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 Liberation Army (ELN), led by Manuel PEREZ; and dissidents of the recently demobilized People's Liberation Army (EPL) led by Francisco CARABALLO
_#_Member of: AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-24, G-77, GATT,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS,
NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime GARCIA Parra; Chancery at 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387–8338; there are Colombian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tampa;
US—Ambassador-designate Morris D. BUSBY; Embassy at Calle 38,
No.8–61, Bogota (mailing address is P. O. Box A. A. 3831, Bogota or
APO Miami 34038); telephone [57] (1) 285–1300 or 1688; there is a US
Consulate in Barranquilla
_#_Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center
_*Economy #_Overview: Economic development has slowed gradually since 1986, but growth rates remain high by Latin American standards. Conservative economic policies have kept inflation and unemployment near 30% and 10%, respectively. The rapid development of oil, coal, and other nontraditional industries over the past four years has helped to offset the decline in coffee prices—Colombia's major export. The collapse of the International Coffee Agreement in the summer of 1989, a troublesome rural insurgency, and drug-related violence dampen prospects for future growth.
_#_GDP: $43.0 billion, per capita $1,300; real growth rate 3.7% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 32.4% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 10.4% (urban areas 1990) (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $4.39 billion; current expenditures $3.93 billion, capital expenditures $1.03 billion (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $6.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—coffee 24%, petroleum, coal, bananas, fresh cut flowers;
partners—US 36%, EC 21%, Japan 5%, Netherlands 4%, Sweden 3%
_#_Imports: $5.0 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—industrial equipment, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, paper products;
partners—US 34%, EC 16%, Brazil 4%, Venezuela 3%, Japan 3%
_#_External debt: $16.7 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5.0% (1990 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 9,435,000 kW capacity; 36,071 million kWh produced, 1,090 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, metal products, cement; mining—gold, coal, emeralds, iron, nickel, silver, salt
_#_Agriculture: growth rate 4.9% (1990); accounts for 22% of GDP; crops make up two-thirds and livestock one-third of agricultural output; climate and soils permit a wide variety of crops, such as coffee, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseeds, vegetables; forest products and shrimp farming are becoming more important
_#_Illicit drugs: major illicit producer of cannabis and coca; key supplier of marijuana and cocaine to the US and other international drug markets; drug production and trafficking accounts for an estimated 4% of GDP and 28% of foreign exchange earnings
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–89), $1.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–88), $3.1 billion; Communist countries (1970–89), $399 million
_#_Currency: Colombian peso (plural—pesos); 1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos
_#_Exchange rates: Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1—574.09 (January 1991), 502.24 (1990), 382.57 (1989), 299.17 (1988), 242.61 (1987), 194.26 (1986), 142.31 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 3,386 km; 3,236 km 0.914-meter gauge, single track (2,611 km in use), 150 km 1.435-meter gauge
_#_Highways: 75,450 km total; 9,350 km paved, 66,100 km earth and gravel surfaces
_#_Inland waterways: 14,300 km, navigable by river boats
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 3,585 km; refined products, 1,350 km; natural gas, 830 km; natural gas liquids, 125 km
_#_Ports: Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Covenas, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco
_#_Merchant
