| Government - Colombia | | | | | |
Type: Republic.
Independence: July 20, 1810.
Constitution: July 1991.
Branches: Executive --President (chief of state and head of government). Legislative --Bicameral Congress.
Judicial --Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Council of State, Superior Judicial Council.
Administrative divisions: 32 departments; Bogot·, capital district.
Major political parties: Conservative Party of Colombia, Liberal Party, and numerous small political movements (most of them allied with one or the other major party).
Suffrage: Universal, age 18 and over. Principal Government Officials
President--Alvaro URIBE VÈlez
Vice President--Francisco SANTOS CalderÛn
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Carolina BARCO Isakson
Minister of Defense--Camilo OSPINA Bernal
Ambassador to the United States--AndrÈs PASTRANA Arango
Ambassador to the Organization of American States--Alvaro TIRADO MejÌa
Ambassador to the United Nations--MarÌa Angela HOLGUIN Cuellar Colombia maintains an embassy in the United States at 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-387-8338). Consulates are located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan, and Washington. | | | Economy | | |
GDP (2005): $118.1 billion; base year 1994: $104.6 billion.
Annual growth rate (2005 est.): 4.3%.
Per capita GDP (2003): $2,574.30.
Government expenditures (2005): 38.5% of GDP.
Natural resources: Coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nickel, gold, silver, copper, platinum, emeralds.
Manufacturing (14.2% of GDP): Types --textiles and garments, chemicals, metal products, cement, cardboard containers, plastic resins and manufactures, beverages, wood products, pharmaceuticals, machinery, electrical equipment.
Agriculture (13.5% of GDP): Products --coffee, bananas, cut flowers, cotton, sugarcane, livestock, rice, corn, tobacco, potatoes, soybeans, sorghum. Cultivated land --8.2% of total area.
Other sectors (by percentage of GDP): Financial services --17.2%; commerce --11.4%; transportation and communications services --8.2%; mining and quarryin g--4.8%; construction and public works --5.3%; government, personal and other services --19.5; electricity, gas, and water --3.0%.
Trade: Exports (2005)--$18.8 billion: petroleum, coal, coffee, flowers, textiles and garments, ferronickel, bananas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, gold, sugar, cardboard containers, printed material, cement, plastic resins and manufactures, emeralds. Major markets --U.S., Venezuela, Germany, Netherlands, Japan. Imports (2005)--$18.6 billion: machinery/equipment, grains, chemicals, transportation equipment, mineral products, consumer products, metals/metal products, plastic/rubber, paper products, aircraft, oil and gas industry equipment, and supplies. Major suppliers --U.S., Germany, Japan, Panama, Venezuela. |
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This page was last updated on 18 August, 2008 |
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