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#CARD:Colombia:Background Notes
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE BACKGROUND NOTES:  COLOMBIA

February 1990
OFFICIAL NAME:   Republic of Colombia

PROFILE
Geography
Area: 1.14 million sq. km. (440,000 sq. mi.); about the size of Texas,
New Mexico, and Arkansas combined.  Cities: Capital-Bogota (pop. approx.
5 million).  Other major cities-Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena.
 Terrain: Flat coastal areas, central highlands, mountains, and eastern
plains.  Climate: Tropical on coast and eastern plains, cooler in
highlands.
People Nationality: Noun and adjective-Colombian(s).  Population (1988):
31.3 million.  Annual growth rate: 1.8%.  Ethnic groups: Mestizo 58%,
white 20%, Mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Indian 3%, Indian 1%.
Religion: Roman Catholic 95%. Language: Spanish.  Education: Years
compulsory-5 (primary school).  Attendance-77% of children enter, but
only one-half of the schools offer the full 5-year cycle.  Only 28%
finish primary school.  Literacy-80%.  Health: Infant mortality
rate-56/1,000.  Life expectancy (1987)-67 yrs.  Work force (14 million):
 Agriculture-26%. Industry-21%. Services-58%.

Government
Type: Republic. Constitution: 1886 (amended).  Independence: July 20,
1810.
Branches: Executive-president (chief of state and head of government).
Legislative-bicameral congress.  Judicial-Supreme Court.
Administrative divisions: 23 departments; 4 intendencias; 5 comisarias;
Bogota special district.
Major political parties: Liberal Party, Social Conservative Party and
Patriotic Union Party (UP)-a political movement formed by the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the communist party
(PCC).  Suffrage: Universal age 18 and over.
Central government budget: $4.5 billion.
Defense: 14% of government budget and 1.9% of GDP.
Flag: Top half yellow, bottom half blue and red stripes of equal width.

Economy
GDP (1988):  $39 billion.  Real GDP growth (1988):  3.7%. Per capita GDP
(1988):  $1,280.  Avg. inflation rate (1988): 28%. Unemployment (Dec.
1988): 10.3%.
Natural resources:  Coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nickel,
gold, copper, emeralds.
Agriculture (21% of GDP):  Products-coffee, bananas, cut flowers,
cotton, sugarcane, livestock, rice, corn, tobacco, potatoes, soybeans,
sorghum.  Cultivated land-5% of total land area.
Industry (21% of GDP):  Types-textiles and garments, chemicals, metal
products, cement, cardboard containers, plastic resins and manufactures,
beverages, tourism.
Trade (1988 ):  Exports-$5.3 billion:  coffee, petroleum, gold, bananas,
flowers, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, ferronickel, textiles and
garments, coal and coke, sugar, cardboard containers, printed matter,
cement, plastic resins and manufactures, emeralds.  Major markets-U.S.,
F.R.G., Netherlands, Japan.  Imports-$4.5 billion: machinery/equipment,
grains, chemicals, transportation equipment, mineral products, consumer
products, metals/metal products, plastic/rubber, paper products.  Major
suppliers-U.S., Venezuela, Japan, F.R.G., France.
Official exchange rate:  Crawling devaluation maintained to compensate
for high inflation.  381 pesos=U.S.$1 (June 1989).
Fiscal year: Calendar year.

Membership In International Organizations
 UN and most of its specialized and related agencies, including the
World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT); Organization of American States (OAS); the
Group of Eight; Nonaligned Movement; Inter-American Development Bank
(IDB); Andean Pact; International Coffee Organization (ICO); Latin
American Integration Association (ALADI); Latin American Economic System
(SELA); INTELSAT.

GEOGRAPHY
 Located in the northwest corner of South America, Colombia is bordered
by Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Panama.  It is the continent's
fourth largest country and has a coastline of more than 1,448 kilometers
(900 mi.) on the Pacific Ocean and 1,760 kilometers (1,100 mi.) on the
Caribbean Sea.
 The Andes Mountains enter Colombia in the southwest and fan out into
three distinct ranges running through the country from southwest to
north and northeast. Sprinkled throughout the ranges are some 30
volcanoes.  In November 1985, Volcano Nevado del Ruiz, near the town of
Manizales and about 50 miles west of Bogota, erupted and caused severe
mud slides as the glacier atop the volcano melted.  The town of Armero
was completely inundated, and more than 20,000 persons were killed.
 Colombia has three main topographical regions:
  -- Flat coastal areas broken by the high Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
mountain range;
  -- Central highlands; and
  --Sparsely settled eastern plains (llanos) drained by tributaries of
the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers.
 The climate varies from tropical heat on the coast and the eastern
plains to cool, springlike weather with frequent light rains in the
highlands, which experience two dry seasons, from December to February
and from June to August.  Bogota is 2,630 meters (8,630 ft.) above sea
level.  The average daily high temperature is between 18 C and 20 C (64
F-67 F); lows range from 9 C to 11 C (48 F-51 F).

