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The Republic of Colombia, located in the northwest of the South American continent, is one of the largest countries in Latin America. It has a population of approximately 44 million inhabitants, many of whom are concentrated in the capital city of Bogotá and in the other main cities of Cali, Medellín, Barranquilla and Cartagena. Colombia's main exports are coffee flowers and petroleum. Colombia has been an important tourist destination for Canadians. Lonely Planet and Routard.com publish travel guides on Colombia. The Universidad de los Andes also runs an informative Spanish-language home page on Colombia. For more information on Colombia as a tourist destination, including visa requirements, contact the Colombian Embassy in Ottawa. Information is also available from the Colombian Embassy in Washington, and the Colombian Embassy in Paris. Travellers to Colombia may wish to check the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)'s regularly updated Travel Information Report and Security Tips for visitors and business people. The language of Colombia is Spanish. However, English is understood at major hotels in tourist resorts such as Cartagena, Santa Marta, and San Andrés. Colombia has a wide selection of print, broadcast, and electronic media. Leading newspapers such as El Tiempo and El Espectador, as well as the weekly news magazine Semana, can be accessed via the Internet, as can the country's only English-language paper, the Colombian Post. Many other Colombian media sources are available via the Internet. Colombia is a long-established democracy, with a two-chamber congressional system. The current President, Alvaro Uribe Vélez, was elected in May 2002. The next presidential elections are scheduled for May 2006. Colombia's two major political parties are the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. A wide variety of information on Colombian political parties may be found at a site maintained by Georgetown University. For more information, consult the various Colombian government sites (please link to the section below) available on the Web. Canada has maintained diplomatic links with Colombia for 50 years, and current Canada-Colombia relations are healthy. Colombia offers considerable opportunities for Canadian exporters and investors, and the two countries enjoy excellent bilateral trade and investment relations. DFAIT publishes Business Tips and a wide range of other information for Canadian exporters and investors. Canada makes an annual assessment of the human rights situation in Colombia in preparation for the sessions of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva; the U.S. State Department produces a lengthier annual report. Amnesty International (Canada Branch English / Canada Branch French) and Human Rights Watch also report regularly on human rights in Colombia. Colombian government positions on human rights issues can also be found on the web pages of the Ministry of Defence and of the Vicepresident's Office. Another issue widely reported in the foreign media is Colombia's long-standing guerrilla insurgency. Two principal guerrilla forces, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Army [ELN]) and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia [FARC]) are pitted against government forces. Over the years, a number of peace initiatives have been launched and various other movements have laid down their arms and entered political life. Colombian history and culture are particularly rich. Moreover, the country has a well-developed higher education system, and most universities have very complete web sites. In North America, various academic and non-governmental institutions maintain an interest in Colombia. Among these are the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), and the Canadian Association for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CALACS), which organizes regular conferences. The best Canadian government site for information on Colombia is maintained by DFAIT. The site contains information on trade and investment relations, business tips, and security tips for business people and for visitors. - Semana. Leading weekly news magazine.
- Cambio. Weekly news magazine.
- Dinero. Business magazine.
- La Nota. Economic magazine.
- Cromos. Weekly light news magazine.
- Shock. Magazine for teens, includes the latest in music and trends.
- RCN. Private national radio network and television channel.
- Caracol. Private national radio network and television channel.
- CM&. Daily national newscast.
- Citytv. Bogota's private television channel. A franchise of Canadian Chum City Television companies.
- Colombiana de Televisión S.A. Television programmer.
- Radionet. National 24-hour news radio network.
- Coldeportes. The Colombian government's sports promotion institution.
- Futbolinfo. A popular site for soccer fans.
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