three times the size of
Montana

_#_Land boundaries: 7,408 km total; Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km,
Panama 225 km, Peru 2,900, Venezuela 2,050 km

_#_Coastline: 3,208 km total (1,448 km North Pacific Ocean;
1,760 Caribbean Sea)

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: not specified;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the
Gulf of Venezuela; territorial dispute with Nicaragua over Archipelago
de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank

_#_Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in
highlands

_#_Terrain: mixture of flat coastal lowlands, plains in east, central
highlands, some high mountains

_#_Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel,
gold, copper, emeralds

_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures
29%; forest and woodland 49%; other 16%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions;
deforestation; soil damage from overuse of pesticides; periodic droughts

_#_Note: only South American country with coastlines on both
North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

_*_People
_#_Population: 33,777,550 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 37 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 74 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Colombian(s); adjective--Colombian

_#_Ethnic divisions: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%,
mixed black-Indian 3%, Indian 1%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 95%

_#_Language: Spanish

_#_Literacy: 87% (male 88%, female 86%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 11,000,000 (1986); services 53%, agriculture 26%,
industry 21% (1981)

_#_Organized labor: 1,400,000 members (1987), about 12% of labor
force; the Communist-backed Unitary Workers Central or CUT is the largest
labor organization, with about 725,000 members (including all affiliate
unions)

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Republic of Colombia

_#_Type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure

_#_Capital: Bogota

_#_Administrative divi