Background Notes: Colombia
PA/PC
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Date: Feb 15, 19902/15/90
Category: Country Data
Region: South America
Country: Colombia
Subject: Travel, History, International Organizations,
Trade/Economics
[TEXT]
Official Name: Republic of Colombia
PROFILE
Geography
Area: 1.14 million sq. km. (440,000 sq. mi.); about the size of Texas,
New Mexico, and Arkansas combined. Cities: Capital-Bogota (pop.
approx. 5 million). Other major cities-Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla,
Cartagena. Terrain: Flat coastal areas, central highlands,
mountains, and eastern plains. Climate: Tropical on coast and
eastern plains, cooler in highlands.
People Nationality: Noun and adjective-Colombian(s). Population
(1988): 31.3 million. Annual growth rate: 1.8%. Ethnic groups:
Mestizo 58%, white 20%, Mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Indian
3%, Indian 1%. Religion: Roman Catholic 95%. Language: Spanish.
Education: Years compulsory-5 (primary school). Attendance-77% of
children enter, but only one-half of the schools offer the full 5-year
cycle. Only 28% finish primary school. Literacy-80%. Health:
Infant mortality rate-56/1,000. Life expectancy (1987)-67 yrs.
Work force (14 million): Agriculture-26%. Industry-21%. Services-
58%.
Government
Type: Republic. Constitution: 1886 (amended).
Independence: July 20, 1810.
Branches: Executive-president (chief of state and head of
government). Legislative-bicameral congress. Judicial-Supreme
Court.
Administrative divisions: 23 departments; 4 intendencias; 5
comisarias; Bogota special district.
Major political parties: Liberal Party, Social Conservative Party and
Patriotic Union Party (UP)-a political movement formed by the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the communist
party (PCC). Suffrage: Universal age 18 and over.
Central government budget: $4.5 billion.
Defense: 14% of government budget and 1.9% of GDP.
Flag: Top half yellow, bottom half blue and red stripes of equal
width.
Economy
GDP (1988): $39 billion. Real GDP growth (1988): 3.7%. Per capita
GDP (1988): $1,280. Avg. inflation rate (1988): 28%. Unemployment
(Dec. 1988): 10.3%.
Natural resources: Coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nickel,
gold, copper, emeralds.
Agriculture (21% of GDP): Products-coffee, bananas, cut flowers,
cotton, sugarcane, livestock, rice, corn, tobacco, potatoes,
soybeans, sorghum. Cultivated land-5% of total land area.
Industry (21% of GDP): Types-textiles and garments, chemicals,
metal products, cement, cardboard containers, plastic resins and
manufactures, beverages, tourism.
Trade (1988 ): Exports-$5.3 billion: coffee, petroleum, gold,
bananas, flowers, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, ferronickel,
textiles and garments, coal and coke, sugar, cardboard containers,
printed matter, cement, plastic resins and manufactures, emeralds.
Major markets-U.S., F.R.G., Netherlands, Japan. Imports-$4.5 billion:
machinery/equipment, grains, chemicals, transportation equipment,
mineral products, consumer products, metals/metal products,
plastic/rubber, paper products. Major suppliers-U.S., Venezuela,
Japan, F.R.G., France.
Official exchange rate: Crawling devaluation maintained to
compensate for high inflation. 381 pesos=U.S.$1 (June 1989).
Fiscal year: Calendar year.
Membership In International Organizations
UN and most of its specialized and related agencies, including the
World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); Organization of American States
(OAS); the Group of Eight; Nonaligned Movement; Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB); Andean Pact; International Coffee
Organization (ICO); Latin American Integration Association (ALADI);
Latin American Economic System (SELA); INTELSAT.
GEOGRAPHY
Located in the northwest corner of South America, Colombia is
bordered by Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Panama. It is the
continent's fourth largest country and has a coastline of more than
1,448 kilometers (900 mi.) on the Pacific Ocean and 1,760
kilometers (1,100 mi.) on the Caribbean Sea.
The Andes Mountains enter Colombia in the southwest and fan
out into three distinct ranges running through the country from
southwest to north and northeast. Sprinkled throughout the ranges
are some 30 volcanoes. In November 1985, Volcano Nevado del Ruiz,
near the town of Manizales and about 50 miles west of Bogota,
erupted and caused severe mud slides as the glacier atop the
volcano melted. The town of Armero was completely inundated, and
more than 20,000 persons were killed.
