Formal Name: Republic of Colombia.

Short Form: Colombia.

Term for Citizens: Colombian(s).

Capital: Bogotá.

GEOGRAPHY

Size: 1,138,910 square kilometers.

Topography: Mainland territory divided into four major geographic regions: Andean highlands (composed of three mountain ranges and intervening valley lowlands) Caribbean lowlands Pacific lowlands and Ilanos and tropical rainforest of eastern Colombia. Colombia also possesses small islands in both Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.

Climate: Striking variety in temperature resulting principally from differences in elevation little seasonal variation. Habitable areas consist of hot (below 900 meters in elevation), temperate (between 900 and 1,980 meters), and cold (from 1,980 meters to about 3,500 meters) climatic zones. Precipitation generally moderate to heavy, with highest levels in Pacific lowlands and in parts of eastern Colombia considerable year-to-year variations recorded.

Data as of December 1988