Colombia is divided into thirty-two departments.
Amazonas
Amazonas is a department of Colombia in the south of the country. Its capital is Leticia. Its name comes from the Amazon River that drains much in the department and the rainforest that covers a large part of the department.
Antioquia
Antioquia (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈtjokja]) is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range. Antioquia has been part of many territorial divisions of former countries created over the present day territory of Colombia, and prior to the Colombian Constitution of 1886, Antioquia State was a sovereign government in their own right.
The department covers an area of 63,612 km² (24,427 sq mi), and has a population of 5,819,358 (2006 estimate); 6,6 million (2010 estimate). Antioquia borders with the Córdoba Department and the Caribbean Sea to the north, Chocó to the west, to the east it borders the departments of Bolivar, Santander and Boyaca, and to the south the departments of Caldas and Risaralda.
Medellín is Antioquia’s capital city, and the second largest city in the country. Other important towns are Santa Fe de Antioquia, the old capital located on the Cauca, and Puerto Berrío on the Magdalena.
Antioquia is the 6th largest Department of Colombia. It is predominantly mountainous, crossed by the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes. The Cordillera Central, further divides to form the Aburrá valley, in which the capital Medellín is located. The Cordillera Central forms the plateaus of Santa Rosa de Osos and Rionegro.
Despite 80% of the department’s territory being mountainous, Antioquia also has a coast on the Caribbean Sea, in the lowland area of the Urabá. This area has a tropical climate and is of high strategical importance due to its location.
Arauca
Arauca is a department of Colombia located in the extreme north of the Orinoco part of Colombia (the Llanos Oriental), bordering Venezuela. It is bordered to the south by the Casanare River and the Meta River, which separate it from the departments of Casanare and Vichada. To the west borders with the Boyacá Department. The Caño Limón oil fields located in its territory accounts for 30% of Colombian oil output. Its capital is the town of Arauca. Arauca is considered one of the regions most affected by the Colombian armed conflict as of 2011, with over 500 guerrillas of the FARC-EP controlling large parts of the department.
Its economy is based on the oil industry. The soils of the region have shown good conditions for growing cacao, banana, cassava, rice, corn and fruit trees, as well as industrial crops such as African palm, sorghum, soybeans and sesame. Livestock is another important item in the department’s economy. Its territory covers an area of 23,818 km2, predominantly composed of plains.
Atlántico
Atlántico (English: Atlantic) is a department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its south, and the Magdalena Department to its east separated by the Magdalena River. It is the third smallest of the country’s departments but has a population of 2,272,170, which makes it one of the most densely populated departments. Its capital is Barranquilla. Other important cities include Soledad and Malambo.
Bolívar
Bolívar is a department of Colombia. It was named after one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. It is located to the north of the country, extending from the coast at Cartagena near the mouth of the Magdalena River, then south along the river to a border with Antioquia.
Its capital is Cartagena, other important cities include Magangue and Turbaco.
According to press reports, the Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) controls several of the department’s gold mines and manages 48.000 hectares of land through figureheads.
Boyacá
Boyacá (Spanish pronunciation: [boʝaˈka]) is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the “United States of Colombia”.
Boyacá is centrally located within Colombia, almost entirely within the mountains of the Eastern Cordillera to the border with Venezuela, although the western end of the department extends to the Magdalena River at the town of Puerto Boyacá. Boyacá borders to the north with the Department of Santander, to the northeast with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Norte de Santander Department, to the east with the Departments of Arauca and Casanare. to the South, Boyacá borders with the Department of Cundinamarca and to the west with the Department of Antioquia covering a total area of 23,102 km² (8,880 sq mi). The capital of Boyacá is the city of Tunja.
Boyacá is known as “The Land of Freedom” because this region was the scene of a series of battles which led to Colombia’s independence from Spain. The first one took place on July 25, 1819 in the Pantano de Vargas and the final and decisive battle known as the Battle of Boyacá was fought on August 7, 1819 at Puente de Boyacá. Boyacá is home to three universities: the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC), the Universidad de Boyacá (UNIBOYACA), and the Universidad Santo Tomás.