Colombia has three main topographical regions:
-- Flat coastal areas broken by the high Sierra Nevada de
Santa Marta mountain range;
-- Central highlands; and
-- Sparsely settled eastern plains (llanos) drained by
tributaries of the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers.
The climate varies from tropical heat on the coast and the
eastern plains to cool, springlike weather with frequent light rains
in the highlands, which experience two dry seasons, from December
to February and from June to August. Bogota is 2,630 meters (8,630
ft.) above sea level. The average daily high temperature is between
18 C and 20 C (64 F-67 F); lows range from 9 C to 11 C (48 F-51 F).
PEOPLE
Colombia is the fourth most populous country in Latin America,
after Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Movement from rural to urban
areas has been heavy. The urban population increased from 57% of
the total population in 1951 to about 70% by 1987. The nine eastern
departments and territories, constituting about 54% of Colombia's
area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of fewer
than 1 person per square kilometer (2 persons per sq. mi.). The
country has 30 cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants.
The diversity of ethnic origins results from the intermixture
of indigenous Indians, Spanish colonists, and African slaves. Today,
only about 1% of the people can be identified as fully Indian on the
basis of language and customs. Few foreigners have immigrated to
Colombia. In 1988, an estimated 18,000 U.S. citizens were living
there.
HISTORY
During the pre-Columbian period, the area now known as
Colombia was inhabited by Indians, mostly primitive hunters or
nomadic farmers. The Chibchas, who lived in the Bogota region,
attained the highest level of civilization among the various Indian
groups. Spaniards first sailed along the north coast of Colombia as
early as 1500, but the first permanent settlement, at Santa Marta,
was not established until 1525.
In 1549, the area was established as a Spanish colony with the
capital at Bogota. In 1717, Bogota became the capital of the
viceroyalty of New Granada, which included what is now Venezuela,
Ecuador, and Panama. The city became one of the principal
administrative centers of the Spanish possession in the New World,
along with Lima and Mexico City. On July 20, 1810, the citizens of
Bogota created the first representative council to defy Spanish
authority. Total independence was proclaimed in 1813, and in 1819
the Republic of Greater Colombia was formed.
The Republic After the defeat of the Spanish Army, the
republic included all the territory of the former viceroyalty. Simon
Bolivar was elected first president and Francisco de Paula
Santander vice president. In 1822, the United States became one of
the first countries to recognize the new republic and to establish a
resident diplomatic mission. Ecuador and Venezuela withdrew from
the republic in 1830 and became independent states. Panama
remained part of Colombia until 1903.
Since then, two political parties that grew out of conflicts
between the followers of Bolivar and Santander-the Conservatives
and the Liberals-have dominated Colombian politics. Bolivar's
supporters, who later formed the nucleus of the Conservative Party,
advocated a strong centralized government, a close alliance
between the government and the Roman Catholic Church, and a
limited franchise. Santander's followers, forerunners of the
Liberals, wanted a decentralized government, state rather than
church control over education and other civil matters, and a
broadened suffrage. Those were the principal topics of political
debate throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The
Conservatives established a highly centralized government. The
Liberals eventually won universal adult suffrage and a large
measure of separation of church and state, although the Catholic
Church still retains some important powers, such as the right to
give religious instruction in all public schools.
Competitively elected Liberal administrations were in power
from 1860 to 1884, from 1930 to 1946, and from 1974 to 1982, and
from 1986 to the present. The Conservative Party held office from
1884 to 1930, from 1946 to 1953, and from 1982 to 1986.
Colombia, unlike many Latin American countries, established
early a solid tradition of civilian government and regular free
elections. The military has seized power only three times in
Colombian history - in 1830, 1854, and 1953. On the first two
occasions, the military dictator was overthrown and civilian rule
restored in less than a year. Colombia has had only one full-fledged
civilian dictatorship (1884-94).
Notwithstanding the country's commitment to democratic
institutions, Colombia's history has been characterized by periods
of widespread violent conflict. Two particularly tragic civil wars
resulted from bitter rivalry between the Conservative and Liberal
Parties. The War of a Thousand Days (1899-1902) cost an
estimated 100,000 lives. During La Violencia (the violence) of the
1940s and 1950s, 200,000-300,000 people were killed.
A military coup in 1953 brought Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla to
power. Initially, Rojas enjoyed wide popular support, partly for his
success in reducing La Violencia. When he did not promptly restore
democratic government, however, he was overthrown in 1957 by the
military with the backing of both political parties, and a
provisional government took office.
