Colombia

Physical. Officially known as the Republic of Colombia, this country is in northwestern South America, bordered on the north by Panama and the Caribbean Sea, on the east by Venezuela and Brazil, on the south by Peru and Ecuador and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. About three times the size of Montana, Colombia is the only South American country with coasts on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The climate is tropical along the coast and eastern plains, cooler in the highlands. Its terrain is of flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, Andes Mountains and eastern lowland plains. Natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds and hydropower.

People. More than 42 million people live in Colombia. Spanish is the official language. The ethnic make-up is: mestizo (58%) white (20%) mulatto (14%) African (4%) and African-Indian (3%). Roman Catholics compose the largest religious group (90%).

Government. The elections of 1970 were a turning point in Colombia’s recent history. Disaffected members of the Alianza Nacional Popular (ANAPO) formed a guerilla movement and initiated a 15-year guerilla campaign against the government following such a desperately close election that required four recounts. They were joined by two other left-wing groups, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolutionarias de Colombia (FARC) and the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN). While the three groups waged their campaigns with varying degrees of success, orthodox politics were taken over by the conservative/liberal duopoly.

Organized drug traffickers emerged in the 1980's. Their control of large sums of money began to be turned into political power and politicians became tainted with drug money. A number of right wing paramilitary groups variously associated with traffickers and/or elements of the military and security forces have emerged to play a brutal role in the conflict.

In 2000 the US unveiled Plan Colombia, a massive military support program for the Colombian armed forces. Although portrayed as the latest phase of the war on drugs, it is clear that the program is essentially politically and strategically directed at destroying the FARC and its allies. In May 2002, President Alvaro Uribe was elected, favoring all-out war against the left. He was reelected in 2006.

Guerillas, armed forces, right-wing vigilante groups and drug traffickers help ensure Colombia still has the highest death rate in Latin America. Murder is the major cause of death for men between the ages of 15 and 45. Violence resulted in the 250,000 deaths in the 90's. In addition to deaths due to guerilla warfare, 10% of the homicides have been politically motivated. Since the late 80's another 3.5 million have been displaced or have become refugees.

Economy. Colombia has a mixed economy. State enterprises control the coal and oil industries and play a major role in the electricity and communication sectors but most of the economy is dominated by private business. Colombia is a moderate oil producer. One-third of the nation’s exports come from coffee. Other exports are coal, cut flowers, seafood and other non-traditional exports that have been growing.

Areas of Concern. Endemic violence, the emergence of mini-drug cartels, and the military’s attitude toward conditions in Colombia make progress difficult. The US hard-line on drugs adds another dimension to the difficult in resolving issues in Colombia. Environmental concerns include deforestation, soil damage and air pollution.