Caldas
Caldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It’s part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km². Caldas is also part of the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis region along with the Risaralda and Quindio departments. Caldas experiences severe inequality and a high level of poverty (57.1%).[2] Health care is also a major issue, with 12.5% infant mortality, high levels of HIV/AIDS, high levels of malnutrition, and hazardous living conditions.
Caquetá
Caquetá Department (Spanish pronunciation: [kakeˈta]) is a department of Colombia. Located in the Amazonas region, Caquetá borders with the departments of Cauca and Huila to the west, the department of Meta to the north, the department of Guaviare to the northeast, the department of Vaupés to the east, the departments of Amazonas and Putumayo to the south covering a total area of 88,965 km², the third largest in the country. Its capital is the city of Florencia.
Casanare
Casanare is a department of Colombia. It is in the central eastern region of the country. Its capital is Yopal. It contains oil fields and an 800 km pipeline leading to the coastal port of Coveñas owned by BP. The Upia River (Río Upía) is in Casanere.
Cauca
Cauca is a Department of Colombia. Located in the south-western part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east and the Nariño Department to the south, covering a total area of 29,308 km², the 13th largest in Colombia. Its capital is the city of Popayán. The offshore island of Malpelo belongs to the department. It is located in the southwest of the country near the Andean (between 00°58’54″N and 03°19’04″N latitude, 75°47’36″W and 77°57’05″W longitude). The area includes 2.56% of the country. Cauca is considered the ‘epicentre’ of the Colombian armed conflict as of 2011.
The Cauca economy is based primarily on agriculture and livestock production, forestry, fishing and trade. Agriculture has been developed and modernized in the northern department, with main crops are sugar cane, cane panela, conventional maize, rice, corn tech, banana, agave, yucca, potatoes, coconut, sorghum, cocoa, groundnut and palm.
In the Pacific region is extracted gold, silver and platinum. Other non-precious minerals that are exploited are sulfur, asbestos, limestone, talc, gypsum and coal. The manufacturing industry is located in Popayán, Santander de Quilichao, Puerto Tejada with factories of food, beverages, dairy products, paper, packaging, wood processing, sugar industry and paper processing for export. The main centers of commercial activity are Popayán, Santander de Quilichao, Patia, Puerto Tejada, Piendamó and Corinto.
Cesar
Cesar Department (Spanish: Departamento del Cesar) or simply Cesar is a department of Colombia located in the north of the country in the Caribbean region, bordering to the north with the Department of La Guajira, to the west with the Department of Magdalena and Department of Bolivar, to the south with Department of Santander, to the west with the Department of North Santander, and to the east with the country of Venezuela (Zulia State). The department capital city is Valledupar.
The region was first inhabited by indigenous peoples known as Euparíes in the Valley of Upar and Guatapuríes in the Valley of the Cesar river, among these were the Orejones pertaining to the Tupe, Acanayutos pertaining to the Motilones and Alcoholados pertaining to the Chimilas. The first European to explore the area was Spanish Captain Pedro de Vadillo, but German Ambrosio Alfínger savagely conquered the region in 1532. In 1550 the village of Valle de Upar was founded by Hernando de Santana and Juan de Castellanos.
In 1813, María de la Concepción Loperena proclaimed the independence in Valledupar and donated 300 horses to Simon Bolivar. In 1829 Valledupar became a cantón of the province of Santa Marta. By Law 15 of 1850, Valledupar was segregated from Santa Marta becoming the province of Valledupar. In 1857 became a province of the state of Magdalena and by Law of December 29, 1864 became the department of Valledupar pertaining to state of Magdalena. On December 27, 1967 the department of Cesar was created officially.
