Economy
GDP, per capita GDP, currency, major exports, major trading partners, unemployment rate, etc. GDP: $268 billion (2002 est.) per capita GDP: $6,500 (2002 est.) Currency: Colombian peso (COP) Major exports: petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers Major imports: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity Major trading partners are the US, Andean Community of Nations, and EU. Unemployment rate: 17.4 % (2002 est.) Inflation Rate: 6.2% (2002) Labor force: 18.3 million (1999 est.) Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds Industrial production growth rate: 4% Debt- external: $38.4 billion (2002 est.)
Government/Politics
What type of government, leaders name, party in power, etc. Government type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure. Party in Power: Republic Constitution: July 5, 1991 Current President: Alvaro Uribe Velez; the president serves a four-year term Independence: July 20,1810 (from Spain) Largest insurgent groups active: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or ELN Largest anti-insurgent paramilitary group:  United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC
People
Population, ethnic make up, religion, languages spoken, national language, etc. Population: 41,662,073 (July 2003 est.) Ethnic groups: meztizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% Religion: Roman Catholic 90% National language: Spanish Birth Rate: 21.59 births/ 1,000 population (2003 est.) Death rate: 5.63 deaths/ 1,000 population (2003 est.)
Major Issues
What are the major political, economic, environmental, international issues faced by the nation? Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  or FARC- Click here for information National Liberation Army or ELN- Click Here for more information Cocaine Drug War -Click here for more information Weak domestic and foreign demand Austere government budgets Serious internal armed conflict Reforming the pension system Reducing high unemployment New exploration is needed to offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are depressed.
Culture
Literature, music, arts, food, dance, traditional cultures, etc. Music: African rhythms of the Caribbean, Cuban salsa and heavily Spanish-influenced Andean music Cuisine: chicken, pork, potato, rice, beans and soup. Interesting regional dishes include: ajiaco (soup made with chicken and potato which is a Bogotano speciality); hormiga culona (a sophisticated dish, unique to Santander, consisting largely of fried ants); and lechona (whole suckling pig, spit-roasted and stuffed with rice, which is a speciality of Tolima). The variety of fruit is astounding, the coffee and beer more than adequate and the wine execrable. Literature: Literary giant Gabriel García Márquez; An exciting new writer is Moreno Durán Art: Pre-Columbian art consists primarily of stone sculpture, pottery and goldwork. Indian basketware, weaving and pottery date back to pre-Columbian times but now fuse modern techniques with traditional designs.