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Colombia Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Colombia
Capital Bogotá
Area 1,141,748 sq km
440,831 sq mi
Colombia: Flag and Anthem
Colombia: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 44,227,550 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.43 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 55,064,507 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 64,534,230 (2007 estimate)
Population density 43 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
110 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 77 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 23 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Bogotá 6,778,691 (2005)
Cali 2,075,380 (2005)
Medellín 2,223,660 (2005)
Barranquilla 1,113,016 (2005)
Cartagena 895,400 (2005)
Ethnic groups
Mestizo 58 percent
White 20 percent
Mulatto (people of mixed black and white ancestry) 14 percent
Black 4 percent
Mixed black-Native American 3 percent
Native American 1 percent
Languages Spanish (official)
Religious affiliations
Roman Catholic 96 percent
Protestant 2 Percent
Nonreligious 1 percent
Other 1 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 72.2 years (2007 estimate)
Female 76.2 years (2007 estimate)
Male 68.4 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 20 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 741 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 909 people (2003)
Literacy rate
Total 93 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 93.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 92.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 5.4 percent (2002-2003)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 10 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 27 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Multiparty republic
Head of state President
Head of government President
Legislature Bicameral legislature
House of Representatives: 166 representatives
Senate: 100 senators
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution 5 July 1991; amended 2004
Highest court Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, State Council, Higher Council of Judiciary
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel 207,000 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 4.2 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 32 departments and a capital district
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $122 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $2,682.20 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 12.5 percent (2005)
Industry 34.2 percent (2005)
Services 53.3 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 22,339,580 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 22 percent (2005)
Industry 19 percent (2005)
Services 59 percent (2005)
Unemployment rate 14.2 percent (2003)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $38,345 million (2005)
Total expenditure $33,739 million (2005)
Monetary unit
1 Colombian peso (Col$), consisting of 100 centavos
Agriculture
Coffee, cacao beans, sugarcane, bananas, tobacco, cotton, cut flowers, rice, potatoes, cassava, plantains
Mining
Petroleum, natural gas, coal, nickel, emeralds, gold
Manufacturing
Food products, textiles, beverages, chemical products, transportation equipment
Major exports
Coffee, agricultural products (especially bananas, flowers, and cotton), petroleum, coal, gold, emeralds, chemicals, textiles
Major imports
Machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, minerals, metals, food
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Venezuela, Ecuador, Germany, and United Kingdom
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, and Germany
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 23.39 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 75.52 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 1.09 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 575 (2000 estimate)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 168 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 298 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 26 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 49 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 51 (1999)
Paved road as a share of total roads 14 percent (1999)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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