República de Colombia | |
Motto Libertad y Orden | |
Anthem ¡Oh, Gloria Inmarcesible! | |
Capital | Bogotá |
Government | Presidential republic |
President | |
- From 2011 | Juan Manuel Santos |
Legislature | Congress |
- Upper house | Senate |
- Lower house | House of Representatives |
History | |
- July 20, 1810 | Declared |
- August 7, 1819 | Recognized |
- 1991 | Current constitution |
Area | 1,141,748 km² |
Population | |
- 2010 | 45,586,233 |
Density | 39.9/km² |
GDP | 2010 (PPP) |
- Total | US$ 430.5 billion |
- Per capita | US$ 9,445 |
Currency | Peso |
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The Republic of Colombia is a presidential republic in South America.
Background
Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A four-decade long conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large areas of the countryside are under guerrilla influence or are contested by security forces. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had ceased to function. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, emerging criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. In January 2011, Colombia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term.[1]
Economy
Colombia experienced accelerating growth between 2002 and 2007, chiefly due to improvements in domestic security, rising commodity prices, and to President URIBE's promarket economic policies. Foreign direct investment reached a record $10 billion in 2008, and continues to flow in, especially in the oil sector. A series of policies enhanced Colombia's investment climate: pro-business reforms in the oil and gas sectors and export-led growth fueled mainly by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. Inequality, underemployment, and narcotrafficking remain significant challenges, and Colombia's infrastructure requires major improvements to sustain economic expansion. Because of the global financial crisis and weakening demand for Colombia's exports, Colombia's economy grew only 2.7% in 2008, and 0.8% in 2009 but rebounded to around 4.5% in 2010. The government has encouraged exporters to diversify their customer base beyond the United States and Venezuela, traditionally Colombia's largest trading partners; the SANTOS administration continues to pursue free trade agreements with Asian and South American partners and awaits the approval of a Canadian trade accord by Canada's and EU's parliaments. The business sector remains concerned about Venezuela's trade restrictions on Colombian exports, an appreciating domestic currency, and the pending US Congressional approval of the US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.[2]
President
- Juan Manuel Santos (₩) (January 1, 2011 - )
Nation
Neighbouring Nations
References
- Colombia: a country study (Library of Congress)
- Colombia: a country study (archive.org)
- Colombia: Guide to Law Online (Library of Congress)
- Colombia: Location Map 2013 (UN OCHA, PNG)
- The World Factbook (CIA)
- Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments (CIA)
- U.S. Department of State
- Australian Government
- Inter-Parliamentary Union - Senate
- Inter-Parliamentary Union - House of Representatives
- BBC News Country Profile
- BBC News Time Line
- World Statesmen.org
- International Constitutional Law Project
- Psephos Election Archive
- Wikipedia