The “Cesar” name is an adaptation from the Chimila indigenous word Chet-tzar or Zazare (“calm water”) into Spanish, in reference to the Cesar River. The valley that its basin covers is also named after the river and extends through most of the department. The department of Cesar was created in 1967 by decree and the name officially adopted. The department of Cesar is located in northern Colombia bordering to the north with the department of La Guajira, to the east with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, to the west with the department of Magdalena, to the southwest with the Department of Bolivar and to the south with the departments of North Santander and Santander covering a total area of 22,905 km². The majority of the Department is flat in 57% of the total area and 43% mountainous mainly in the Serrania del Perija and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain ranges.
Chocó
Chocó is a department of Colombia known for its large Afro-Colombian population. It is in the west of the country, and is the only Colombian department to have coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It also has all of Colombia’s border with Panama. Its capital is Quibdó.
Chocó has a diverse geography, unique ecosystems and unexploited natural resources. However, its population has one of the lowest standards of living of all Departments in Colombia. In March 2007 Colombian media reported that some 50 children starved in less than three months, creating awareness of the grave condition Chocó inhabitants are facing. Infrastructure problems were also revealed. For example, despite its status as the world’s rainiest lowland, with close to 400 inches of annual precipitation, Chocó’s capital Quibdó was left without water.
The Chocó Department makes up most of the ecoregion known as El Chocó that extends from Panama to Ecuador. The municipality of Lloró holds the Highest Average Annual Precipitation record measured at 523.6 inches (13,300 mm) which makes it the wettest place in the world.[5] Three large rivers drain the Chocó Department, the Atrato, the San Juan and the Baudó, and each has many tributaries. The Baudó Mountains on the coast and the Cordillera Occidental are cut by low valleys with an altitude less than 1,000 meters that form most of the territory. Most of the Chocó is thick rain forest. Much of Colombia’s internal consumption of wood come from the Chocó, with a small percentage harvested for export.
Córdoba
Córdoba is a Department of the Republic of Colombia located to the north of this country in the Colombian Caribbean Region. Córdoba faces to the north with the Caribbean sea, to the northeast with the Sucre Department, east with the Bolívar Department and south with the Antioquia Department. Its capital is the city of Montería.
Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca Department (Departamento de Cundinamarca – Spanish pronunciation: [kundinaˈmarka]) is one of the departments of Colombia. Its area covers 24.210 sq. km and has a population of 2,280,037. It was created on August, 5 of 1886 under the constitutional terms presented on the same year. Cundinamarca is located in the center of Colombia and its capital is Bogotá.
Most of Cundinamarca is on the Eastern Cordillera (Cordillera Oriental), just south of Boyacá, bordered by the Magdalena River on the west, reaching down into the Orinoco River basin on the east, and bordering on Tolima to the south. The capital district of Bogotá is nearly completely surrounded by Cundinamarca territory, and indeed was formed by carving up Cundinamarca; between this and other divisions, the present department of Cundinamarca is much smaller than the original state.
The capital of Cundinamarca is Bogotá. This is a special case among Colombian departments, since Bogotá is not legally a part of Cundinamarca, yet it is the only department that has its capital designated by the Constitution (meaning that if the capital was to be ever moved, it would take a constitutional reform to do so, instead of a simple ordinance passed by the Cundinamarca Assembly). Also, in censuses, the populations for Bogotá and Cundinamarca are tabulated separately; otherwise, Cundinamarca’s population would total 9.5 million.
Guainía
Guainía (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaiˈni.a]; Yira language: Land of many waters) is a department of Colombia. It is in the east of the country, bordering Venezuela and Brazil. Its capital is Inirida. In 1963 Guainía was split off from Vaupés. The northern part and the Inírida River are included in the Orinoco river basin; the rest is part of Amazonia. The Guaviare River is the main area of colonization, many colonos come from the Colombian Andean zone, most of them from Boyacá. They are followed by the llaneros, people from the Eastern plains. The main population is composed by Native Indians, the big ethnic groups are the Puinave (from the makú-puinave family) and the curripaco (from the Arawak family). There are a total of 24 ethnic groups in the department, many of them speak four Indian languages besides Spanish and Portuguese.
