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 marine: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 330,316 GRT/484,351 DWT; includes 23 cargo, 1 chemical tanker, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 bulk; note—2 naval tankers are sometimes used commercially
_#_Civil air: 106 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 1,165 total, 1,045 usable; 69 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 8 with runways 2,440–3,659 m; 192 with runways 1,220–2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: nationwide radio relay system; 1,890,000 telephones; stations—413 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 28 shortwave 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations with 2 antennas and 11 domestic satellite stations
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia), National Police (Policia Nacional)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15–49, 8,998,759; 6,102,745 fit for military service; 353,122 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $892 million, 2.2% of GDP (1990) % @Comoros *Geography #_Total area: 2,170 km2; land area: 2,170 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 340 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claims French-administered Mayotte
_#_Climate: tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
_#_Terrain: volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
_#_Natural resources: negligible
_#_Land use: arable land 35%; permanent crops 8%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 16%; other 34%
_#_Environment: soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; cyclones possible during rainy season
_#_Note: important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel
_*People #_Population: 476,678 (July 1991), growth rate 3.5% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 87 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 59 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Comoran(s); adjective—Comoran
_#_Ethnic divisions: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim 86%, Roman Catholic 14%
_#_Language: Shaafi