The Republic of Colombia is a unitarian, democratic, participative and pluralist State, with separation of powers. The President is elected by popular vote for a term of 4 years.

 

With a vote count of over 9 million, the highest ever obtained by any candidate in the history of Colombian democracy, the present President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos-Calderón, was elected for the period 2010 to 2014.

 

Political-administrative division: 32 Departments (States) and the Bogota Capital District. Colombia has six mains regions: Andean, Caribbean, Pacific, Orinoquia, Amazonia and the Colombian Islands.

 

Official time: GMT + 5 hours

 

National Day: July 20

 

Currency: the national currency is the Colombian peso

 

Population: 46,097,854

 

Total area: 1,141,748 kms2

 

Territorial waters: 928,660 kms2

 

Land borders: 2,219 kms with Venezuela, 1,645 with Brazil, 1,626 with Peru, 585 with Ecuador and 226 with Panama

 

Maritime borders: with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, Dominical Republic and Haiti.

 

Language: Spanish (official), plus a total of 65 Indigenous languages, the two Creole languages spoken by the San Basilio de Palenque Community, the native population of the archipelago of San Andres and Providencia and the rom language of the Romany people.

 

Religion: Catholic, but with complete religious freedom