The department is known for its coca crops and the guerrilla presence, but many in Colombia ignore the beauty landscape, the variety in food and the Indians deep sense of hospitality. Colonization, narcotraffic and war are displacing the original population and pushing many of them into force displacement. Before the Mapiripán massacre, in the near department of Meta, the area was an island of peace inside violent Colombia. After 1996, the expansion of paramilitary forces (“self-defenses”) lead them to the Guaviare River and Inírida surroundings. Now the presence of state military has strengthen and the capture of Fernandinho Beira-Mar, a leading Brazilian narcotrafficker, prompted the department to the headlines.
It occurred in Barrancominas, the second biggest population. In the political arena, the natives had won important places, like the Inírida mayor office and the sit of the governor. On January 20, 2006, the governor, Efrén de Jesús Ramírez Sabana, was put out of office because he was condemned by a Villavicencio judge in a case of nourishing unattendance. The outsted governor is ethnically a Sikuani, he won office by the Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia, AICO (Colombian Indigenous Authorities) with a high percentage.
Guaviare
Guaviare (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaˈβjaɾe]) is a department of Colombia. It is in the southern central region of the country. Its capital is San José del Guaviare. Guaviare was created on July 4, 1991 by the new Political Constitution of Colombia. Up until that point, it was a national territory that operated as a Commissariat, segregated from territory of the then Commissariat of Vaupés on December 23, 1977.
Huila
Huila (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwila]) is one of the departments of Colombia. It is located in the southwest of the country, and its capital is Neiva. The south of the department is located in the Colombian Massif. The Cordillera Oriental is born in this place. Colombia’s second highest peak, the Nevado del Huila volcano, is located in Huila department. The Magdalena River (also called Yuma River) is Colombia’s largest river, rises in Huila department. Some of Huila’s most important towns are placed in the Magdalena River Valley. Betania is a dam located in the Magdalena river. A bigger dam, El Quimbo, is planned for the same river.
La Guajira
La Guajira (Spanish pronunciation: [laɣwaˈxiɾa]) is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of its namesake peninsula, the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, facing the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela in the northern most part of South America. The department capital city is Riohacha. Various indigenous tribes populated the vast arid plains, such as the Wayuu, Guajiros, Macuiros, Anates, Wayunaiki, Cuanaos and Eneales among others prior to the Spanish arrival to the Americas.
In 1498 Alonso de Ojeda navigated around the peninsula of La Guajira, but the one who disembarked in what today is La Guajira was Juan de la Cosa. During the colonial era the territory was disputed by the governors of Santa Marta and Venezuela due to deposits of pearls. English pirates, French, Germans also disputed the territory. Martin Fernandez de Enciso found the city of Nuestra Señora Santa Maria de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela, first village in the territory but due to constant attacks, in 1535 Don Nicolas de Federman had to refounded as the village of Riohacha and in 1544 was moved present-day Riohacha. In 1871 the region is separated from the Department of Magdalena and is created La Guajira as part of the national territories. In 1898 was created the Intendance of La Guajira.
In 1911 the Colombian government created the Commissary of la Guajira, followed by a wave of Middle Eastern immigrants (Christians and Maronites) from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan, countries under the Ottoman Empire arrived to La Guajira in the c. 1930s and establishing mostly in Maicao. In 1954 was once again created the Intendance of la Guajira and Riohacha was declared a municipality. Finally in 1964 the Department of La Guajira was created.
The economy of the department is mostly based on royalties from the coal mining at Cerrejón, which produced 24.9 million tons of export coal in 2004, Natural gas exploitation and salt mine. A popular tourist destination is Cabo de la Vela, a small fishing village located on the tip of the peninsula in the Guajira desert.
The northern part of the department is arid plains, the Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub, in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta which rise to 5,775 meters in the south. The Sinú Valley dry forests lie in between. In the far south are the headwaters of the Cesar River which turns south towards the Magdalena River.
The Rancheria River also born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta crosses the Guajira Peninsula from south to north and flows through the Valley of Upar and into the Caribbean sea. The Serrania del Perija and the Montes de Oca lay on the southeastern part of the department and bordering Venezuela.