PEOPLE
 Colombia is the fourth most populous country in Latin America, after
Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.  Movement from rural to urban areas has
been heavy.  The urban population increased from 57% of the total
population in 1951 to about 70% by 1987.  The nine eastern departments
and territories, constituting about 54% of Colombia's area, have less
than 3% of the population and a density of fewer than 1 person per
square kilometer (2 persons per sq. mi.).  The country has 30 cities
with 100,000 or more inhabitants.
 The diversity of ethnic origins results from the intermixture of
indigenous Indians, Spanish colonists, and African slaves.  Today, only
about 1% of the people can be identified as fully Indian on the basis of
language and customs.  Few foreigners have immigrated to Colombia.  In
1988, an estimated 18,000 U.S. citizens were living there.

HISTORY
 During the pre-Columbian period, the area now known as Colombia was
inhabited by Indians, mostly primitive hunters or nomadic farmers.  The
Chibchas, who lived in the Bogota region, attained the highest level of
civilization among the various Indian groups.  Spaniards first sailed
along the north coast of Colombia as early as 1500, but the first
permanent settlement, at Santa Marta, was not established until 1525.
 In 1549, the area was established as a Spanish colony with the capital
at Bogota.  In 1717, Bogota became the capital of the viceroyalty of New
Granada, which included what is now Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama.  The
city became one of the principal administrative centers of the Spanish
possession in the New World, along with Lima and Mexico City.  On July
20, 1810, the citizens of Bogota created the first representative
council to defy Spanish authority.  Total independence was proclaimed in
1813, and in 1819 the Republic of Greater Colombia was formed.
 The Republic After the defeat of the Spanish Army, the republic
included all the territory of the former viceroyalty.  Simon Bolivar was
elected first president and Francisco de Paula Santander vice president.
 In 1822, the United States became one of the first countries to
recognize the new republic and to establish a resident diplomatic
mission.  Ecuador and Venezuela withdrew from the republic in 1830 and
became independent states.  Panama remained part of Colombia until 1903.
 Since then, two political parties that grew out of conflicts between
the followers of Bolivar and Santander-the Conservatives and the
Liberals-have dominated Colombian politics.  Bolivar's supporters, who
later formed the nucleus of the Conservative Party, advocated a strong
centralized government, a close alliance between the government and the
Roman Catholic Church, and a limited franchise.  Santander's followers,
forerunners of the Liberals, wanted a decentralized government, state
rather than church control over education and other civil matters, and a
broadened suffrage.  Those were the principal topics of political debate
throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.  The Conservatives
established a highly centralized government.  The Liberals eventually
won universal adult suffrage and a large measure of separation of church
and state, although the Catholic Church still retains some important
powers, such as the right to give religious instruction in all public
schools.
 Competitively elected Liberal administrations were in power from 1860
to 1884, from 1930 to 1946, and from 1974 to 1982, and from 1986 to the
present.  The Conservative Party held office from 1884 to 1930, from
1946 to 1953, and from 1982 to 1986.
 Colombia, unlike many Latin American countries, established early a
solid tradition of civilian government and regular free elections.  The
military has seized power only three times in Colombian history - in
1830, 1854, and 1953.  On the first two occasions, the military dictator
was overthrown and civilian rule restored in less than a year.  Colombia
has had only one full-fledged civilian dictatorship (1884-94).
 Notwithstanding the country's commitment to democratic institutions,
Colombia's history has been characterized by periods of widespread
violent conflict.  Two particularly tragic civil wars resulted from
bitter rivalry between the Conservative and Liberal Parties.  The War of
a Thousand Days (1899-1902) cost an estimated 100,000 lives.  During La
Violencia (the violence) of the 1940s and 1950s, 200,000-300,000 people
were killed.
 A military coup in 1953 brought Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla to power.
Initially, Rojas enjoyed wide popular support, partly for his success in
reducing La Violencia.  When he did not promptly restore democratic
government, however, he was overthrown in 1957 by the military with the
backing of both political parties, and a provisional government took
office.
 The National Front In July 1957, the  most recently elected
Conservative President, Laureano Gomez (1950-53), and the most recently
elected Liberal President, Alberto Lleras Camargo (1945-46), issued the
"Declaration of Sitges" in which they proposed the formation of a
"National Front," under which the Liberal and Conservative Parties would
jointly govern.  Through regular elections, the presidency would
alternate between the parties every 4 years; the parties also would have
parity in all other elective and appointive offices.
 Colombian voters approved a series of constitutional amendments
necessary to effect these proposals and, in 1958, the provisional
government relinquished power to Lleras Camargo, who had been elected
the first president of the National Front government with 80% of the
vote.  As specified in the National Front agreement, a Conservative,
Guillermo Leon Valencia, was nominated to succeed Lleras Camargo in
1962; he won 62% of the vote.  Another Liberal, Lleras Camargo's distant
cousin, Carlos Lleras Restrepo, was elected president in 1966 with 71%
of the vote.
 The first three National Front presidents brought an end to La
Violencia and the blind partisanship that had afflicted both parties.
They committed Colombia to the far-reaching social and economic reforms
proposed in the charter of the Alliance for Progress and, with
assistance from the United States and the international lending
agencies, achieved major economic development.
 In December 1968, after 2 years of effort, President Lleras Restrepo
won congressional ratification of important constitutional reforms,
which abolished a requirement of a two-thirds majority of congress for
passage of major legislation, increased the powers of the executive
branch in economic and development matters, and provided for a carefully
measured transition from the National Front to traditional two-party
competition.
 The last president under the National Front's alternating system was
Misael Pastrana, a Conservative elected in 1970, who won the presidency
with 40.3% of the vote, defeating three other candidates.  His closest
contender was Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, the candidate of the National
Popular Alliance (ANAPO), a populist opposition party.  President
Pastrana continued the Lleras administration's emphasis on social
objectives and economic development, giving high priority to generating
employment, primarily by stimulating urban construction.
 The parity arrangement for other offices has since been phased out.  In
departmental (state) legislatures and city councils, it ended in 1970,
and in the congress, in 1974.  Parity in the appointment of the cabinet,
governors, and mayors continued until 1978.  Although the parity system
established by the Sitges agreement is no longer in effect, the
Colombian Constitution requires that the losing major political party be
given adequate and equitable participation in the government.  This was
done by both Liberal President Turbay, who took office in 1978, and
Conservative President Belisaro Betancur, elected in 1982.  In 1986,
however, the Conservative Party declined Liberal President Virgilio
Barco's offer of three cabinet positions.  Barco's cabinet is the first
one-party cabinet in almost three decades.
 Leftist parties, including the Communist Party of Colombia, rarely have
obtained more than a few percentage points of total votes cast.  In
mid-1985, the Pro-Soviet Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
established a political party, the Patriotic Union (UP).  In the 1986
congressional elections, the UP won six seats in the Senate and nine in
the House; it received 4.3% of the votes in the presidential elections.
The UP, which has tried to distance itself from direct identification
with the FARC, won 16 of the 1,009 mayoral positions contested in
Colombia's first  popular election of mayors on March 13, 1988,
according to Colombian Government  statistics.

