| Location | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama |
| Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 72 00 W |
| Map references | South America |
| Area | total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 6,672 km border countries (5): Brazil 1790 km, Ecuador 708 km, Panama 339 km, Peru 1494 km, Venezuela 2341 km |
| Coastline | 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands |
| Terrain | flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos) |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,730 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 593 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 37.5% (2018 est.) arable land: 1.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 34.5% (2018 est.) forest: 54.4% (2018 est.) other: 8.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 10,900 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 2.36 trillion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts volcanism: Galeras (4,276 m) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes, having erupted in 2009 and 2010 causing major evacuations; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Nevado del Ruiz (5,321 m), 129 km (80 mi) west of Bogota, erupted in 1985 producing lahars (mudflows) that killed 23,000 people; the volcano last erupted in 1991; additionally, after 500 years of dormancy, Nevado del Huila reawakened in 2007 and has experienced frequent eruptions since then; other historically active volcanoes include Cumbal, Dona Juana, Nevado del Tolima, and Purace |
| Geography - note | only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