The department was subdivided into three subregions based on geographical characteristics; Upper Guajira, Middle Guajira and Southern Guajira. The Upper Guajira covers the northern most area of the peninsula, mostly semi-desertic and scarce vegetation, only presenting an isolated low altitude mountain range, the Serrania de Macuira (865 m over sea level). The Middle Guajira region is mostly flat and wavy in some areas, presenting also an arid environment and the Southern Guajira covers the region of the Montes de Oca and the Serrania del Perija mountain ranges on the border with Venezuela and the valley formed with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. Southern Guajira has more wetlands and more rivers.
Magdalena
Magdalena is a department of Colombia, located to the north of the country by the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Magdalena Department is Santa Marta and was named after the Magdalena River. It inherited the name of one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia that its current territory integrated.
The Department of Magdalena is located on the North Coast of the Colombian Caribbean Region.
On the north it borders the Caribbean Sea. On the northeast it borders the La Guajira Department, being divided by the Palomino River. On the east it borders with the Cesar Department, which is in part divided by the Guaraní River. On the west, it is divided by the Magdalena River, and it borders the departments of Atlantico in the Northwest, and Bolívar in the West and Southwest.
The territory of Magdalena has an area of approximately 23,188 km², small compared to other regions, but in its territory various types of different ecoregions are found. From the beaches and sea landscape in the North, the snow covered peaks in the Sierra, the swampy marshes in the west, the cloud forests, to the grasslands inland, the urban districts, the farmlands, the dry desert like, the deep rain forest, the rocky rivers to many other small ecosystems. These ecosystem support different fauna and flora and house many delicate species.
Meta
Meta is a department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a grassland plain known as the Llanos. Its capital is Villavicencio. The department has a monument placed in the very geographic centre of Colombia. Achagua, which is similar to Piapoco, is an Indigenous language spoken by a minority in the department.
Nariño
Nariño (Spanish pronunciation: [naˈɾiɲo]) is a department of Colombia named after Antonio Nariño. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Pasto, other important cities include Tumaco, Ipiales.
Norte de Santander
North Santander (in Spanish, Norte de Santander) is a department of Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the major cities of Colombia.North Santander Department is bordered by Venezuela to the east and north, by Santander Department and Boyacá Department to the south, and by South Santander Department and Cesar Department to the east.
The official Department name in Spanish is “Departamento de Norte de Santander” (North Santander Department) in honor to the Colombian military and political leader Francisco de Paula Santander. North Santander Department is located in the northwestern zone of the Colombian Andean Region. The area of present day Norte de Santander played an important role in the history of Colombia, during the War of Independence from Spain when Congress gave origin to the Greater Colombia in Villa del Rosario.
North Santander has a varied geography and is composed by mountainous areas, deserts, plateaus, plains and hills, with municipalities of heights very varied, this make in landscapes and climates immensely rich. Throughout his territory they cross by rivers and lagoons.
The Department is conformed by three natural regions: the most broken part is represented by the Eastern Mountain range, it begins in the site known as Naked Santurbán and soon it becomes the Mountainous area of the Motilones. On the other hand, the plains of the Catatumbo River and the Zulia River are located to the Northwest and to the south it is the valley of the Magdalena River.
The sector of influence of the Catatumbo river has temperatures averaging 24 °C with warm climates and humid, whereas in the zone of Cúcuta, it varies of dry to very dry; and in the mountainous area, great variety of climates that go from the temperings to the very cold ones, including inferior appears to the 12 °C. A rich hydrographic system crosses the Department with three river basins of great importance: to the north the one of the Catatumbo river, to the west the one of the Magdalena river and to the southwest, the one of the Orinoco river.
Putumayo
Putumayo is a department of Colombia. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering Ecuador and Peru. Its capital is Mocoa. The word putumayo comes from the Quechua language. The verb putuy means “to spring forth” or “to burst out”, and mayo is a variant of mayu, meaning river. Thus it means “gushing river”. The current territory of Putumayo was linked to Popayan during the Spanish Colony and on the firsts Republican decades belonged to the huge “Department of Asuay, that included territories in Ecuador and Perú.