GOVERNMENT
 The 1886 constitution has been amended frequently and substantially.
Major revisions were approved in December 1979, and a revision enacted
in January 1986 provided for the direct election of mayors.  The Barco
administration has presented further major constitutional amendments to
the 1988 session of congress.
 Freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, along with other basic
rights, is guaranteed by the constitution.  The national government has
separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  Elected for a
4-year term, the president may not serve consecutive terms.  The
president's extensive powers include appointing cabinet ministers and
departmental and territorial governors without congressional
confirmation.
 No vice president as such exists.  Every 2 years, congress elects a
"designate" from the president's party to become acting president in the
event of the president's resignation, illness, or death.  If the
president is unable to serve, the acting president must call new
elections within 3 months.  The designate has no duties, receives no
salary, and may hold other public or private positions while serving as
designate.  If congress fails to elect a designate and the president
cannot serve, the foreign minister becomes acting president.

 Colombia's bicameral congress consists of a 114-member Senate and a
199-member Chamber of Representatives, all elected on the basis of
proportional representation.  Members and alternates are elected within
a few months of or at the same time as the president but may be
reelected indefinitely.  If a member of congress is absent temporarily
or permanently, the seat is taken by the alternate.  Congress meets
annually from July 20 to December 16, and the president may call it into
special session at other times.
 Judicial power is exercised by the 24-member Supreme Court of Justice,
subordinate courts, and the Council of State.  New Supreme Court
Justices are selected by justices already in office.  Appointments are
lifetime until mandatory retirement at age 65.
 The country is divided into 23 departments, the Federal District of
Bogota, 4 intendencias, and 5 comisarias (territories of lesser rank not
having local legislatures).  Presidentially appointed governors are
considered agents of the national government, although their powers are
somewhat limited by elected departmental legislatures, which are elected
to 2-year terms.

