Profile: Colombia and Putumayo

Background:

Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. More than 32,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had largely ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.

Area: 1,141,748 sq km
Population: 42,090,502m
Capital City: Bogotá (population: 6.9million)
People: 60% acknowledge that they have mixed Spanish/indigenous roots, 20% claim direct European descent, 18% are of Afro-Colombian origin, and 2% belong to indigenous communities.
Language: Spanish with some isolated pockets where indigenous languages remain in use.
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic, with some evangelical influences.
Currency: Peso.
Major political parties: The two major political parties are the Liberals and the Conservatives. President Uribe stood for the 'Primero Colombia' movement (dissident Liberal). In addition, there are the following parties: Polo Democrático, Movimiento Cristiano, Movimiento Nacional Progresista (MNP) and recently some small independent parties are emerging. The Conservatives opted not to field a candidate in the 2002 Presidential elections.
Government: Democratically elected representative system with a strong executive.
Legislature: Bicameral Congress; 102 member Senate and 165 member Chamber of Deputies are both directly elected for four-year terms.
Head of State: President Alvaro Uribe Vélez
Membership of international groupings/organizations: Colombia is a member of the Andean Community, UN, G3, Organization of American States (OAS), Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), Latin American Economic System (SELA), Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Caribbean Development Bank, Andean Development Corporation (CAF), and the Inter-American Development Bank (AIDB) amongst others.

Life expectancy at birth: male: 68.44 years female: 76.24 years (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 190,000 (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.433% (2007 est.)

Basic Economic Facts

GDP: US$ 129.4 billion. (est 2006) GDP per head: US$ 2,73 (est 2006)
Annual Growth: 5.13% (2005) Inflation: 4.25% (est 2005)
Unemployment: 12.1% (2005)
Major Industries: Oil, Mining, Construction, Financial Sector, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transport
Major trading partners: US, Venezuela, other Andean Countries, Mexico, Brazil and China.

Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern plains

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower

Plan Colombia in Putumayo

The department of Putumayo in southwestern Colombia, along the border with Ecuador and Peru, was the central focus of "Plan Colombia," a multi-billion dollar anti-narcotics initiative proposed by the governments of Bill Clinton and Andrés Pastrana in 1999 and 2000. Hundreds of millions of dollars have since been spent in Putumayo to create a new Colombian Army Counter-Narcotics Brigade, a new Colombian Navy Riverine Brigade, and to dramatically expand aerial herbicide fumigations in the zone. Between 1998 and 2002, more coca was grown in Putumayo than any other department of Colombia. Putumayo has a significant presence of the FARC guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries, who bitterly dispute control over drug cultivation. In addition to the newly created military units, the Colombian army's 24th Brigade is based in the capital, Mocoa.

Sources: CIA World Factbook

Center for International Policy

Foreign & Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom.

Effects of Fumigations

Click the link to watch YouTube footage of interviews with Colombians affected by the drug war. The videos were created by MINGA, the organization for whom Nancy works, and posted by the Center for International Policy's Adam Issacson, who will be part of a panel discussion at Colby in October.