Country Facts - Columbia

The People

Nationality Colombian(s)

Ethnic Composition

Mestizo	58%
White	20%
Mixed (black and white)	14%
Black	4%
Amerindian-Black	3%
Amerindian	1%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	90%
Other and nonaffiliated	10%

Languages Spoken

Spanish (official), numerous tribal languages.

Education and Literacy

School is compulsory for nine years in cities and for five years in rural areas. Literacy nationwide is 91.3 percent. (1995)

Labor Force

Total: 18.3 million (1999)
By occupation:

Services	46%
Agriculture	30%
Industry	24%

Geography

Land Mass Total

439,735 sq mi (1,138,910 sq km)
Note: Includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank

Land

401,044 sq mi (1,038,700 sq km)

Water

38,691 sq mi (100,210 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 3,730 mi (6,004 km)

Border countries: Brazil 1,020 mi (1,643 km), Ecuador 366 mi (590 km), Panama 139 mi (225 km), Peru 929 mi (1,496 km), Venezuela 1,273 mi (2,050 km).

Coastline

1,993 mi (3,208 km)
(Caribbean Sea 1,093 mi (1,760 km), North Pacific Ocean 899 mi (1,448 km)

Maritime claim

Continental shelf: 200m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands.

Terrain

Flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Pacific Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Nevado del Huila 18,864 ft (5,750 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower.

Land use

Arable land	2%
Permanent crops	2%
Other	96%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts.

Environment - current issues

Deforestation; soil damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogot á, from vehicle emissions.

Geography Note

Only South American country with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Demographics

Population

41,008,227 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	31.6%	Male: 6,552,961	Female: 6,399,666
15-64 years:	63.6%	Male: 12,694,293	Female: 13,375,425
65 years and over:	4.8%	Male: 886,921	Female: 1,098,961

Growth Rate

1.6% (2002)

Life Expectancy

70.85 years (2002)
female: 74.83 years
male: 67 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$6,300 (2001)

Infant Mortality

23.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.81 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.97 male(s)/female

Net migration rate

-0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Colombia's economy suffered from weak domestic demand, austere government budgets, and a difficult security situation. A new president takes office in 2002 and will face economic challenges ranging from pension reform to reduction of unemployment. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil and coffee, face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are depressed. Problems in public security are a concern for Colombian business leaders, who are calling for progress in the government's peace negotiations with insurgent groups. Colombia is looking for continued support from the international community to boost economic and peace prospects. The government of President Alvaro Uribe that took over in mid-2002 immediately began a process of fiscal cutbacks. This prompted aid from the Inter-American Development Bank to the tune of US$11.4 billion. The World Bank plans to stump up US$3.3 billion in 2003 as well. Uribe has made some quick progress, but unemployment still exceeds 15 percent, and foreign investors are still wary of Colombia's corruption and criminal sub-culture.

Unemployment

17% (2001)

Inflation Rate

7.6% (2001)

Industries

Textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement, gold, coal, emeralds.

Exports

US$12.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$12.7 billion (c.i.f., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$255 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

US 43%, Andean Community of Nations 22%, EU 14%, (2001)

Top Import Partners

US 35%, EU 16%, Andean Community of Nations 15%, Japan 5% (2001)

Top Exports

Petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers

Top Imports

Industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity

Debt - external

$39 billion (2001)

Economic aid

US$40.7 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year.

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to noon and 2p.m. to 5:30 or 6p.m. Some offices and most international firms have adopted a continuous workday from 8a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed
Retail	9a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 2:30p.m. to 7p.m.	Saturday 9a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 2:30p.m. to 7p.m.
Banks	9a.m. to 3p.m.	Closed
Government	8a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 2p.m. to 5:30p.m.	Closed

Note: Firms in the warmer towns such as Cali tend to start at 7a.m. and finish earlier.
Note: Offices are generally open to the public only in the afternoon.
Note: On the last Friday of the month, banks only stay open until noon.
Note: Some stores are open for a few hours on Sundays. Hours in rural areas may differ significantly....

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Epiphany	January 6	January 6	January 6
St. Joseph's Day	March 19	March 19	March 19
Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday)¹	April 17	April 8	March 24
Good Friday	April 18	April 9	March 25
Easter²	April 20	April 11	March 27
Easter Monday	April 21	April 12	March 28
Labor Day	May 1	May1	May 1
Ascension³	May 29	May 20	May 6
Corpus Christi*¹	June 19	June 10	May 26
Sacred Heart of Christ (Sagrado Corazon)*²	June 27	June 18	June 3
St. Peter and Paul	June 29	June 29	June 29
Independence Day	July 20	July 20	July 20
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	August 15	August 15	August 15
Dia de la Raza (Day of the People)	October 12	October 12	October 12
All Saints Day	November 1	November 1	November 1
Independence of Cartagena	November 11	November 11	November 11
Immaculate Conception	December 8	December 8	December 8
Christmas Day*³	December 25	December 25	December 25

¹	Takes place the Thursday before Easter. This feast commemorates the the institution of the Eucharist, and is one of the oldest observances peculiar to Christian Holy Week. Maundy, or Holy Thursday also marks the beginning of Passover.
²	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
³	The feast of Ascension takes place 40 days after Easter in both the Christian and Orthodox faiths and celebrates the ascent of Christ into Heaven.
*¹	Western Catholic feast commemorating the Eucharist, takes place 60 days after Easter, and is typically the time when believers take thier first communion.
*²	Catholic observance of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, takes place in June.
*³	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press