Principal Government Officials
President-Virgilio Barco Vargas
Ministers Agriculture-Gabriel Rosas Vega
Communications-Enrique Danies
Economic Development-Maria Mercedes Cuellar de Martinez
Finance and Public Credit-Luis Fernando Alarcon Mantilla
Foreign Relations-Julio Londono Paredes
Government-Carlos Lemos Simmonds
Justice-Roberto Salazar
Labor and Social Security-Maria Teresa Forero De Saade
Mines and Energy- Margarita Mena de Quevedo
National Defense-Gen. Oscar Botero Restrepo
Education-Manuel Francisco Becerra Health-Eduardo Diaz Uribe
Public Works and Transport-Priscila Ceballos Ordonez
Ambassador to the United States-Victor Mosquera Chaux
Ambassador to the Organization of American States-Leopoldo Villar Borda
Ambassador to the United Nations- Enrique Penaloza Camargo

 Colombia maintains an embassy in the United States at 2118 Leroy Place,
NW., Washington, D.C.  20008  (tel. [phone]).  Colombian Consulates
are located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, East Lake, Detroit, Ft.
Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New
York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Juan, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington,
and Wheeling.

POLITICAL CONDITIONS
 Liberal candidate Alfonso Lopez Michelsen won the 1974 election with
55% of the vote.   His administration was noted for its efforts to
resolve problems of inflation, unemployment, and inequitable income
distribution while cutting government spending and making it more
efficient.  The Liberals also won the 1978 election behind Julio Cesar
Turbay Ayala, with 49.5% of the vote to the Conservative Party's 46.6%.
Several radical parties split the remainder of the vote.  The Turbay
administration attempted to end the limited but persistent Cuban-backed
insurgency that sought to undermine Colombia's traditional democratic
system.  The success of the government's efforts enabled Turbay, before
leaving office, to lift the state of siege that had been in effect for
most of the previous 30 years.
 The Liberals failed in their attempt to win three consecutive
presidencies when they lost the 1982 election behind Alfonso Lopez
Michelsen.  Conservative candidate Belisario Betancur won 47% of the
popular vote to Lopez' 41%.  Luis Carlos Galan, who had split from the
Liberal Party and formed his own New Liberal Party, took 10% of the
vote.  The Liberals won a majority of House and Senate seats from the
Conservatives, with leftist front and independent candidates winning
only two seats in each chamber.  In 1988, the New Liberals were
reincorporated into the Liberal Party.
 President Betancur raised Colombia's international profile with his
often outspoken opinions on events in Central America through his
position as a member of the Contadora group.  He also stressed combating
Colombia's insurgency through a cease-fire arrangement that included the
release of many guerrillas imprisoned during the Turbay years.  The
cease-fire was signed in 1984 but began to unravel when the M-19
guerrillas resumed fighting in 1985, by which time violence had reached
levels prior to the cease-fire.
 Meanwhile, the growing wealth of Colombian narcotics chiefs in the
early 1980s, from the sale of cocaine to the United States and other
industrialized countries, was accompanied by a marked increase in the
wealth of guerrilla groups, especially the FARC, through their
participation in the illicit cocaine industry.  This wealth has led to a
marked growth in the power of these two illegal entities to operate with
impunity in Colombia.
 A vicious attack on the Supreme Court by the M-19 on November 6-7,
1985, shocked Colombia.  Of the 115 people killed, 11 were Supreme Court
Justices.  Although the government and the FARC, the largest guerrilla
group, renewed their truce indefinitely in March 1986, peace with the
M-19, the EPL, and dissident factions of other guerrilla groups seemed
remote as Betancur left office.  In September 1988, President Barco
unveiled a new peace plan requiring insurgents to cease antigovernment
violence as a condition to negotiations.  As of June 1989, the only
group to accept this requirement was the M-19, which currently is
negotiating with the government.
 Voters elected Liberal Virgilio Barco to the presidency in 1986 by the
largest margin of victory ever.  The Barco administration has found that
its greatest challenge is from narcotics producers/processors and
guerrillas.  Violence emanating from both groups has increased sharply.
Like the Betancur administration from 1984 to 1986, the Barco government
places a high priority on combating the production and trafficking of
illegal narcotics.
 Statistics for drug and chemical seizures and cocaine labs destroyed
have steadily risen over time.  In 1986, 4.3 metric tons of cocaine were
seized; in 1988, that figure had reached 15.5 metric tons; as of April
1989, 23 metric tons had been seized.  Between 1981 and September 1988,
60 metric tons of cocaine, 17,760 metric tons of marijuana, and more
than 4,000 cocaine labs were destroyed.  Lab seizures on the Magdalena
River in April and May 1988 and January and February 1989 rivaled the
Tranquilandia raids of 1984.  Police and military units have destroyed
numerous other significant labs.  Their antinarcotics activity has grown
in scope and effectiveness over time, spearheaded by a special National
Police Anti-Narcotics Unit.  Colombian importance as a marijuana
supplier has been reduced through a vigorous herbicidal eradication
program.  More than 38,000 hectares of marijuana have been eradicated.
No safe and effective herbicide for coca has yet been identified.
 Narcotics activity is responsible for most of the violence in Colombia.
 Narcotraffickers are at war with the police and the military, with
guerrilla groups (some of which also are involved in narcotics), and
with other drug lords.  Narcotics-related violence includes the murders
of Attorney General Carlos Mauro Hoyos-Jimenez and UP President Jaime
Pardo Leal.  Narcotraffickers also have subverted and intimidated the
Colombian judicial system, and they remain a pervasive influence in much
of Colombian society.
 To address the problems of guerrilla violence and political and
economic underdevelopment, the Barco administration has pursued
long-range policies designed to deliver resources to the poorest areas
of the country while bringing them into the political mainstream of the
nation.  The first popular election of mayors in Colombia's more than
1,000 municipalities took place on March 13, 1988.  This political
reform is expected to extend real power and decisionmaking to the local
level in order to spread the country's democratic institutions to all
areas of the country.  By the early 1980s, it had become obvious to
Colombia's political elite that many democratic institutions were
atrophying; that for democracy to work it had to be infused with new
life through real political competition at the local level in order to
make national level parties more responsive.  The mayoral elections were
carried out peacefully with the Liberals winning 445 mayoralties, the
Conservatives 413, the UP 16, and other candidates 135.

