Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged after the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A decades-long conflict between government forces and antigovernment insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization ceased to operate. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, organized criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. After four years of formal peace negotiations, the Colombian Government signed a revised final peace accord with the FARC in November 2016, which was subsequently ratified by the Colombian Congress. The accord calls for members of the FARC to demobilize, disarm, and reincorporate into society and politics, and it creates an alternative system for transitional justice that includes a “Special Jurisdiction for Peace” to address accountability for conflict-related crimes and established truth-telling mechanisms. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.

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

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)

tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos)

highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,730 m

petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower

arable land 1.4%; permanent crops 1.6%; permanent pasture 34.5%

10,900 sq km (2012)

the majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated

highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts

deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions

only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

47,698,524 (July 2017 est.)

mestizo and white 84.2%, Afro-Colombian (includes mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 10.4%, Amerindian 3.4%, Romani <.01, unspecified 2.1% (2005 est.)

Spanish (official)

Roman Catholic 79%, Protestant 14% (includes Pentecostal 6%, mainline Protestant 2%, other 6%), other 2%, unspecified 5% (2014 est.)

Colombia is in the midst of a demographic transition resulting from steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The birth rate has fallen from more than 6 children per woman in the 1960s to just above replacement level today as a result of increased literacy, family planning services, and urbanization. However, income inequality is among the worst in the world, and more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Colombia experiences significant legal and illegal economic emigration and refugee outflows. Large-scale labor emigration dates to the 1960s; the United States and, until recently, Venezuela have been the main host countries. Emigration to Spain picked up in the 1990s because of its economic growth, but this flow has since diminished because of Spain’s ailing economy and high unemployment. Colombia has been the largest source of Latin American refugees in Latin America, nearly 400,000 of whom live primarily in Venezuela and Ecuador. Venezuela’s political and economic crisis since 2015, however, has created a reverse flow, consisting largely of Colombians returning home.

Forced displacement continues to be prevalent because of violence among guerrillas, paramilitary groups, and Colombian security forces. Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected. Even with the Colombian Government’s December 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the risk of displacement remains as other rebel groups fill the void left by the FARC. Between 1985 and September 2017, nearly 7.6 million persons have been internally displaced, the highest total in the world. These estimates may undercount actual numbers because many internally displaced persons are not registered. Historically, Colombia also has one of the world’s highest levels of forced disappearances. About 30,000 cases have been recorded over the last four decades—although the number is likely to be much higher—including human rights activists, trade unionists, Afro-Colombians, indigenous people, and farmers in rural conflict zones.

Because of political violence and economic problems, Colombia received limited numbers of immigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly from the Middle East, Europe, and Japan. More recently, growth in the oil, mining, and manufacturing sectors has attracted increased labor migration; the primary source countries are Venezuela, the US, Mexico, and Argentina. Colombia has also become a transit area for illegal migrants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean who are en route to the US or Canada.

0.99% (2017 est.)

16.1 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

5.5 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

the majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated

BOGOTA (capital) 9.765 million; Medellin 3.911 million; Cali 2.646 million; Barranquilla 1.991 million; Bucaramanga 1.215 million; Cartagena 1.092 million (2015)

21.7 years

64 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2 children born/woman (2017 est.)

79.1% (2009/10)

7.2% of GDP (2014)

1.57 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 96.8% of population

rural: 73.8% of population

total: 91.4% of population

urban: 3.2% of population

rural: 26.2% of population

total: 8.6% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 85.2% of population

rural: 67.9% of population

total: 81.1% of population

urban: 14.8% of population

rural: 32.1% of population

total: 18.9% of population (2015 est.)

0.4% (2016 est.)

120,000 (2016 est.)

2,800 (2016 est.)