Quindío
Quindío (Spanish pronunciation: [kinˈdi.o]) is a department of Colombia. It is in the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains. Its capital is Armenia. It is famous for the quality of the coffee plantations, colorful architecture, benign weather, variety of hotel accommodations and touristic landmarks. This department is located in a strategic area, in the center of the triangle formed by the three main cities of the country: Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. Quindio is the second smallest Colombian department (0.2% of the national territory) with 12 municipalities. Ethnographically and culturally it belongs to the Paisa region.
Most of its surface is occupied for the western face of the Cordillera Central. Highest mountain: Nevado del Quindío, (Snow Mountain of Quindio) 5.150 m high. The lowest area is the valley of la Vieja River, 1.100 m high.There are in this department about 1.845 km2 (1 sq mi) of mountain landscapes, with many Rainforests and Guadua bamboo forests. The ground is enriched with ancient volcanic eruptions, rising its fertility, there are also many rivers and minor water streams, including the Quindío River and the Cocora valley located in this river origin.
The weather has a wide range, given the variations on termic floors. It has a high annual rain precipitation (around 2500 mm/year) because the humidity of winds from the Pacific Ocean stopped by the Andes. There are two rainy seasons (April and November). The average of temperature is between 24°C in La Vieja river and 16°C in Salento.
Risaralda
Risaralda is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central region of the country and part of the Paisa Region. Its capital is Pereira. It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966. Risaralda is very well known for the high quality of its coffee, and a booming industry: clothes, food, trading of goods and services.
The territory is very mountainous and has many kinds of climate in a very small area. Its proximity to harbours like Buenaventura on the Pacific Ocean and to the biggest cities in Colombia – Bogotá, Cali, Medellín – makes it a fast growing economic centre.
‘Generalities’
Risaralda department with an area of 365,300 ha, is located in the central sector of the central Andean region west of the country between two major poles of economic development (department of Antioquia in northern and southern Cauca Valley, extending between the central and western Cordillera), which slopes down towards the Río Cauca, also borders the departments of Caldas in the north-east, east Tolima, Quindio Chocó south and west. Department’s drainage system consists of two major basins are the Cauca River and the San Juan River. Physiographical formations are covered by the volcanic massifs of the central and western mountain ranges, flat and narrow valleys formed by the natural river basins Otún, Cauca, Risaralda and Old.traducción del español al inglés
Its main stage are: Nevado de Santa Isabel (Pereira), Cerro de Tatamá (Sanctuary), Cerro de Caramanta (Mistrató), Alto de las Palomas (Pueblo Rico), Alto de Pelahuevos (APIA), Blade la Serna (Mistrató) , San Juan Blade (APIA), Blade of the Content (APIA), Blade Tribune (Pereira), Alto del Nudo and Morro Azul (Pereira), Alto de la Campana (APIA) and the Crystalline High (Belen de Umbria .)
The soils of the department have their origin in igneous rocks and volcanic ash derived from sedimentary rocks and alluvial and colluvial materials. According to these materials, located in the county soil units: manila, Parnaz or 200, unit 10 or Chinchiná and Malabar, being the most extensive in the coffee or Chinchiná unit 10. As for the classification agrological 6.4% of the departmental area (except the municipalities of Pueblo Rico, Belén de Umbria Mistrató and have not agrological study) corresponds to classes II, III and IV, 77.2% to class V , VI, VII and 16.4% to class VIII and in appearance agrological mainly found Mj units. and Fn., which occupy 58.6% of the total area considered suitable for a variety of crops and forests. In the department there are a variety of life zones, which are distributed as follows: BMH-PM (40.3%), BMH-MB (28.7%), BP-pm (9.4%) and the rest (21.5%) are bs -T-T bh, bh-T, bh-PM, bp-MB, BH-F, bp-M, among others.
