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more about colombia
colombia |
2 definitions found From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: Colombia n : a republic in northwestern South America; the major legal crop is coffee but cocaine is also a major export [syn: {Colombia}] From The CIA World Factbook (1995) [world95]: Colombia Colombia:Geography Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Map references: South America Area: total area: 1,138,910 sq km land area: 1,038,700 sq km comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Montana note: includes Isla de Malpelo Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank Land boundaries: total 7,408 km Brazil 1,643 km Ecuador 590 km Panama 225 km Peru 2,900 km Venezuela 2,050 km Coastline: 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; territorial dispute with Nicaragua over Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 29% forest and woodland: 49% other: 16% Irrigated land: 5,150 sq km (1989 est.) Environment: current issues: deforestation; soil damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions natural hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change, Desertification Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping Note: only South American country with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea Colombia:People Population: 36,200,251 (July 1995 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 32% (female 5,784,010; male 5,925,600) 15-64 years: 63% (female 11,642,870; male 11,245,235) 65 years and over: 5% (female 888,358; male 714,178) (July 1995 est.) Population growth rate: 1.7% (1995 est.) Birth rate: 21.89 births/1,000 population (1995 est.) Death rate: 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) Net migration rate: -0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) Infant mortality rate: 26.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.48 years male: 69.68 years female: 75.38 years (1995 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1995 est.) Nationality: noun: Colombian(s) adjective: Colombian Ethnic divisions: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Indian 3%, Indian 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 95% Languages: Spanish Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1985) total population: 88% male: 88% female: 88% Labor force: 12 million (1990) by occupation: services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990) Colombia:Government Names: conventional long form: Republic of Colombia conventional short form: Colombia local long form: Republica de Colombia local short form: Colombia Digraph: CO Type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure Capital: Bogota 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 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: 5 July 1991 Legal system: based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of executive and legislative acts accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state and head of government: President Ernesto SAMPER Pizano (since 7 August 1994); election last held 29 May 1994 (next to be held May 1998) and resulted in no candidate receiving more than 50% of the total vote; a run-off election to select a president from the two leading candidates was held on 19 June 1994; results - Ernesto SAMPER Pizano (Liberal Party) 50.4%, Andres PASTRANA Arango (Conservative Party) 48.6%, blank votes 1%; Humberto de la CALLE was elected vice president in a new proceedure that replaces the traditional designation of vice presidents by newly elected presidents. cabinet: Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso) Senate (Senado): elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results - percent of vote by party NA seats - (102 total) Liberal Party 59, conservatives (includes PC MSN, and NDF) 31, other 12 House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes): elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results - percent of vote by party NA seats - (161 total) Liberal Party 89, conservatives (includes PC MSN, and NDF) 53, AD/M-19 2, other 17 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justical), Constitutional Court, Council of State Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party (PL), Juan Guillermo ANGEL; Conservative Party (PC), Fabio VALENCIA Cossio; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado New Democratic Force (NDF), Andres PASTRANA Arango; Democratic Alliance M-19 (AD/M-19) is a coalition of small leftist parties and dissident liberals and conservatives; Patriotic Union UP is a legal political party formed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Colombian Communist Party (PCC), Carlos ROMERO Other political or pressure groups: three insurgent groups are active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Manuel MARULANDA and Alfonso CANO; National Liberation Army (ELN), Manuel PEREZ; and dissidents of the recently demobilized People's Liberation Army (EPL), Francisco CARABALLO Francisco CARABALLO was captured by the government in June 1994 Member of: AG CCC, CDB, CG ECLAC FAO, G-11, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, ONUSAL OPANAL PCA, RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO, UNHCR UNIDO UNPROFOR UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU WHO WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos LLERAS de la