Location: Northern South America (4 00 N, 72 00 W)
Land Area: 1,038,700 square kilometers (401,042 sq. miles)
Coastline: 3,208 kilometers (1,993 miles)
Highest Point: 5,775 meters (198,942 feet) (Pico Cristobal Colon)
Lowest Point: 0 meters (Pacific Ocean)

Colombia's economy has been on a recovery trend during the past two years despite a serious armed conflict. The economy continues to improve thanks to tight government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, and an improved security situation in the country. The economic problems facing President Uribe range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. New exploration is needed to offset declining oil production. Several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by Uribe, which succeeded in reducing the public-sector deficit below 1.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have produced a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly in the businesses. Coffee prices have recovered from previous lows as the Colombian coffee industry pursues greater market shares in developed countries such as the United States.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $303.7 billion (2005 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $7,100 (2005 est.)
Number of Workers: 20.52 million (2005 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 10.2% (2005 est.)
Industries: Textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, emeralds, cement, gold, coal.
Currency: Colombian peso (COP) What does it look like?

Type of Government: Republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Head of State: President Alvaro Uirbe Belez (since August 2002)
Head of Government: President Alvaro Uribe Belez
Capital City: Bogota
Legal Age to Vote: 18
Flag Design: Three horizontal bands of yellow, blue and red
Official Language: Spanish
Religions: Catholic, 90%; Other, 10%

Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Colombian Government escalated during the 1990s, under girded in part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence, the movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to overthrow the government. An anti-insurgent army of paramilitaries has grown to be several thousand strong in recent years, challenging the insurgents for control of territory and illicit industries such as the drug trade and the government's ability to exert its dominion over rural areas. While Bogota steps up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.