Guerrilla violence and low world oil prices will likely continue to undermine the economy in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$254.7 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 0.2% (1998)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$6,600 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 19% industry: 26% services: 55% (1996)
Population below poverty line: 17.7% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 46.9% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.7% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 16.8 million (1997 est.)
Labor force—by occupation: services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry 24% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 15.7% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $26 billion (1996 est.)
expenditures: $30 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996 est.)
Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and
footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
Industrial production growth rate: −1.2% (1996)
Electricity—production: 53.725 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 19.26% hydro: 80.74% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 53.857 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 132 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp
Exports: $11.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports—commodities: petroleum, coffee, coal, gold, bananas, cut
flowers
Exports—partners: US 38%, EU 23%, Andean Community 18%, Japan 3%
(1997)
Imports: $14.4 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports—commodities: industrial equipment, transportation
equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels
Imports—partners: US 42%, EU 23%, Andean Community 14%, Japan 4%
(1997)
Debt—external: $18 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $40.7 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1—1,562.0 (February 1999), 1,426.04 (1998), 1,140.96 (1997), 1,036.69 (1996), 912.83 (1995), 844.84 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1.89 million (1986 est.)
Telephone system: modern system in many respects domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations international: satellite earth stations—2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 463, FM 35, shortwave 45 (1998 est.)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997)
Televisions: 5.5 million (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 3,380 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge (connects Cerrejon coal mines
to maritime port at Bahia de Portete)
narrow gauge: 3,230 km 0.914-m gauge (1,830 km in use) (1995)
Highways: total: 115,564 km paved: 13,868 km unpaved: 101,696 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 14,300 km, navigable by river boats
Pipelines: crude oil 3,585 km; petroleum products 1,350 km;
natural gas 830 km; natural gas liquids 125 km
Ports and harbors: Bahia de Portete, Barranquilla, Buenaventura,
Cartagena, Leticia, Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco,
Turbo
Merchant marine:
total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 64,7575 GRT/84,518 DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 5, container 1, multifunction
large-load carrier 2, oil tanker 2 (1998 est.)
Airports: 1,120 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 89 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 36 914 to 1,523 m: 35 under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 1,031 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 63 914 to 1,523 m: 339 under 914 m: 628 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada
Nacional, includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Colombiana), National Police (Policia Nacional)
Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15–49: 10,418,211 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 6,980,700 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 360,820 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $4 billion (1998)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 4.2% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; territorial disputes with Nicaragua over Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of coca, opium poppies, and cannabis; cultivation of coca in 1997—79,500 hectares, an 18% increase over 1996; potential production of cocaine in 1997—125 metric tons, a 14% increase over 1996; cultivation of opium in 1997—6,600 hectares, a 5% increase over 1996; potential production of opium in 1997—66 metric tons, a 5% increase over 1996; the world's largest processor of coca derivatives into cocaine; supplier of cocaine to the US and other international drug markets; active aerial eradication program seeks to virtually eliminate coca and opium crops
======================================================================
@Comoros———
Introduction
Background: Comoros has had difficulty in achieving political stability, having endured 18 coups or attempted coups since receiving independence from France in 1975. Most recently, in August 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. An attempt in September 1997 by the government to reestablish control over the rebellious islands by force failed, and presently the Organization of African Unity is brokering negotiations to effect a reconciliation.
Geography
Location: Southern Africa, group of islands in the Mozambique
Channel, about two-thirds of the way between