Colombia at a glanceOfficial name: Republic of Colombia Capital: Bogota, population 6 million (1997 estimate) Founded: July 20, 1810 Official language: Spanish Monetary unit: Colombian peso; valuation (July 4, 2000): 1 U.S. dollar = 1,996 Colombian pesos Area: 440,000 square miles (1,144,000 square kilometers), twice the size of France
Land use (1993) Natural resources: oil, natural gas, iron, nickel, coal, copper, gold, silver, platinum, emeralds Government Type: Multiparty republic with three branches, executive, legislative, judicial Chief of state and head of government: President Legislature: Bicameral Congress -- Senate (102 members) and House of Representatives (161) Judiciary: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Council of State Political parties: Liberal Party currently controls Congress by a roughly 2-1 majority over the Conservatives. There are several smaller parties, most of which ally with one of the two major parties. Suffrage: Universal at age 18 Administrative divisions: 32 departments, plus Bogota capital district People Population (2000 estimate): 40 million (third most populous nation in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico) Density: 91 people per square mile (5 per square kilometer); density in eastern half of county is only 2 per square mile (less than 1 per square kilometer) Other major cities: Cali 1.7 million; Medellin 1.6 million; Barranquilla 1.2 million; Cartagena 746,000 Urban-rural ratio: 73 percent urban; 27 percent rural Ethnic groups: mestizo 58 percent; white 20 percent; mulatto 14 percent; black 4 percent; mixed black-Indian 3 percent; Amerindian 1 percent Religions: Roman Catholic 92 percent; other 8 percent Birth rate per 1,000 people (1996): 25.9 (world average 25) Death rate per 1,000 people (1996): 5.9 (world average 9.3) Natural increase rate per 1,000 people (1996): 20 (world average 15.7) Economy Gross domestic product (1998): U.S.$111.2 billion (U.S.$2,780 per capita) Annual growth rate (1998): 3.5 percent
Labor force (1997): 16.8 million Industries: textiles, food processing, petroleum, beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cement, gold, coal, copper, iron, nickel, emeralds, lumber, paper products, cut flowers Chief crops: coffee, rice, bananas, soybeans, sorghum, potatoes, corn, cotton, sugar, tobacco, coca Special note: Colombia is the world's leading supplier of refined cocaine and a growing supplier of heroin, according to the U.S. State Department. Quality of life Average household size (1985): 4.7 people Television sets per 1,000 people: 188 Radios per 1,000 people: 151 Telephones per 1,000 people: 161 Education and health Literacy (1995): 91.3 percent of people over age 15 can read and write Compulsory education: 5 years, for ages between 6 to 12 Percentage of population 25 and older with no formal schooling (1985): 15.3 percent Infant mortality (1999): 24.3 deaths per 1,000 live births (world average 80)
Life expectancy (1999): Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1990): homicide with firearms 101; cancer 82.6; heart disease 70.4; accidents 49; infectious disease 25.5 Physicians (1992): 33,498 (1 per 1,078 people) Hospital beds (1989): 45,888 (1 per 693 people) Communications Newspapers: 37 Newspaper circulation (1999): 55 per 1,000 people TV stations: 1 state-owned, 2 independent Radio stations: 31 state-owned, 558 independents Transportation Railroads (1995): 2,100 miles (3,400 kilometers) Roads (1997): 71,700 miles (115,600 kilometers); 12 percent paved Navigable waterways: 8,900 miles (14,300 kilometers) Passenger cars (1995): 1.2 million Trucks (1995): 550,000 Airports: 89 with paved runways (1998); 1,031 with unpaved runways Military Active duty personnel (1997): 146,300 (army 82.7 percent, navy 12.3 percent, air force 5 percent) Military expenditures (1998): U.S.$4 billion Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP (1998): 3.6 percent Military expenditures per capita (1998): U.S.$103 Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2000 World Almanac, Information Please Almanac, U.S. State Department, CIA World Factbook, World Desk Reference, Reuters news service. |