Capital: Bogota
Administrative divisions: 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota*, 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, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada

Independence: 20 July 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

Constitution: 5 July 1991

Legal system: based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of executive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo (since 7 August 1990); President-designate Juan Manuel SANTOS (since NA 1993); election last held 27 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994); results - Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo (Liberal Party) 47%, Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado (National Salvation Movement) 24%, Antonio NAVARRO Wolff (AD/M-19) 13%, Rodrigo LLOREDA (Conservative Party) 12%
note: a new government will be inaugurated on 7 August 1994; the presidential election of 29 May 1994 resulted in no candidate receiving more than 50% of the total vote and a run-off election to select a president from the two leading candidates was held on 19 June 1994; results - Ernesto SAMPER Pizano (Liberal Party) 50.4%, Andres PASTRANA Arango (Conservative Party) 48.6%, blank votes 1%; Humberto de la CALLE was elected vice president; electing a vice president is a new proceedure that replaces the traditional appointment of president-designates by newly elected presidents
cabinet: Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso)
Senate (Senado): elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (102 total) Liberal Party 59, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF) 31, other 12
House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes): elections last held 13 March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); preliminary results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (161 total) Liberal Party 89, conservatives (includes PC, MSN, and NDF) 53, AD/M-19 2, other 17

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justical), Constitutional Court, Council of State

Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party (PL), Ernesto SAMPER Pizano, president; Conservative Party (PC), Misael PASTRANA Borrero; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Alvaro GOMEZ Hurtado; New Democratic Force (NDF), Andres PASTRANA Arango; Democratic Alliance M-19 (AD/M-19) is a coalition of small leftist parties and dissident liberals and conservatives; Patriotic Union (UP) is a legal political party formed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Colombian Communist Party (PCC), Carlos ROMERO
Other political or pressure groups: three insurgent groups are active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Manuel MARULANDA and Alfonso CANO; National Liberation Army (ELN), Manuel PEREZ; and dissidents of the recently demobilized People's Liberation Army (EPL), Francisco CARABALLO; Francisco CARABALLO was captured by the government in June 1994
Member of: AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gabriel SILVA
chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 387-8338
FAX: (202) 232-8643
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Washington
consulate(s): Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Tampa
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Morris D. BUSBY
embassy: Calle 38, No. 8-61, Bogota
mailing address: Apartado Aereo 3831, Bogota or APO AA 34038
telephone: [57] (1) 320-1300
FAX: [57] (1) 288-5687
consulate(s): Barranquilla

Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center

NOTE: The information regarding Colombia on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Colombia Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Colombia Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.