22.3% (2016)

3.4% (2010)

4.5% of GDP (2015)

presidential republic

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, Archipielago de San Andres, Providencia y Santa Catalina (colloquially San Andres y Providencia), Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada

20 July 1810 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

several previous; latest promulgated 5 July 1991; amended many times, last in 2015 (2016)

civil law system influenced by the Spanish and French civil codes

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Clara LOPEZ]

Conservative Party or PC [David BARGUIL]

Democratic Center Party or CD [Alvaro URIBE Velez, Oscar Ivan ZULUAGA, Carlos HOLMES TRUJILLO, Ivan DUQUE]

Green Alliance [Jorge LONDONO, Antonio SANGUINO, Luis AVELLANEDA, Camilo ROMERO]

Liberal Party or PL [Horacio SERPA]

Citizens Option (Opcion Ciudadana) or OC [Angel ALIRIO Moreno] (formerly known as the National Integration Party or PIN)

Radical Change or CR [Carlos Fernando GALAN]

Social National Unity Party or U Party [Roy BARRERAS, Jose David NAME]

Central Union of Workers or CUT

Colombian Confederation of Workers or CTC

General Confederation of Workers or CGT

National Liberation Army or ELN

BCIE, BIS, CAN, Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CELAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance, PCA, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the short-lived South American republic that broke up in 1830; various interpretations of the colors exist and include: yellow for the gold in Colombia's land, blue for the seas on its shores, and red for the blood spilled in attaining freedom; alternatively, the colors have been described as representing more elemental concepts such as sovereignty and justice (yellow), loyalty and vigilance (blue), and valor and generosity (red); or simply the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity

Andean condor; national colors: yellow, blue, red

Colombia’s economy benefits from free trade and sound fiscal policies but it has slowed in 2016 because of falling global oil prices, a strong dollar, and moderate inflation. Colombia heavily depends on energy and mining exports, making it vulnerable to a drop in commodity prices. Colombia is the world's fourth largest coal exporter, the world’s second largest coffee and cut flowers exporter, and Latin America’s fourth largest oil producer. Economic development is hampered by inadequate infrastructure, poverty, narcotrafficking, and an uncertain security situation.

Although real GDP growth averaged 4.7% for the past decade, growth fell to 2.0% in 2016. The El Nino weather pattern in early 2016 and a 40-day truckers strike caused food and energy prices to rise, with inflation spiking to a high of nearly 9% in July 2016. Declining oil prices have reduced government revenues. Colombia received about $1 billion in oil revenue in 2016, compared with $6 billion in 2014; oil accounts for 20% of government revenues. President Juan Manuel SANTOS signed into law a tax reform bill in December 2016 aimed at offsetting lost revenue from the drop in oil prices by decreasing corporate taxes to incentivize investment and by increasing the value added tax. The enactment of the tax reform bill was key to maintaining Colombia’s BBB investment-grade credit rating. Foreign investment has been hampered by Colombia’s struggle to address its fiscal problems. As of September 2016, FDI in Colombia had risen to $10.2 billion, up from $9.3 billion over the same period in 2015.

Colombia has signed or is negotiating Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with more than a dozen countries; the US-Colombia FTA went into force in May 2012. The US and Colombia have benefitted from the FTA, but Colombia’s ability to take full advantage of its enhanced access to American markets continues to be constrained by lack of export diversification. Non-tariff measures remain a point of contention for bilateral trade relations. The Colombian government acted in 2016 to address several bilateral trade irritants with the US, including truck scrappage, distilled spirits, pharmaceuticals, ethanol imports, and labor rights. US and industry stakeholders are still evaluating the implementation of recent reforms. Colombia is a founding member of the Pacific Alliance - a regional trade block formed in 2012 by Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru to promote regional trade and economic integration. In 2013, Colombia began its accession process to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

$688.6 billion (2016 est.)

$666.9 billion (2015 est.)

$640.2 billion (2014 est.)

$282.4 billion (2016 est.)

2% (2016 est.)

3.1% (2015 est.)

4.4% (2014 est.)

$14,100 (2016 est.)