The National Front In July 1957, the most recently elected
Conservative President, Laureano Gomez (1950-53), and the most
recently elected Liberal President, Alberto Lleras Camargo (1945-
46), issued the "Declaration of Sitges" in which they proposed the
formation of a "National Front," under which the Liberal and
Conservative Parties would jointly govern. Through regular
elections, the presidency would alternate between the parties every
4 years; the parties also would have parity in all other elective and
appointive offices.
Colombian voters approved a series of constitutional
amendments necessary to effect these proposals and, in 1958, the
provisional government relinquished power to Lleras Camargo, who
had been elected the first president of the National Front
government with 80% of the vote. As specified in the National Front
agreement, a Conservative, Guillermo Leon Valencia, was nominated
to succeed Lleras Camargo in 1962; he won 62% of the vote.
Another Liberal, Lleras Camargo's distant cousin, Carlos Lleras
Restrepo, was elected president in 1966 with 71% of the vote.
The first three National Front presidents brought an end to La
Violencia and the blind partisanship that had afflicted both parties.
They committed Colombia to the far-reaching social and economic
reforms proposed in the charter of the Alliance for Progress and,
with assistance from the United States and the international
lending agencies, achieved major economic development.
In December 1968, after 2 years of effort, President Lleras
Restrepo won congressional ratification of important constitutional
reforms, which abolished a requirement of a two-thirds majority of
congress for passage of major legislation, increased the powers of
the executive branch in economic and development matters, and
provided for a carefully measured transition from the National
Front to traditional two-party competition.
The last president under the National Front's alternating
system was Misael Pastrana, a Conservative elected in 1970, who
won the presidency with 40.3% of the vote, defeating three other
candidates. His closest contender was Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla,
the candidate of the National Popular Alliance (ANAPO), a populist
opposition party. President Pastrana continued the Lleras
administration's emphasis on social objectives and economic
development, giving high priority to generating employment,
primarily by stimulating urban construction.
The parity arrangement for other offices has since been phased
out. In departmental (state) legislatures and city councils, it ended
in 1970, and in the congress, in 1974. Parity in the appointment of
the cabinet, governors, and mayors continued until 1978. Although
the parity system established by the Sitges agreement is no longer
in effect, the Colombian Constitution requires that the losing major
political party be given adequate and equitable participation in the
government. This was done by both Liberal President Turbay, who
took office in 1978, and Conservative President Belisaro Betancur,
elected in 1982. In 1986, however, the Conservative Party declined
Liberal President Virgilio Barco's offer of three cabinet positions.
Barco's cabinet is the first one-party cabinet in almost three
decades.
Leftist parties, including the Communist Party of Colombia,
rarely have obtained more than a few percentage points of total
votes cast. In mid-1985, the Pro-Soviet Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC) established a political party, the
Patriotic Union (UP). In the 1986 congressional elections, the UP
won six seats in the Senate and nine in the House; it received 4.3%
of the votes in the presidential elections. The UP, which has tried
to distance itself from direct identification with the FARC, won 16
of the 1,009 mayoral positions contested in Colombia's first
popular election of mayors on March 13, 1988, according to
Colombian Government statistics.
GOVERNMENT
The 1886 constitution has been amended frequently and
substantially. Major revisions were approved in December 1979,
and a revision enacted in January 1986 provided for the direct
election of mayors. The Barco administration has presented further
major constitutional amendments to the 1988 session of congress.
Freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, along with other
basic rights, is guaranteed by the constitution. The national
government has separate executive, legislative, and judicial
branches. Elected for a 4-year term, the president may not serve
consecutive terms. The president's extensive powers include
appointing cabinet ministers and departmental and territorial
governors without congressional confirmation.
No vice president as such exists. Every 2 years, congress
elects a "designate" from the president's party to become acting
president in the event of the president's resignation, illness, or
death. If the president is unable to serve, the acting president must
call new elections within 3 months. The designate has no duties,
receives no salary, and may hold other public or private positions
while serving as designate. If congress fails to elect a designate
and the president cannot serve, the foreign minister becomes acting
president.
Colombia's bicameral congress consists of a 114-member
Senate and a 199-member Chamber of Representatives, all elected
on the basis of proportional representation. Members and alternates
are elected within a few months of or at the same time as the
president but may be reelected indefinitely. If a member of
congress is absent temporarily or permanently, the seat is taken by
the alternate. Congress meets annually from July 20 to December
16, and the president may call it into special session at other
times.
