orth Pacific Ocean, between
Ecuador and Panama

Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 72 00 W

Map references: South America

Area:
total : 1,138,910 sq km
land: 1,038,700 sq km
water: 100,210 sq km
note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and
Serranilla Bank

Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Land boundaries:
total : 7,408 km
border countries: Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru
2,900 km, Venezuela 2,050 km

Coastline: 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448
km)

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes
Mountains, eastern lowland plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado del Huila 5,750 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel,
gold, copper, emeralds

Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures : 39%
forests and woodland: 48%
other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 5,300 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional
earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil damage from overuse
of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle
emissions

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geography - note: only South American country with coastlines on both
North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

@Colombia:People

Population: 37,418,290 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years : 31% (male 5,959,141; female 5,816,751)
15-64 years: 64% (male 11,756,893; female 12,146,103)
65 years and over: 5% (male 769,724; female 969,678) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.61% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 20.78 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 4.62 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at b