$14,000 (2015 est.)

$13,800 (2014 est.)

21% of GDP (2016 est.)

20.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

21.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; shrimp; forest products

textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds

0.6% (2016 est.)

24.41 million (2016 est.)

9.2% (2016 est.)

8.9% (2015 est.)

27.8% (2015 est.)

53.5 (2014)

56.9 (1996)

26.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

-2.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

52% of GDP (2016 est.)

50.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

7.5% (2016 est.)

5% (2015 est.)

7.5% (31 December 2016)

6.5% (31 December 2014)

14.65% (31 December 2016 est.)

11.45% (31 December 2015 est.)

$34.01 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$32.82 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$136 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$121.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$153.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$133.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$85.96 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$146.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$202.7 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$-12.24 billion (2016 est.)

$-18.64 billion (2015 est.)

$33.38 billion (2016 est.)

$38.28 billion (2015 est.)

petroleum, coal, emeralds, coffee, nickel, cut flowers, bananas, apparel

US 33.5%, Panama 6.3% (2016)

$43.24 billion (2016 est.)

$52.05 billion (2015 est.)

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

US 26.4%, China 19.1%, Mexico 7.5%, Brazil 4.7% (2016)

$46.18 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$46.22 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$115 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$111.1 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$164.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$149.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$51.82 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$47.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Colombian pesos (COP) per US dollar -

3,055.3 (2016 est.)

3,055.3 (2015 est.)

2,001 (2014 est.)

2,001.1 (2013 est.)

1,798 (2012 est.)

67.26 billion kWh (2015 est.)

57.6 billion kWh (2015 est.)

460 million kWh (2015 est.)

45 million kWh (2015 est.)

16.66 million kW (2015 est.)

29.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

69% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

1.6% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

886,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

681,900 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

2.002 billion bbl (1 January 2017 es)

362,100 bbl/day (2014 est.)

345,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

83,920 bbl/day (2014 est.)

95,790 bbl/day (2014 est.)

11.91 billion cu m (2015 est.)

18.82 billion cu m (2015 est.)

400 million cu m (2015 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

123.5 billion cu m (1 January 2017 es)

74 million Mt (2013 est.)

combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media provide service; more than 500 radio stations and many national, regional, and local TV stations (2007)

.co

HJ, HK (2016)

836 (2013)

3 (2013)

gas 4,991 km; oil 6,796 km; refined products 3,429 km (2013)

24,725 km (18,300 km navigable; the most important waterway, the River Magdalena, of which 1,488 km is navigable, is dredged regularly to ensure safe passage of cargo vessels and container barges) (2012)

3.39% of GDP (2016)

3.13% of GDP (2015)

3.13% of GDP (2014)

3.29% of GDP (2013)

3.17% of GDP (2012)

National Army (Ejercito Nacional), Republic of Colombia Navy (Armada Republica de Colombia, ARC, includes Naval Aviation, Naval Infantry (Infanteria de Marina, IM), and Coast Guard), Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia, FAC) (2012)

18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation is 18 months (2012)

in December 2007, ICJ allocated San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina islands to Colombia under 1928 Treaty but did not rule on 82 degrees W meridian as maritime boundary with Nicaragua; managed 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 neighboring borders and have caused Colombian citizens to flee mostly into neighboring countries; Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and the US assert various claims to Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Bank

illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator with 159,000 hectares in coca cultivation in 2015, a 42% increase over 2014, producing a potential of 495 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplies cocaine to nearly all of the US market and the great majority of other international drug markets; in 2016, the Colombian government reported manual eradication of 17,642 hectares; Colombia suspended aerial eradication in October 2015 making 2016 the first full year without aerial eradication; a significant portion of narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso exchange; Colombia probably remains the second largest supplier of heroin to the US market; opium poppy cultivation was estimated to be 1,100 hectares in 2015, sufficient to potentially produce three metric tons of pure heroin