Judicial power is exercised by the 24-member Supreme Court
of Justice, subordinate courts, and the Council of State. New
Supreme Court Justices are selected by justices already in office.
Appointments are lifetime until mandatory retirement at age 65.
The country is divided into 23 departments, the Federal
District of Bogota, 4 intendencias, and 5 comisarias (territories of
lesser rank not having local legislatures). Presidentially appointed
governors are considered agents of the national government,
although their powers are somewhat limited by elected
departmental legislatures, which are elected to 2-year terms.
Principal Government Officials
President-Virgilio Barco Vargas
Ministers Agriculture-Gabriel Rosas Vega
Communications-Enrique Danies
Economic Development-Maria Mercedes Cuellar de Martinez
Finance and Public Credit-Luis Fernando Alarcon Mantilla
Foreign Relations-Julio Londono Paredes
Government-Carlos Lemos Simmonds
Justice-Roberto Salazar
Labor and Social Security-Maria Teresa Forero De Saade
Mines and Energy- Margarita Mena de Quevedo
National Defense-Gen. Oscar Botero Restrepo
Education-Manuel Francisco Becerra Health-Eduardo Diaz Uribe
Public Works and Transport-Priscila Ceballos Ordonez
Ambassador to the United States-Victor Mosquera Chaux
Ambassador to the Organization of American States-Leopoldo Villar
Borda
Ambassador to the United Nations- Enrique Penaloza Camargo
Colombia maintains an embassy in the United States at 2118
Leroy Place, NW., Washington, D.C. 20008 (tel. 202-387-8338).
Colombian Consulates are located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, East
Lake, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San
Juan, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, and Wheeling.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Liberal candidate Alfonso Lopez Michelsen won the 1974
election with 55% of the vote. His administration was noted for
its efforts to resolve problems of inflation, unemployment, and
inequitable income distribution while cutting government spending
and making it more efficient. The Liberals also won the 1978
election behind Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala, with 49.5% of the vote to
the Conservative Party's 46.6%. Several radical parties split the
remainder of the vote. The Turbay administration attempted to end
the limited but persistent Cuban-backed insurgency that sought to
undermine Colombia's traditional democratic system. The success
of the government's efforts enabled Turbay, before leaving office,
to lift the state of siege that had been in effect for most of the
previous 30 years.
The Liberals failed in their attempt to win three consecutive
presidencies when they lost the 1982 election behind Alfonso Lopez
Michelsen. Conservative candidate Belisario Betancur won 47% of
the popular vote to Lopez' 41%. Luis Carlos Galan, who had split
from the Liberal Party and formed his own New Liberal Party, took
10% of the vote. The Liberals won a majority of House and Senate
seats from the Conservatives, with leftist front and independent
candidates winning only two seats in each chamber. In 1988, the
New Liberals were reincorporated into the Liberal Party.
President Betancur raised Colombia's international profile
with his often outspoken opinions on events in Central America
through his position as a member of the Contadora group. He also
stressed combating Colombia's insurgency through a cease-fire
arrangement that included the release of many guerrillas
imprisoned during the Turbay years. The cease-fire was signed in
1984 but began to unravel when the M-19 guerrillas resumed
fighting in 1985, by which time violence had reached levels prior to
the cease-fire.
Meanwhile, the growing wealth of Colombian narcotics chiefs
in the early 1980s, from the sale of cocaine to the United States
and other industrialized countries, was accompanied by a marked
increase in the wealth of guerrilla groups, especially the FARC,
through their participation in the illicit cocaine industry. This
wealth has led to a marked growth in the power of these two illegal
entities to operate with impunity in Colombia.
A vicious attack on the Supreme Court by the M-19 on
November 6-7, 1985, shocked Colombia. Of the 115 people killed,
11 were Supreme Court Justices. Although the government and the
FARC, the largest guerrilla group, renewed their truce indefinitely
in March 1986, peace with the M-19, the EPL, and dissident factions
of other guerrilla groups seemed remote as Betancur left office. In
September 1988, President Barco unveiled a new peace plan
requiring insurgents to cease antigovernment violence as a
condition to negotiations. As of June 1989, the only group to accept
this requirement was the M-19, which currently is negotiating with
the government.
