_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 1,000 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, 2,980 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: copra products
_#_Agriculture: gardens provide vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts
_#_Economic aid: none
_#_Currency: Australian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1—1.2834 (January 1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*Communications #_Ports: none; lagoon anchorage only
_#_Airports: 1 airfield with permanent-surface runway, 1,220–2,439 m; airport on West Island is a link in service between Australia and South Africa
_#_Telecommunications: 250 radios (1985); linked by telephone, telex, and facsimile communications via satellite with Australia; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV
_*Defense Forces #Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia % @Colombia *Geography #_Total area: 1,138,910 km2; land area: 1,038,700 km2; includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Montana
_#_Land boundaries: 7,408 km total; Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 2,900, Venezuela 2,050 km
_#_Coastline: 3,208 km total (1,448 km North Pacific Ocean; 1,760 Caribbean Sea)
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specified;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_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: mixture of flat coastal lowlands, plains in east, central highlands, some high mountains
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, 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%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; deforestation; soil damage from overuse of pesticides; periodic droughts
_#_Note: only South American country with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
_*People #_Population: 33,777,550 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 37 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 74 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Colombian(s); adjective—Colombian
_#_Ethnic divisions: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Indian 3%, Indian 1%
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 95%
_#_Language: Spanish
_#_Literacy: 87% (male 88%, female 86%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 11,000,000 (1986); services 53%, agriculture 26%, industry 21% (1981)
_#_Organized labor: 1,400,000 members (1987), about 12% of labor force; the Communist-backed Unitary Workers Central or CUT is the largest labor organization, with about 725,000 members (including all affiliate unions)
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Colombia
_#_Type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure
_#_Capital: Bogota
_#_Administrative divisions: 23 departments (departamentos, singular—departamento), 5 commissariats* (comisarias, singular—comisaria), and 4 intendancies** (intendencias, singular—intendencia); Amazonas*, Antioquia, Arauca**, Atlantico, 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*; note—there may be a new special district (distrito especial) named Bogota; the Constitution of 5 July 1991 states that the commissariats and intendancies are to become full departments and a capital district (distrito capital) of Santa Fe de Bogota is to be established by 1997
_#_Independence: 20 July 1810 (from Spain)
_#_Constitution: 5 July 1991
_#_Legal system: based on Spanish law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 20 July (1810)
_#_Executive branch: president, presidential designate, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of a nationally elected upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a regionally elected lower chamber or Chamber of Representatives (Camara de Representantes)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Cesar
GAVIRIA Trujillo (since 7 August 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party (PL), Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo, president, and Alfonso LOPEZ Michelsen, party head; Social Conservative Party (PCS), Misael PASTRANA Borrero; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado; Democratic Alliance (AD) is headed by 19th of April Movement (M-19) leader Antonio NAVARRO Wolf, 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
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President—last held 27 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994);
results—Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo (Liberal) 47%, Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado
(National Salvation Movement) 24%, Antonio NAVARRO Wolff (M-19) 13%,
Rodrigo LLOREDA (Conservative) 12%;
Senate—last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held 27 October 1991); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(114 total) Liberal 72, Conservative 40, UP 1, vacant 1;
Chamber of Representatives last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held 27 October 1991); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(199 total) Liberal 122, Conservative 68, UP 3, M-19 1, other 5; note—on 5 July 1991 the new Constitution dissolved Congress and replaced it with a multiparty 36-member legislative commission until a new congress, to be elected on 27 October 1991, takes office on 1 December 1991
_#_Communists: 18,000 members (est.), including Communist Party Youth Organization (JUCO)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: three insurgent groups are active in Colombia—Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), led by Manuel MARULANDA and Alfonso CANO; National