Country code: 57. Most public telephones take phone cards, which can be bought in many shops and kiosks.

Roaming agreements exist with a few international mobile phone companies. Coverage is limited to urban areas.

There are Internet cafes in most towns and cities.

The postal service is not reliable, and travellers are advised to use couriers if sending important documents or packages. There are no traditional post offices, but hotels in major cities offer a postal service.

For many years Colombia was a dangerous place for journalists who faced intimidation by drug traffickers, guerrillas and paramilitary groups. In the 1990s, over 120 journalists were killed, many for investigating drug trafficking and corruption.

• Spanish dailies include El Tiempo, El Espacio, El Nuevo Siglo and Vanguardia Liberal.

• Señal Colombia is state-run.
• Caracol TV is a private commercial network.
• Other channels include Cadena Uno, Telecaribe and RCN TV.

• There are hundreds of stations.
• The main networks are state-run Radio Nacional de Colombia, Cadena Super (including Radio Super and Super Stereo FM), Caracol and Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN Radio).