Voters elected Liberal Virgilio Barco to the presidency in 1986
by the largest margin of victory ever. The Barco administration has
found that its greatest challenge is from narcotics
producers/processors and guerrillas. Violence emanating from both
groups has increased sharply. Like the Betancur administration
from 1984 to 1986, the Barco government places a high priority on
combating the production and trafficking of illegal narcotics.
Statistics for drug and chemical seizures and cocaine labs
destroyed have steadily risen over time. In 1986, 4.3 metric tons of
cocaine were seized; in 1988, that figure had reached 15.5 metric
tons; as of April 1989, 23 metric tons had been seized. Between
1981 and September 1988, 60 metric tons of cocaine, 17,760
metric tons of marijuana, and more than 4,000 cocaine labs were
destroyed. Lab seizures on the Magdalena River in April and May
1988 and January and February 1989 rivaled the Tranquilandia raids
of 1984. Police and military units have destroyed numerous other
significant labs. Their antinarcotics activity has grown in scope
and effectiveness over time, spearheaded by a special National
Police Anti-Narcotics Unit. Colombian importance as a marijuana
supplier has been reduced through a vigorous herbicidal eradication
program. More than 38,000 hectares of marijuana have been
eradicated. No safe and effective herbicide for coca has yet been
identified.
Narcotics activity is responsible for most of the violence in
Colombia. Narcotraffickers are at war with the police and the
military, with guerrilla groups (some of which also are involved in
narcotics), and with other drug lords. Narcotics-related violence
includes the murders of Attorney General Carlos Mauro Hoyos-
Jimenez and UP President Jaime Pardo Leal. Narcotraffickers also
have subverted and intimidated the Colombian judicial system, and
they remain a pervasive influence in much of Colombian society.
To address the problems of guerrilla violence and political and
economic underdevelopment, the Barco administration has pursued
long-range policies designed to deliver resources to the poorest
areas of the country while bringing them into the political
mainstream of the nation. The first popular election of mayors in
Colombia's more than 1,000 municipalities took place on March 13,
1988. This political reform is expected to extend real power and
decisionmaking to the local level in order to spread the country's
democratic institutions to all areas of the country. By the early
1980s, it had become obvious to Colombia's political elite that
many democratic institutions were atrophying; that for democracy
to work it had to be infused with new life through real political
competition at the local level in order to make national level
parties more responsive. The mayoral elections were carried out
peacefully with the Liberals winning 445 mayoralties, the
Conservatives 413, the UP 16, and other candidates 135.
ECONOMY
During the 1970s, Colombia's industrial development policy
shifted from an emphasis on import substitution toward export
expansion and diversification. The export share of nontraditional
goods such as clothing, yarns, cut flowers, cardboard, cement,
emeralds, sugar, rice, and cotton has continued to grow.
The economy experienced a real gross domestic product (GDP)
growth rate of 6.1% between 1970 and 1978. After 1979, GDP
growth declined due to a combination of external and internal
factors that included world economic recession, low prices for
many export goods, depressed domestic demand, increasingly
uncompetitive domestic industry, and high domestic interest rates.
Real GDP growth bottomed out in 1982 at 1%. In 1984-85, the
government initiated a wideranging structural adjustment program,
including trade liberalization, a sharp currency devaluation, and
budget and fiscal reforms. The economy responded vigorously, with
GDP growth jumping from 2.4% in 1985 to 5.1% in 1986 and 5.4% in
1987. The decrease of the GDP growth rate for 1988 to 3.7%
reflects a reduced coffee harvest, guerrilla disruption of petroleum
production, and the government's tight money policy to control
inflation. The government is projecting a return to 5% growth for
1989. Inflation continues to be one of the chief economic problems
with annual rates in the 25%-30% range.
Although Colombia's net international reserves grew to $5.6
billion in 1981, a sharp decline in coffee earnings and a continued
rise in energy import costs caused reserves to drop to roughly $1.8
billion by the end of 1984. A sharp improvement in the trade
balance-aided by improved coffee prices and commencement of oil
exports-helped bring the reserve level back up to $3.8 billion by the
end of 1988. The total foreign debt of $16 billion ($13 billion
public) is low by regional standards. The debt service ratio is
estimated at 42% of exports. In 1985, the government sought new
external financing of $4.1 billion from multilateral institutions and
commercial banks for 1985-86. In December 1985, Colombia signed
a $1 billion syndicated loan with foreign commercial banks,
followed by a similar loan in 1987, and a final syndication of $1.7
billion to round out requirement for 1989-90. The purpose of these
loans was to refinance a bulge in principle repayments occurring
during 1987-90. Long-range prospects for settlement of the
country's current external financing problems appear good, given the
promise of major earnings from energy exports, rapid growth in
other exports, and the country's reputation for conservative
financial management.
