Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector, and GDP growth in 2003 was among the highest in Latin America. Colombia is located in Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama.

Area: 1.14 million sq km

Population: 45 million

Capital: Bogota

People: 58% Mestizo (of European-Indian descent), 20% European descent, 14% Mulatto (African-European descent), 4% African descent, 3% African-Indian descent, 1% Indigenous

Language: Spanish; Castilian

Religion: Catholic 95%, with the remainder a mixture of traditional, Episcopal & Jewish faiths

Government: Republic

GDP: US$254 billion

Major Industries: Textiles, coffee, oil, narcotics, sugar cane, food processing.

Major Trading Partners: US, EU