32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Distrito Capital de Santa Fe de Bogota*, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada.
Population:
40,349,388 (July 2001 est.)
Currency:
Colombian peso (COP)
Languages:
Spanish
Elevation:
highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m
Comoros
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation
Natural hazards:
highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts
Climate:
tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
Colombia is poised for muted growth in the next several years, marking continued recovery from the severe 1999 recession when GDP fell by about 4%. President PASTRANA's well-respected economic team is working to keep the economy on track, maintaining low interest rates, for example. In accordance with its IMF loan agreement, the administration also is taking steps to improve the public sector's fiscal health. However, many challenges to improved prosperity remain. Unemployment was stuck at a record 20% in 2000, contributing to the extreme inequality in income distribution. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil and coffee, face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are depressed. The lack of public security is a key concern for investors, making progress in the government's peace negotiations with insurgent groups an important driver of economic performance. Colombia is looking for continued support from the international community to boost economic and peace prospects.
mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
Yellow fever:
Vaccination is recommended for travellers who may visit the following areas considered to be endemic for yellow fever: middle valley of the Magdalena river, eastern and western foothills of the Cordillera Oriental from the frontier with Ecuador to that with Venezuela, Urabá, foothills of the Sierra Nevada, eastern plains (Orinoquia) and Amazonia.
Malaria:
Malaria risk—P. falciparum (37%), P. vivax (63%)—is high throughout the year in rural/jungle areas below 800 m, especially in municipalities of the regions of Amazonia, Orinoquía, Pacífico and Urabá-Bajo Cauca. Transmission intensity varies from department to department, with the highest risk in Amazonas, Chocó, Córdoba, Guainía, Guaviare, Putumayo and Vichada. Chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum exists in Amazonia, Pacífico and Urabá-Bajo Cauca. Resistance to sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine reported.
