Colombia Passport

The Republic of Colombia (La Rep ú blica de Colombia).

【 Area 】 1.1417 million square kilometers, ranking fifth in Latin America.

【 Population 】 52.16 million (2023), ranking third in Latin America. Among them, Indo European mixed race people account for 60%, white people account for 20%, black and white mixed race people account for 18%, and the rest are Native Americans and black people. The official language is Spanish. Most residents believe in Catholicism.

【 Capital 】 Bogota, with a population of 7.91 million (2023). The annual average temperature is 14 ℃.

[Head of State] President Gustavo Francisco Pietro Urrego, who took office in August 2022, will serve until August 2026.

Independence Day: July 20th.

【 Overview 】 Located in the northwest of South America, it borders Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Ecuador and Peru to the south, Panama to the northwest, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The coastline is 2900 kilometers long. The territory is divided into the eastern plain area and the western mountain area. Located in the tropics, the climate varies depending on the terrain. The southern part of the eastern plain and the Pacific coast belong to tropical rainforest climate, the mountains at an altitude of 1000-2000 meters belong to subtropical climate, and the northwest belongs to tropical grassland climate.

Originally the residence of Native Americans such as the Chibucha tribe. In 1536, it became a Spanish colony. On July 20, 1810, independence was declared and later suppressed. In 1819, after the uprising led by South American liberator Simon Bolivar defeated the Spanish colonial army, Colombia regained its liberation. In 1821, it formed the Republic of Colombia with present-day Ecuador, Venezuela, and Panama. From 1829 to 1830, Venezuela and Ecuador successively withdrew, and the Republic of Colombia disintegrated. In 1831, it was renamed as the Republic of New Granada, in 1861 as the United States of Colombia, and in 1886 as its current name (Panama gained independence in 1903). In history, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party have alternated in power for a long time. In May 2002, independent candidate Uribe was elected president and re elected in 2006. In August 2010, Santos, the candidate of the National Unity Socialist Party, was elected president and was re elected in 2014. In June 2018, Democratic Center Party candidate Duke was elected president and will serve until August 2022.

On June 19, 2022, Pedro, the candidate of the left-wing campaign alliance "Historical Alliance", was elected as the first left-wing president in Colombian history and inaugurated on August 7. The Petro government proposed the concept of "comprehensive peace" to promote social policy reform, energy transformation, and green development.

At the end of 2016, the Colombian government signed a peace agreement with the largest anti-government armed group in the country, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which officially came into effect. In 2021, the US State Department removed "Gewu" from its list of "foreign terrorist organizations" and others. In August 2023, the temporary ceasefire agreement between the Petro government and the National Liberation Armed Forces came into effect.

The current Constitution was revised based on the 1886 Constitution and promulgated in 1991. The new constitution expands the scope of democratic participation and strengthens judicial power. The main content includes: implementing representative democracy with separation of powers; The President is the Head of State and Government, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, directly elected for a term of 4 years, and the Governors and Mayors are directly elected; To safeguard the human rights of citizens, including personal safety, freedom of belief, association, labor, thought, and education. In 2004, the Colombian parliament passed a bill allowing the president to be re elected; In 2005, the Constitutional Court approved the bill. In 2015, the presidential term was changed to non renewable through constitutional amendment.

The National Assembly is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, with the President of the National Assembly serving as the Speaker of the Senate. The current Congress was established on July 20, 2022, with a term of 4 years, consisting of 108 senators and 188 members of the House of Representatives. The current President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the Senate, Iv á n NAME V á squez, and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Andr é s David CALLE Aguas, will take office on July 20, 2023, and serve until July 20, 2024.

The current government was formed in August 2022. The current cabinet members are: Vice President Francia Elena MARQUEZ Mina (female), Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, Interior Minister Jorge Fernando CRISTO, Finance and Public Credit Minister Ricardo Bonilla, Justice and Law Minister Angela Mar í a BUITRAGO (female), Defense Minister Iv á n VELASQUEZ G ó mez, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Martha Biviana Capaharino Bi Martha from Legas Viviana CARVAJALINO Villegas, female, Health and Social Security Minister Guillermo Alfonso JARAMILLO, Labor Minister Gloria In é s RAMIREZ R í os, Mining and Energy Minister Ó mar Andr é s Camarcho, male, Trade, Industry and Tourism Minister Luis Carlos REYES, Education Minister Daniel ROJAS Medell í n, Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Mar í a Susana MUHAMAD Gonz á lez Elena Maria Rivas, Minister of Housing, Cities and Land (Helga) Mar í a Rivas, female, Minister of Information Technology and Communications Mauricio LIZCANO, Minister of Transport Maria Constanza Garc í a, Minister of Culture Jorge Ignacio ZORRO S á nchez, Minister of Science and Technology Innovation Yesenia OLAYA, female, and Minister of Sports Luz Cristina L ó pez.

