]! ^! Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. More than 32,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had largely ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. 
]" ^" Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama ^# 4 00 N, 72 00 W ^$ South America ^% `! 1,138,910 sq km `" 1,038,700 sq km `# 100,210 sq km `* includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank ^& slightly less than twice the size of Texas ^' `! 6,309 km `Y Brazil 1,644 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,800 km, Venezuela 2,050 km ^( 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) ^) `$ 12 nm `N 200 nm `O 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation ^* tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands ^+ flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m `* nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation ^- petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower ^. `' 2.01% `( 1.37% `) 96.62% (2005) ^/ 9,000 sq km (2003) ^0 highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts ^1 deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions _P `P 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 `Q Law of the Sea ^2 only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea 
]# ^3 44,379,598 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 29.8% (male 6,696,471/female 6,539,612) `, 64.8% (male 14,012,140/female 14,732,874) `- 5.4% (male 1,042,645/female 1,355,856) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 26.6 years `. 25.6 years `/ 27.5 years (2007 est.) ^6 1.433% (2007 est.) ^7 20.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.03 male(s)/female `1 1.024 male(s)/female `, 0.951 male(s)/female `- 0.769 male(s)/female `2 0.961 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 20.13 deaths/1,000 live births `. 23.86 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 16.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 72.27 years `. 68.44 years `/ 76.24 years (2007 est.) ^= 2.51 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.7% (2003 est.) ^? 190,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 3,600 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Colombian(s) `4 Colombian ^B mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% ^C Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% ^D Spanish ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 92.5% `. 92.4% `/ 92.6% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Colombia `7 Colombia `Z Republica de Colombia `[ Colombia ^H republic; executive branch dominates government structure ^I `8 Bogota `9 4 36 N, 74 05 W `: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 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, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada ^K 20 July 1810 (from Spain) ^L Independence Day, 20 July (1810) ^M 5 July 1991; amended many times ^N based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and is gradually being implemented; judicial review of executive and legislative acts ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; 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 `< President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002) `= Cabinet consists of a coalition of the three largest parties that supported President URIBE's reelection - the PSUN, PC, and CR - and independents `> president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010) `? President Alvaro URIBE Velez reelected president; percent of vote - Alvaro URIBE Velez 62%, Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz 22%, Horacio SERPA Uribe 12%, other 4% ^Q bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) `> Senate - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010); House of Representatives - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010) `? Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSUN 20, PC 18, PL 18, CR 15, PDI 10, other parties 21; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 35, PSUN 33, PC 29, CR 20, PDA 8, other parties 41 ^R 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) ^S Colombian Conservative Party or PC [Julio MANZUR Abdala]; Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz]; Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo]; Social National Unity Party or PSUN [Carlos GARCIA Orjuela]; Radical Change or CR [German VARGAS Lleras] `* Colombia has 15 formally recognized political parties, and numerous unofficial parties that did not meet the vote threshold in the March 2006 legislative elections required for recognition ^T two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or ELN ^U BCIE, CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Carolina BARCO Isakson `S 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 387-8338 `U [1] (202) 232-8643 `V Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC ^W `R Ambassador William B. WOOD `_ Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831 `` Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038 `T [57] (1) 315-0811 `U [57] (1) 315-2197 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Colombia's economy has experienced positive growth over the past three years despite a serious armed conflict. The economy continues to improve in part because of austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, an improved security situation in the country, and high commodity prices. Ongoing economic problems facing President URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment, and to achieving congressional passage of a fiscal transfers reform; furthermore, new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production. However, the government's economic policy, democratic security strategy, and the signing of a free trade agreement with the US have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector. ^Z $366.7 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $105.5 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 5.4% (2006 est.) ^] $8,400 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 12% `A 35.2% `B 52.7% (2006 est.) ^_ 20.81 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 22.7% `A 18.7% `B 58.5% (2000 est.) ^a 11.1% (2006 est.) _! 49.2% (2005) _" `C 7.9% `D 34.3% (2004) _d 53.8 (2005) _# 4.3% (2006 est.) _V 22.8% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $50.7 billion `F $52.29 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 45.3% of GDP (2006 est.) _& coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp _' textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds _( 5.8% (2006 est.) _) 46.93 billion kWh (2004) _* 42.01 billion kWh (2004) _+ 1.682 billion kWh (2004) _, 48 million kWh (2004) _- 512,400 bbl/day (2005 est.) _. 269,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _W 1.282 billion bbl (2006 est.) _1 6.18 billion cu m (2004 est.) _2 6.18 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Z 114.4 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $-2.219 billion (2006 est.) _3 $24.86 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel, bananas, cut flowers _5 US 41.8%, Venezuela 9.9%, Ecuador 6.3% (2005) _6 $24.33 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity _8 US 28.5%, Mexico 8.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 6.5%, Venezuela 5.7% (2005) _[ $16.5 billion (2006 est.) _9 $37.21 billion (30 June 2006 est.) _: $NA _; Colombian peso (COP) _< Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,358.6 (2006), 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 7,678,800 (2005) _? 21.85 million (2005) _@ `G modern system in many respects `H nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities `I country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables _A AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) _B 60 (1997) _C .co _D 581,877 (2006) _E 4.739 million (2005) 
]' _F 984 (2006) _G `! 101 `a 2 `J 9 `b 38 `c 40 `W 12 (2006) _R `! 883 `a 1 `b 35 `c 275 `W 572 (2006) _] 2 (2006) _^ gas 4,360 km; oil 6,140 km; refined products 3,158 km (2006) _e `! 3,304 km `m 150 km 1.435-m gauge `n 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) _H `! 112,988 km `K 16,270 km `L 96,718 km (2004) _b 18,000 km (2005) _S `! 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 42,413 GRT/58,737 DWT by type: cargo 13, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 3 `d 7 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Panama 5) (2006) _I Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Muelles El Bosque, Puerto Bolivar, Santa Marta, Turbo 
]( _J Army (Ejercito Nacional), National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes naval aviation, marines, and coast guard), Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia, FAC) (2006) _T 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004) _K males age 18-49: 10,212,456 females age 18-49: 10,561,562 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 6,986,228 females age 18-49: 8,794,465 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 389,735 females age 18-49: 383,146 (2005 est.) _U 3.4% (2005 est.) 
]) _N memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea - final public hearings are scheduled for 2007; 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 of its neighbors' borders and have caused over 300,000 persons to flee the country, mostly into neighboring states _c `k 1.8-3.8 million (conflict between government and illegal armed groups and FARC factions; drug wars) (2006) _O illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator with 144,000 hectares in coca cultivation in 2005, a 26% increase over 2004, producing a potential of 545 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplies cocaine to most of the US market and the great majority of other international drug markets; in 2005, aerial eradication dispensed herbicide to treat over 130,000 hectares but aggressive replanting on the part of coca growers means Colombia remains a key producer; a significant portion of non-US 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 fell 50% between 2003 and 2004 to 2,100 hectares yielding a potential 3.8 metric tons of pure heroin, mostly for the US market; no poppy estimate was conducted in 2005 