Fuente chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338 FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Washington, DC consulate(s): Atlanta and Tampa US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Myles R. R. FRECHETTE embassy: Calle 38, No 8-61, Bogota mailing address: Apartado Aereo 3831, Bogota; APO AA 34038 telephone: [57] (1) 320-1300 FAX: [57] (1) 288-5687 consulate(s): Barranquilla Flag: 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 Economy Overview: Colombia's economy has grown steadily since 1991, when the government implemented sweeping economic reform measures. President SAMPER, who took office in August 1994, has pledged to maintain those reforms while expanding government assistance for poor Colombians, who continue to make up about 40% of the population. In an effort to bring down inflation, SAMPER has arranged a "social pact" with business and labor to curtail price hikes and trim inflation to 18%. The rapid development of oil, coal, and other nontraditional industries, along with copious inflows of capital and strengthening of prices for coffee, have helped keep growth at 5%-6%. Development of the massive Cusiana oilfield provides the means to sustain this level over the next several years. Exporters say however, that their sales have been hampered by the appreciation of the Colombian peso, and farmers have sought government help in adjusting to greater foreign competition. Moreover, increased foreign investment and even greater domestic growth have been hindered by an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure and by violence stemming from drug trafficking and persistent rural insurgency. National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $172.4 billion (1994 est.) National product real growth rate: 5.7% (1994 est.) National product per capita: $4,850 (1994 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22.6% (1994 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.9% (1994 est.) Budget: revenues: $16 billion (1995 est.) expenditures: $21 billion (1995 est.) Exports: $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: petroleum, coffee, coal, bananas, fresh cut flowers partners: US 39%, EC 25.7%, Japan 2.9%, Venezuela 8.5% (1992) Imports: $10.6 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products partners: US 36%, EC 18%, Brazil 4%, Venezuela 6.5%, Japan 8.7% (1992) External debt: $12.6 billion (1994 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1994 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP Electricity: capacity: 10,220,000 kW production: 33 billion kWh consumption per capita: 890 kWh (1993) Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, metal products, cement; mining - gold, coal, emeralds, iron, nickel, silver, salt Agriculture: growth rate 3.8% (1994 est.); accounts for about 15% of GDP; crops make up two-thirds and livestock one-third of agricultural output; climate and soils permit a wide variety of crops, such as coffee, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseeds, vegetables; forest products and shrimp farming are becoming more important Illicit drugs: illicit producer of coca, opium poppies, and cannabis; about 45,000 hectares of coca under cultivation; the world's largest processor of coca derivatives into cocaine; supplier of cocaine to the US and other international drug markets; active eradication program against narcotics crop Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $399 million Currency: 1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos Exchange rates: Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1 - 846.67 (January 1995), 844.84 (1994), 863.06 (1993), 759.28 (1992), 633.05 (1991), 502.26 (1990) Fiscal year: calendar year Colombia:Transportation Railroads: total: 3,386 km standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 3,236 km 0.914-m gauge (2,611 km in use) Highways: total: 107,377 km (1991) paved: 12,778 km unpaved: gravel/earth 94,599 km Inland waterways: 14,300 km navigable by river boats Pipelines: crude oil 3,585 km petroleum products 1,350 km natural gas 830 km natural gas liquids 125 km Ports: Barranquilla Buenaventura Cartagena, Leticia Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco, Turbo Merchant marine: total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 104,577 GRT/142,617 DWT ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 9, container 4, oil tanker 3 Airports: total: 1,307 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 31 with paved runways under 914 m: 734 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 80 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 419 Colombia:Communications Telephone system: 1,890,000 telephones; modern system in many respects local: NA intercity: nationwide microwave radio relay system; 11 domestic earth stations international: 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations Radio: broadcast stations: AM 413, FM 0, shortwave 28 radios: NA Television: broadcast stations: 33 televisions: NA Colombia:Defense Forces Branches: Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana), National Police (Policia Nacional) Manpower availability: males age 15-49 9,851,980; males fit for military service 6,640,348; males reach military age (18) annually 349,599 (1995 est.) Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.2 billion (1992 est.)
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