ECONOMY
 During the 1970s, Colombia's industrial development policy shifted from
an emphasis on import substitution toward export expansion and
diversification.  The export share of nontraditional goods such as
clothing, yarns, cut flowers, cardboard, cement, emeralds, sugar, rice,
and cotton has continued to grow.
 The economy experienced a real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate
of 6.1% between 1970 and 1978.  After 1979, GDP growth declined due to a
combination of external and internal factors that included world
economic recession, low prices for many export goods, depressed domestic
demand, increasingly uncompetitive domestic industry, and high domestic
interest rates.  Real GDP growth bottomed out in 1982 at 1%. In 1984-85,
the government initiated a wideranging structural adjustment program,
including trade liberalization, a sharp currency devaluation, and budget
and fiscal reforms.  The economy responded vigorously, with GDP growth
jumping from 2.4% in 1985 to 5.1% in 1986 and 5.4% in 1987.  The
decrease of the GDP growth rate for 1988 to 3.7% reflects a reduced
coffee harvest, guerrilla disruption of petroleum production, and the
government's tight money policy to control inflation.  The government is
projecting a return to 5% growth for 1989.  Inflation continues to be
one of the chief economic problems with annual rates in the 25%-30%
range.
 Although Colombia's net international reserves grew to $5.6 billion in
1981, a sharp decline in coffee earnings and a continued rise in energy
import costs caused reserves to drop to roughly $1.8 billion by the end
of 1984.  A sharp improvement in the trade balance-aided by improved
coffee prices and commencement of oil exports-helped bring the reserve
level back up to $3.8 billion by the end of 1988.  The total foreign
debt of $16 billion ($13 billion public) is low by regional standards.
The debt service ratio is estimated at 42% of exports.  In 1985, the
government sought new external financing of $4.1 billion from
multilateral institutions and commercial banks for 1985-86.  In December
1985, Colombia signed a $1 billion syndicated loan with foreign
commercial banks, followed by a similar loan in 1987, and a final
syndication of $1.7 billion to round out requirement for 1989-90.  The
purpose of these loans was to refinance a bulge in principle repayments
occurring during 1987-90.  Long-range prospects for settlement of the
country's current external financing problems appear good, given the
promise of major earnings from energy exports, rapid growth in other
exports, and the country's reputation for conservative financial
management.

