12 August 2019)

telephone:

[57] (1) 275-2000

embassy:

Carrera 45, No. 24B-27, Bogota, DC Colombia

mailing address:

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

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%:

1.2%

highest 10%:

39.6% (2015 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;
• the cable sector commands about half of the market by subscribers, with DSL having a declining share and with fiber-based broadband developing strongly;
• competition among the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) sector has promoted 2.9 million subscribers as of mid-2018;
• though most infrastructure as yet is primarily in high-density urban areas (2018)

domestic:

• fixed-line connections stand at about 15 per 100 persons;
• mobile cellular telephone subscribership is about 130 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 (2018)

international:

• country code - 57;
• SAC, Maya-1, SAIT, ACROS, AMX-1, CFX-1, PCCS, Deep Blue Cable, Globe Net, PAN-AM, SAm-1 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) (2019)

• 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)

• Military Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Militares de Colombia ) : National Army (Ejercito Nacional), Republic of Colombia Navy (Armada Republica de Colombia, ARC, includes Naval Aviation, Naval Infantry (Infanteria de Marina, IM), and Coast Guard), Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia, FAC);
• Colombian National Police (civilian force that is part of the Ministry of Defense) (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

12 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 157 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

30,742,928 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

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

total:

2,141 km (2015)

standard gauge:

150 km 1.435-m gauge (2015)

narrow gauge:

1,991 km 0.914-m gauge (2015)

total:

102

by type:

general cargo 18, oil tanker 8, other 76 (2018)

major seaport(s):

Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean) - Cartagena, Santa Marta, Turbo

oil terminal(s):

Covenas offshore terminal

container port(s) (TEUs):

Cartagena (2,663,415) (2017)

river port(s):

Barranquilla (Rio Magdalena)

dry bulk cargo port(s):

Puerto Bolivar (coal); Pacific Ocean - Buenaventura