Mining and Energy
Colombia has substantial mineral and energy resources,
including petroleum, coal, nickel, gold, emeralds, natural gas, and
hydroelectric power. Colombia became a petroleum exporter in
mid-1986. Total production has since grown rapidly to more than
430,000 barrels per day (b/d) in early 1989 (when not disrupted by
guerrilla attacks), leaving about 200,000 b/d for export after
domestic consumption.
Coal also is becoming an important energy source and export
commodity. Excellent thermic quality, low sulphur and ash content,
and geographic location make Colombian coal an attractive energy
source for world consumers. From 1 million tons in 1984, exports
have increased to 11 million in 1988. Exports are expected to
continue rising to 20 million tons a year by 1993. At the same
time, coal is expected to play an increasingly important role in
meeting domestic energy needs. Colombia has an estimated 4% of
world nickel production and 15% of world ferronickel production.
Earnings from exports of ferronickel totaled $180 million in 1988,
due to a sharp price increase but may drop again as prices decline.
Colombia produces 90% of the world's supply of emeralds and
is an important producer of gold and platinum. Other mineral
resources include iron ore, phosphate rock, limestone, gypsum, and
salt.
Trade
Coffee remains the single most important item in Colombia's
export sector, although its share in total export earnings has
dropped sharply in recent years, from more than half to 30% in
1988. The world's second largest coffee producer, Colombia
produces 11-13 million bags (60 kilograms each) a year, or 12%-
15% of the world's coffee. Coffee normally earns Colombia about
$1.5 billion a year; due to drought in Brazil, such earnings in 1986
exceeded $2.7 billion.
Colombian exports (f.o.b.) in 1988 were $5.3 billion, only
slightly higher than $5.25 billion in 1984, due to lower oil export
volume and prices. The United States receives the largest share of
Colombia's exports, followed by West Germany, Venezuela,
Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden.
Colombian imports (f.o.b.), consisting primarily of wheat,
aircraft, transportation equipment, electric generators, iron, steel,
and aluminum, were $4.5 billion in 1988, up from $3.8 billion in
1987. More than one-third of Colombian imports come from the
United States. Other major suppliers (none with more than 10%
share) are Japan, West Germany, Venezuela, Brazil, and France.
Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Industry Agriculture
employs 26% of Colombia's labor force while contributing 22% of
total GDP. Because of Colombia's diverse climate and topography,
various crops can be grown. Cacao, sugarcane, coconuts, bananas,
plantains, rice, cotton, tobacco, cassava, and most of the nation's
cattle are produced in the hot regions-from sea level to 1,000
meters (3,300 ft.). The temperate regions-1,000-2,000 meters
(3,300-6,600 ft.)-are better suited for coffee, flowers, corn and
other vegetables, and fruits such as citrus, pears, pineapples, and
tomatoes. The cold regions-2,000-3,000 meters (6,600-9,900 ft.)-
produce wheat, barley, potatoes, cold-climate vegetables, dairy
cattle, and poultry. All of these regions yield various forest
products, ranging from tropical hardwoods in the hot country to pine
and eucalyptus in the colder areas.
The most industrialized member of the five-nation Andean
Pact, Colombia has four major industrial centers-Barranquilla, Cali,
Medellin, and Bogota-located in distinct geographical regions. The
most important manufacturing industries are textiles and clothing,
food processing (including beverages), paper and paper products,
chemicals and petrochemicals, cement and construction, iron and
steel products, and metalworking.
Foreign Investment
The government actively promotes foreign investment. As of
December 1988, total registered direct foreign investment was $3
billion, excluding petroleum activities, of which the U.S. share was
$2.5 billion.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Colombia traditionally has sought friendly diplomatic and
commercial relations with all countries, regardless of their
ideologies or political or economic systems. In 1983, Colombia
joined Venezuela, Mexico, and Panama in the Contadora group, which
has attempted to find a comprehensive peace settlement in Central
America, and assumed a role as mediator between creditor
countries and Latin American debtor nations. In 1982, Colombia
joined the Nonaligned Movement.