Mining and Energy
 Colombia has substantial mineral and energy resources, including
petroleum, coal, nickel, gold, emeralds, natural gas, and hydroelectric
power.  Colombia became a petroleum exporter in mid-1986.  Total
production has since grown rapidly to more than 430,000 barrels per day
(b/d) in early 1989 (when not disrupted by guerrilla attacks), leaving
about 200,000 b/d for export after domestic consumption.
 Coal also is becoming an important energy source and export commodity.
Excellent thermic quality, low sulphur and ash content, and geographic
location make Colombian coal an attractive energy source for world
consumers.  From 1 million tons in 1984, exports have increased to 11
million in 1988. Exports are expected to continue rising to 20 million
tons a year by 1993.  At the same time, coal is expected to play an
increasingly important role in meeting domestic energy needs.  Colombia
has an estimated 4% of world nickel production and 15% of world
ferronickel production.  Earnings from exports of ferronickel totaled
$180 million in 1988, due to a sharp price increase but may drop again
as prices decline.
 Colombia produces 90% of the world's supply of emeralds and is an
important producer of gold and platinum.  Other mineral resources
include iron ore, phosphate rock, limestone, gypsum, and salt.

Trade
 Coffee remains the single most important item in Colombia's export
sector, although its share in total export earnings has dropped sharply
in recent years, from more than half to 30% in 1988.  The world's second
largest coffee producer, Colombia produces 11-13 million bags (60
kilograms each) a year, or 12%-15% of the world's coffee.  Coffee
normally earns Colombia about $1.5 billion a year; due to drought in
Brazil, such earnings in 1986 exceeded $2.7 billion.
 Colombian exports (f.o.b.) in 1988 were $5.3 billion, only slightly
higher than $5.25 billion in 1984, due to lower oil export volume and
prices.  The United States receives the largest share of Colombia's
exports, followed by West Germany, Venezuela, Netherlands, Japan, and
Sweden.
 Colombian imports (f.o.b.), consisting primarily of wheat, aircraft,
transportation equipment, electric generators, iron, steel, and
aluminum, were $4.5 billion in 1988, up from $3.8 billion in 1987.  More
than one-third of Colombian imports come from the United States.  Other
major suppliers (none with more than 10% share) are Japan, West Germany,
Venezuela, Brazil, and France.
 Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Industry Agriculture employs 26% of
Colombia's labor force while contributing 22% of total GDP.  Because of
Colombia's diverse climate and topography, various crops can be grown.
Cacao, sugarcane, coconuts, bananas, plantains, rice, cotton, tobacco,
cassava, and most of the nation's cattle are produced in the hot
regions-from sea level to 1,000 meters (3,300 ft.).  The temperate
regions-1,000-2,000 meters (3,300-6,600 ft.)-are better suited for
coffee, flowers, corn and other vegetables, and fruits such as citrus,
pears, pineapples, and tomatoes.  The cold regions-2,000-3,000 meters
(6,600-9,900 ft.)- produce wheat, barley, potatoes, cold-climate
vegetables, dairy cattle, and poultry.  All of these regions yield
various forest products, ranging from tropical hardwoods in the hot
country to pine and eucalyptus in the colder areas.
 The most industrialized member of the five-nation Andean Pact, Colombia
has four major industrial centers-Barranquilla, Cali, Medellin, and
Bogota-located in distinct geographical regions.  The most important
manufacturing industries are textiles and clothing, food processing
(including beverages), paper and paper products, chemicals and
petrochemicals, cement and construction, iron and steel products, and
metalworking.

Foreign Investment
 The government actively promotes foreign investment.  As of December
1988, total registered direct foreign investment was $3 billion,
excluding petroleum activities, of which the U.S. share was $2.5
billion.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
 Colombia traditionally has sought friendly diplomatic and commercial
relations with all countries, regardless of their ideologies or