The country is divided into 32 provinces and the Bogota Capital Region.

The judicial system consists of the Supreme Court, Administrative Court, Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, and General Prosecutor's Office. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial institution composed of 23 justices. The National Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court are composed of 26 and 9 judges respectively. The High Judicial Council is composed of 13 justices. The presidents of each court are elected by the Grand Justices for a term of one year. The General Prosecutor's Office is a component of the Colombian judicial system, but enjoys administrative and budgetary autonomy. Fernando Castillo Cadena, President of the Supreme Court, Jaime Enrique RODR Í GUEZ Navas, President of the Administrative Court, Cristina PARDO Schlesinger, President of the Constitutional Court, Aurelio Enrique RODR Í GUEZ Guzm á n, Chairman of the High Judicial Committee, and Luc Adriana, Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo (female).

The main political parties in the country are as follows:

(1) Colombia Humana: The main ruling party, founded by current President Petro in October 2011, formerly known as the "Progressive Movement", officially obtained legal personality in October 2021 and is a left-wing political party. Emphasize the protection of human rights, environmental protection, gender equality, industrialization, and modernization of agriculture.

(2) Centro Democr á tico: The largest opposition party, established in July 2014, is a right-wing political party. The leaders are former President Á lvaro Uribe and Gabriel Jaime Vallejo, Chairman of the National Leadership Council.

(3) The People's Unity Party (Partido de la Uni ó n por la Gente, commonly known as Partido de la U) is a center right political party founded in 2005 by former President Santos, formerly known as the National Unity Socialist Party (Partido Social de Unidad Nacional). The party's manifesto emphasizes representing the interests of the general public, respecting the diversity of political development, valuing the construction of social democracy, supervising government institutions, consolidating democratic constitutionalism, and promoting the construction of a just, free, and prosperous country and society. Party Chairman Dilian Francisca TORO.

(4) Partido Cambio Radical: founded in 1998, a center right political party. Internally, we advocate for democratic reform, increased transparency in public management, poverty eradication, moral reconstruction, and the completion of domestic peace processes. Externally, we advocate for comprehensive diplomacy, respect for international law, and peaceful resolution of disputes. The party chairman is former Vice President Germ á n VARGAS Lleras, and General Secretary Germ á n G Ó RDOBA.

(5) Partido Liberal: The oldest political party in Colombia, founded in 1848, is a center left party. There are currently around 4 million party members. Advocate for safeguarding national sovereignty, developing the national economy, and implementing political and economic reforms. In June 1989, the party joined the Socialist International. The party chairman is former President C é sar Gaviria Trujillo, and the general secretary is Jaime Jaramillo.

(6) The Conservative Party: The main traditional political party in Colombia, founded in 1849, is a center right political party with a current membership of 1.6 million. In 1987, it was renamed as the Social Conservative Party, and in 1992 it reverted back to its original name. Advocate for safeguarding national independence and sovereignty, developing ethnic economy and diversifying ideology. The party chairman is Senator Efra í n Jos é CEPEDA Sarabia.

(7) The Polo Democr á tico Alternative Party was founded in 2006. Left wing political parties, mainly supported by trade unions, corporate guilds, and lower middle class individuals. The party chairman is Senator Alex á nder Lopez Maya.

(8) Green Alliance Party (Partido Alianza Verde): Established in September 2009, a center right political party. Advocating for "providing oxygen for the political life of the country", demanding respect for the constitutional system, pursuing social justice, respecting life, opposing violence, advocating for the protection of the environment and biodiversity, and achieving sustainable development of the economy, society, and environment. The chairpersons of the United Party are Antanas MOCKUS, Antonio Navarro Wolf, and Carlos Andr é s AMAYA Rodr í guez.