President Barco's has pursued a less dramatic role in foreign
affairs than his predecessor. He has stressed the continued pursuit
of peaceful relations with all countries, increased cooperation and
consultation with other Latin American countries, especially
regarding increased international cooperation in the fight against
illicit narcotics trafficking through membership in the Group of
Eight. Colombia was elected by consensus of the Latin American
group to a 2-year term on the UN Security Council. Through Foreign
Minister Julio Londono, President Barco also is pursuing reforms in
the structure of the Foreign Ministry designed to improve the
implementation of foreign policy.
Colombia has played an active role in the United Nations and
the Organization of American States (OAS) and their subsidiary
agencies. It was the only Latin American country to contribute
troops to the UN force in the Korean war. Former President Alberto
Lleras Camargo was the first Secretary General of the OAS (1948-
54). President Betancur also played a role in improving
international trade conditions for developing countries through the
International Coffee Organization (which he helped found), the Latin
American Integration Association (ALADI), the Inter-American
Economic and Social Council, and other international economic
forums.
Colombia led negotiations that resulted in the signing at
Bogota, on May 26, 1969, of an agreement for the gradual
development of the Andean Common Market, a subregional grouping
within ALADI, whose goal is to reduce trade barriers among the
Andean countries and coordinate economic policies. Other members
are Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela.
DEFENSE
Colombia's Ministry of Defense is charged with the country's
internal and external defense and security. The army, navy, air
force, and national police are under the leadership of the Minister of
National Defense (normally an army general). A small marine corps
is part of the navy. Jointly they serve as the country's armed forces
and number about 220,000 uniformed personnel-135,000 military;
85,000 police.
Many Colombian military personnel have received training in
the United States or in U.S. military schools in the former Panama
Canal Zone. Over the years, the United States has provided
equipment to the Colombian military through the military
assistance program or through foreign military sales.
U.S.-COLOMBIAN RELATIONS
Under President Barco, Colombia and the United States have
maintained good relations in general and have increased bilateral
cooperation in the area of illicit narcotics.
Generally, the record of U.S.-Colombian relations has been one
of constructive cooperation. Between 1961 and 1974, the United
States provided Colombia $1.4 billion in development assistance-
much of it through the Alliance for Progress-for land reform,
education, health, housing, transportation, and electrification. More
recently, the two governments have closely cooperated in narcotics
control efforts. A longstanding problem between the United States
and Colombia was the status of three small, uninhabited islands in
the Caribbean. It was finally resolved in 1981 with the ratification
of the Quita Sueno treaty, in which the United States renounced all
claims to the islands without prejudicing the claims of third
parties.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador-Thomas E. McNamara
Deputy Chief of Mission-J. Phillip McLean
Political Counselor-David L. Hobbs
Economic Counselor-Robert Bruce McMullen
Commercial Attache-Arthur Trezise
Administrative Counselor-George Lowe
Defense Attache-Col. Eugene E. Bouley, Jr.
Agricultural Attache-Larry M. Senger
Public Affairs Officer (USIS)-Howard A. Lane
Consul, Barranquilla-Ross E. Benson
The U.S. Embassy in Colombia is located at Calle 37, No. 3-40,
Bogota (tel. 285-1300). The U.S. Consulate in Barranquilla is
located at the Centro Comercial Mayorista, Calle 77 Carrera 68 (tel.
545-7088). The mailing address for the embassy and the consulate
is APO Miami 34038.
TRAVEL NOTES
Travel Advisory: Because of sporadic guerrilla activity, travel
in certain areas may be hazardous. Before traveling to Colombia, it
is recommended that persons check with the nearest U.S. Consulate
or with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, in
Washington, D.C., for the latest information.
Climate and clothing: Climatic variations depend on altitude.
Knits and lightweight woolens are suitable in Bogota.
Customs: A passport is required for travel to Colombia.
Tourists may enter and stay in Colombia for 30 days on a tourist
card provided by the airlines serving Colombia, providing the tourist
has a booked round trip passage. For a stay beyond 30 days, tourists
must obtain a visa from the nearest Colombian Embassy or
Consulate.
Health: Medical facilities are satisfactory; many doctors have
been trained in the United States and speak English. Common
medicines are available. Tapwater is not always safe in large
cities; food should be prepared carefully.
Telecommunications: Long-distance telephone and telegraph
service is available. Colombia is in the eastern standard time zone
but does not use daylight saving time during the summer.