political or economic systems.  In 1983, Colombia joined Venezuela,
Mexico, and Panama in the Contadora group, which has attempted to find a
comprehensive peace settlement in Central America, and assumed a role as
mediator between creditor countries and Latin American debtor nations.
In 1982, Colombia joined the Nonaligned Movement.
 President Barco's has pursued a less dramatic role in foreign affairs
than his predecessor.  He has stressed the continued pursuit of peaceful
relations with all countries, increased cooperation and consultation
with other Latin American countries, especially regarding increased
international cooperation in the fight against illicit narcotics
trafficking through membership in the Group of Eight.  Colombia was
elected by consensus of the Latin American group to a 2-year term on the
UN Security Council.  Through Foreign Minister Julio Londono, President
Barco also is pursuing reforms in the structure of the Foreign Ministry
designed to improve the implementation of foreign policy.
 Colombia has played an active role in the United Nations and the
Organization of American States (OAS) and their subsidiary agencies.  It
was the only Latin American country to contribute troops to the UN force
in the Korean war.  Former President Alberto Lleras Camargo was the
first Secretary General of the OAS (1948-54).  President Betancur also
played a role in improving international trade conditions for developing
countries through the International Coffee Organization (which he helped
found), the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the
Inter-American Economic and Social Council, and other international
economic forums.
 Colombia led negotiations that resulted in the signing at Bogota, on
May 26, 1969, of an agreement for the gradual development of the Andean
Common Market, a subregional grouping within ALADI, whose goal is to
reduce trade barriers among the Andean countries and coordinate economic
policies. Other members are Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela.

DEFENSE
 Colombia's Ministry of Defense is charged with the country's internal
and external defense and security.  The army, navy, air force, and
national police are under the leadership of the Minister of National
Defense (normally an army general).  A small marine corps is part of the
navy.  Jointly they serve as the country's armed forces and number about
220,000 uniformed personnel-135,000 military; 85,000 police.
 Many Colombian military personnel have received training in the United
States or in U.S. military schools in the former Panama Canal Zone.
Over the years, the United States has provided equipment to the
Colombian military through the military assistance program or through
foreign military sales.

U.S.-COLOMBIAN RELATIONS
 Under President Barco, Colombia and the United States have maintained
good relations in general and have increased bilateral cooperation in
the area of illicit narcotics.
 Generally, the record of U.S.-Colombian relations has been one of
constructive cooperation.  Between 1961 and 1974, the United States
provided Colombia $1.4 billion in development assistance-much of it
through the Alliance for Progress-for land reform, education, health,
housing, transportation, and electrification.  More recently, the two
governments have closely cooperated in narcotics control efforts.  A
longstanding problem between the United States and Colombia was the
status of three small, uninhabited islands in the Caribbean.  It was
finally resolved in 1981 with the ratification of the Quita Sueno
treaty, in which the United States renounced all claims to the islands
without prejudicing the claims of third parties.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador-Thomas E. McNamara
Deputy Chief of Mission-J. Phillip McLean
Political Counselor-David L. Hobbs
Economic Counselor-Robert Bruce McMullen
Commercial Attache-Arthur Trezise
Administrative Counselor-George Lowe
Defense Attache-Col. Eugene E. Bouley, Jr.
Agricultural Attache-Larry M. Senger
Public Affairs Officer (USIS)-Howard A. Lane
Consul, Barranquilla-Ross E. Benson

 The U.S. Embassy in Colombia is located at Calle 37, No. 3-40, Bogota
(tel. [phone]).  The U.S. Consulate in Barranquilla is located at the
Centro Comercial Mayorista, Calle 77 Carrera 68 (tel. [phone]).  The
mailing address for the embassy and the consulate is APO  Miami 34038.

TRAVEL NOTES
 Travel Advisory:  Because of sporadic guerrilla activity, travel in
certain areas may be hazardous.  Before traveling to Colombia, it is
recommended that persons check with the nearest U.S. Consulate or with
the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, in Washington,
D.C., for the latest information.
 Climate and clothing:  Climatic variations depend on altitude.  Knits
and lightweight woolens are suitable in Bogota.
 Customs:  A passport is required for travel to Colombia.  Tourists may
enter and stay in Colombia for 30 days on a tourist card provided by the
airlines serving Colombia, providing the tourist has a booked round trip
passage.  For a stay beyond 30 days, tourists must obtain a visa from
the nearest Colombian Embassy or Consulate.
 Health:  Medical facilities are satisfactory; many doctors have been
trained in the United States and speak English.  Common medicines are
available.  Tapwater is not always safe in large cities; food should be
prepared carefully.
 Telecommunications:  Long-distance telephone and telegraph service is
available.  Colombia is in the eastern standard time zone but does not
use daylight saving time during the summer.
 Transportation:  Flights to Bogota, Barranquilla, Cali, Medellin, and
Cartagena are easy to arrange from the United States, Europe, and Latin
America.  Local air service is also available.  Buses provide service
throughout the country.  Taxis provide the most reliable public
transportation in cities.
 Tourist attractions:  The Bogota Gold Museum and the Caribbean resort
of Cartagena, with its 17th century fortifications.
 National holidays: Establishments, including the U.S. Embassy, may be
closed on the following holidays:
New Year's Day -- January 1
Epiphany -- January 11*
St. Joseph's Day -- March 21*
Holy Thursday -- March 31*
Good Friday -- April 1*
Labor Day  -- May 1
Ascension Day -- May 16*
Corpus Christi --June 6*
Feast of the Sacred Heart -- June 13*
Saints Peter and Paul -- July 4*
Independence Day -- July 20
Battle of Boyaca -- August 7
Assumption Day -- August 15*
Columbus Day  -- October 17*
All Saints' Day -- November 7*
Independence of Cartagena -- November 14*
Feast of the Immaculate Conception -- December 8
Christmas Day -- December 25