(9) COMUNES, formerly known as Fuerza Alternative Revolutionaria Del Com ú n, was founded in August 2017 as a left-wing political party. After signing a peace agreement with the government, the anti-government armed group "Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia" transformed and established itself, promising to lay down weapons, surrender property, participate in politics through peaceful and legal means, and continue to fight for the realization of fairness, democracy, independence, and peace in Colombia. The current party chairman, Rodrigo Londo ñ o.

[Important Person] President Petro. Born on April 19, 1960 in Cordoba Province, Colombia. Graduated from the University of Costa Rica with a major in Economics. Joined the "April 19" Movement (M19) as a guerrilla fighter when young, and later became involved in politics. He has served as a member of the House of Representatives three times (1991-1994, 1998-2002, 2002-2006), a senator twice (2006-2010, 2018-2022), and as the mayor of the capital city of Bogot á (2012-2015). Petro ran for president three times and was successfully elected as the first left-wing president in Colombian history in June 2022. Madame Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garc í a has a total of 5 sons.

Colombia has a moderate level of development and a high degree of marketization in Latin America. In 2023, the economic growth rate of Colombia will be 0.6%, the inflation rate will be 9.28%, the unemployment rate will be 10.2%, the poverty rate will be 38%, and the Gini coefficient will be 0.53. The World Bank predicts that the economic growth rate of Colombia in 2024 will be 1.3%.

[Foreign Trade] Ge's main export products include petroleum and petroleum products, chemical products, coal, coffee, agricultural and sideline products, and textiles. It mainly imports machinery and equipment, chemical products, agricultural and sideline products, textiles, and metal materials. The main trading partners are the United States, China, Mexico, and Japan. In 2023, the export value of Columbia reached 49.5429 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 12.9%; The import value was 62.7966 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 18.9%. In 2023, Ge absorbed foreign direct investment of 17.446 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 2.3%.

The President of Colombia is the supreme commander of the armed forces. The General Headquarters of Military Forces is the highest military command organization. The Supreme National Defense Council is the highest military advisory body. Implement compulsory military service system, with a service period of 2 years. The current Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Helder Fern á n GIRALDO Bonilla, Army Commander Luis Emilio CARDOZO Santamar í a, Navy Commander Juan Ricardo ROZO Obreg ó n, Air Force Commander Luis Carlos CORDOBA Avenda ñ o, and National Police Chief Willam Ren é Salamanca. The total military strength of the three armed forces is 248000, including 197000 in the army, 32000 in the navy, and 19000 in the air force. There are 117000 national police officers. In 2023, the national defense budget of Colombia is 48.3 trillion pesos (equivalent to 12.1 billion US dollars), a year-on-year increase of 13.4%.

Since 2011, Colombia has implemented 11 years of free compulsory education. In 2020, the coverage of primary and secondary education was 79% and 89% respectively, and the coverage of higher education was 51.6%. Famous higher education institutions include: National University of Colombia, Havillana University, Andes University, National Pedagogical University, etc.

There are about 400 types of newspapers and magazines in China. The main newspapers include Time, Observer, Republic, etc. The main magazines (all weekly) include Weekly, Change, etc.

There are a total of 582 radio stations in the country. The National Radio is the only state-owned radio station established in 1940. Columbia Broadcasting Corporation, National Broadcasting Corporation, and Radio W are the three largest private broadcasting companies with broadcasting transmitters and rebroadcasters located in various regions.

The television industry began in 1954. There are a total of 15 television stations in the country, of which three are national television stations and broadcasting stations. However, the first and second stations rent private television program production and broadcasting stations through contracts, while the third station is directly managed by the state and broadcasts cultural and educational programs. Snail TV and RCN TV are the main private television organizations.

Implementing the concept of peace, pursuing an independent and diverse foreign policy, striving to enhance Colombia's international status, and demonstrating certain leadership in addressing climate change and other fields. Colombia implements the policy of good neighborliness, actively participates in regional affairs, promotes the process of Latin American integration, and will resume diplomatic relations with Venezuela in August 2022. In July 2023, elected as the rotating chair of the Latin American and Caribbean Community for 2025. In December, rejoin the Union of South American Nations. Emphasize the consolidation of traditional ties with EU countries and enhance exchanges and cooperation with Asia Pacific countries. Joined the OECD in May 2018. We currently maintain diplomatic relations with over 170 countries.