Transportation: Flights to Bogota, Barranquilla, Cali, Medellin,
and Cartagena are easy to arrange from the United States, Europe,
and Latin America. Local air service is also available. Buses
provide service throughout the country. Taxis provide the most
reliable public transportation in cities.
Tourist attractions: The Bogota Gold Museum and the
Caribbean resort of Cartagena, with its 17th century fortifications.
National holidays: Establishments, including the U.S. Embassy,
may be closed on the following holidays:
New Year's Day January 1
Epiphany January 11*
St. Joseph's Day March 21*
Holy Thursday March 31*
Good Friday April 1*
Labor Day May 1
Ascension Day May 16*
Corpus Christi June 6*
Feast of the Sacred Heart June 13*
Saints Peter and Paul July 4*
Independence Day July 20
Battle of Boyaca August 7
Assumption Day August 15*
Columbus Day October 17*
All Saints' Day November 7*
Independence of Cartagena November 14*
Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 8
Christmas Day December 25
*exact day varies each year.
FURTHER INFORMATION
These titles are provided as a general indication of material
published on this country. Department of State does not endorse
unofficial publications.
Bagley, Bruce M. "Colombia: National Front and Economic
Development," Robert Wesson, ed., Politics,Policies and Economic
Development in Latin America. Stanford: Hoover Press, 1984.
Berquist, Charles W. Coffee and Conflict in Colombia 1886-1910.
Durham: Duke University Press 1978. Berry, R.A. et al (eds.).
Politics of Compromise: Coalition Government in Colombia. New
Brunswick: Transaction, 1980.
Braun, Herbert. The Assassination of Gaitan: Public Life and Urban
Violence in Colombia. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press,
1985.
Corr, Edwin G. The Political Process in Colombia. Denver: University
of Denver Press, 1972.
Craig, Richard B. "Colombian Narcotics and United States-
Colombian Relations." Journal of Inter-American Studies and World
Affairs 23. No. 3 (Aug. 1981): 243-270.
Dix, Robert H. The Politics of Colombia. New York: Praeger
publishers, 1987. Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of
Solitude. New York: Avon publishers, 1972.
Hartlyn, Jonathan. "Military Governments and the Transition to
Civilian Rule: The Colombian Experience of 1957-58." Journal of
Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 26. No. 2 (May 1984): 245-
81. "Colombia: Old Problems, New Opportunities." Current History.
vol. 82 (Feb. 1983), pp. 62-55, 83-83.
Henderson, James D. When Colombia Bled: A History of the Violence
in Tolima. Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1985. Hirschman,
A.O. "Land Use and Land Reform in Colombia." Journeys Toward
Progress. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1973, Chap. 2, pp. 95-158.
Kline, Harvey F. Colombia: Portrait of Unity and Diversity. Boulder:
Westview Press, 1983. "New Directions in Colombia." Current
History 84. No. 499 (Feb. 1985): pp. 65-68.
Levine, Daniel H. Religion and Politics in Latin America: The
Catholic Church in Venezuela and Colombia. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1981. Medhurst, Kenneth N. The Church and Labour
in Colombia. Manchester: University of Manchester, 1984.
Oquist, Paul. Violence, Conflict and Politics in Colombia. New
York: Academic Press, 1980. Palacios, Marco. Coffee in Colombia,
1850-1970. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980.
Premo, Daniel. "Colombia: Cool Friendship." Robert Wesson, ed. U.S.
Influence in Latin America in the 1980s. Chap. 6. New York: Praeger,
1982.
Urrutia, Miguel. The Development of the Colombian Labor Movement.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1969. U.S. Department of State.
Colombia Post Report. Oct. 1987. World Bank. Colombia: Economic
Development and Policy Under Changing Conditions. Washington:
World Bank, 984.
Available from the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402: American
University. Area Handbook for Colombia. 1977. U.S. Department of
Commerce.
Foreign Economic Trends -Colombia. International Marketing
Information Pamphlets on Colombia, including a monthly
newsletter, "Colombia Today," are available without charge from
the Colombia Information Service, 140 East 57th Street, New York,
NY 10022 (tel. 212-421-8270).
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau
of Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication --
Washington, D.C. -- February 1990 -- Editor: Juanita Adams --
Department of State Publication 7767 -- Background Notes Series --
This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted
without permission; citation of this source is appreciated. For sale
by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. (###)