*Date given for 1988; exact day varies each year.

FURTHER INFORMATION
 These titles are provided as a general indication of material published
on this country.  Department of State does not endorse unofficial
publications.

Bagley, Bruce M. "Colombia: National Front and Economic Development,"
Robert Wesson, ed., Politics,Policies and Economic Development in Latin
America. Stanford: Hoover Press, 1984.
Berquist, Charles W.  Coffee and Conflict in Colombia 1886-1910.
Durham: Duke University Press 1978. Berry, R.A. et al (eds.).  Politics
of Compromise:  Coalition Government in Colombia.  New Brunswick:
Transaction, 1980.
Braun, Herbert.  The Assassination of Gaitan:  Public Life and Urban
Violence in Colombia.  Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985.
Corr, Edwin G.  The Political Process in Colombia. Denver: University of
Denver Press, 1972.
Craig, Richard B.  "Colombian Narcotics and United States-Colombian
Relations."  Journal of Inter-American Studies and World Affairs 23. No.
3 (Aug. 1981):  243-270.
Dix, Robert H.  The Politics of Colombia.  New York: Praeger publishers,
1987. Garcia Marquez, Gabriel.  One Hundred Years of Solitude. New York:
Avon publishers, 1972.
Hartlyn, Jonathan.  "Military Governments and the Transition to Civilian
Rule: The Colombian Experience of 1957-58."  Journal of Interamerican
Studies and World Affairs 26. No. 2 (May 1984): 245-81. "Colombia: Old
Problems, New Opportunities." Current History. vol. 82 (Feb. 1983), pp.
62-55, 83-83.
Henderson, James D.  When Colombia Bled: A History of the Violence in
Tolima.  Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1985. Hirschman, A.O.
"Land Use and Land Reform in Colombia." Journeys Toward Progress.  New
York:  W.W. Norton and Co., 1973,  Chap. 2, pp. 95-158.
Kline, Harvey F.  Colombia: Portrait of Unity and Diversity. Boulder:
Westview Press, 1983. "New Directions in Colombia."  Current History 84.
No. 499 (Feb. 1985): pp. 65-68.
Levine, Daniel H.  Religion and Politics in Latin America: The Catholic
Church in Venezuela and Colombia. Princeton: Princeton University Press,
1981. Medhurst, Kenneth N.  The Church and Labour in Colombia.
Manchester:  University of Manchester, 1984.
Oquist, Paul.  Violence, Conflict and Politics in  Colombia.  New York:
Academic Press, 1980. Palacios, Marco.  Coffee in Colombia, 1850-1970.
Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press, 1980.
Premo, Daniel.  "Colombia: Cool Friendship."  Robert Wesson, ed. U.S.
Influence in Latin America in the 1980s. Chap. 6.  New York: Praeger,
1982.
Urrutia, Miguel.  The Development of the Colombian Labor Movement.  New
Haven: Yale University Press, 1969. U.S. Department of State.  Colombia
Post Report. Oct. 1987. World Bank.  Colombia: Economic Development and
Policy Under Changing Conditions.  Washington: World Bank, 984.
 Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC  20402: American University.  Area Handbook for
Colombia. 1977. U.S. Department of Commerce.
 Foreign Economic Trends -Colombia. International Marketing Information
Pamphlets on Colombia, including a monthly newsletter, "Colombia Today,"
are available without  charge from the Colombia Information Service, 140
East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022 (tel. [phone]).

 Published by the United States Department of State --  Bureau of Public
Affairs  -- Office of  Public Communication -- Washington, D.C. --
February 1990 -- Editor:  Juanita Adams -- Department of State
Publication 7767 -- Background Notes Series  -- This material is in the
public domain and may  be reprinted without permission; citation of this
source is appreciated.  For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.  20402. (###)


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