San Andrés and Providencia
Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (Spanish: Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina); or colloquially San Andrés y Providencia is one of the departments of Colombia. It consists of two island groups about 775 km (482 mi) northwest of Colombia and 220 km (140 mi) from the coast of Nicaragua, and eight outlying banks and reefs. Its capital is San Andrés.
Before 1960, the population of the islands was almost entirely Raizals, who are an Afro-Caribbean group, Protestant in religion, speaking San Andrés-Providencia Creole. Colombia has promoted the migration of Spanish-speaking mainlanders, with Catholic missions participating since 1947. This policy seems to be an answer to growing discontent within the raizal community that could strengthen separatist movements; a raizal majority would in this case win a pro-independence referendum and could be neutralized by outnumbering them with immigrants. By 2005, Raizals were only 30% of the 90,000 or more inhabitants of the islands, with the rest being mainland Colombians. Raizals can speak both Spanish and English.
Santander
Santander is a department of Colombia. Santander inherited the name of one of the nine original states of the United States of Colombia. It is located in the central northern part of the country, east of the Magdalena River, bordered to the south and southeast by Boyacá, to the northeast by Norte de Santander Department, to the north by Cesar Department, and to the west by Bolivar and Antioquia Departments. Its capital is the city of Bucaramanga.
Sucre
Sucre is a department in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. The department ranks 27th by area, 10,670 km2 (4,120 sq mi) and it has a population of 772,010, ranking 20th of all the 32 departments of Colombia. Sucre is bordered by the Caribbean on the northwest; by Bolívar Department on the east and by Córdoba Department on the west.
Sucre was named in honor of the Independence hero Antonio José de Sucre who was quoted by the founders of this department in reference to Simón Bolívar’s death as saying “They have killed my heart”, expression said while cruising the territory of the present day Sucre Department.As of 2009, the Sucre Department has an estimated population of 802,733, of which 234,886 are in the department capital Sincelejo, according to the DANE projections.
Tolima
Tolima is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the Andean region, in the center-west of the country. It is bordered on the north and the west by the department of Caldas; on the east by the department of Cundinamarca; on the south by the department of Huila, and on the west by the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Quindío and Risaralda. Tolima has a surface area of 23,562 km², and its capital is Ibagué. The department of Tolima was created in 1861 from a part of what was previously Cundinamarca.
The Tolima department includes three distinct regions: a mountainous region, occupied by the Cordillera Central; a plain, that corresponds to the valleys of the rivers Magdalena and Saldaña; and the region to the southeast which forms the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental, which contains the source of the Cabrera river.
Valle del Cauca
Valle del Cauca (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbaʎe ðel ˈkauka], locally: [ˈbaʝe ðel ˈkauka]) is a department of Colombia. It is in the western side of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean, and it is considered one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Santiago de Cali. Given its privileged location, lately it has been considered as the Pacific Door of Colombia. Besides Cali such cities as Buenaventura, Cartago and Tulua have great economical, political, social and cultural influence on the department’s life. Valle del Cauca has the largest number of independent towns (i.e. not in Metropolitan areas) with over 100,000 inhabitants in the country, counting six within its borders. Buenaventura has the largest and busiest seaport in Colombia, moving about 8,500,000 tons of merchandise.
The department of Valle del Cauca is located on the western part of the country, between 3° 05’ and 5° 01’ latitude N, 75° 42’ and 77° 33’ longitude W. Its limits to the north border the departments of Risaralda and Quindío, the department of Cauca to the south, Tolima to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west as well as the department Chocó. The valley is geographically limited by the Central and Western mountain ranges and is “bathed” by numerous rivers which empty into the Cauca River. The department is divided into four zones: the Pacific Fringe, which is humid and mostly jungle; the western mountain range, also humid and full of jungle, heavily deforested due to the paper industry; the Andean valley of the Cauca river, whose surrounding lands are the most fertile of the country; and the western ridge of the central mountain range. The anthem of Valle del Cauca is “Salve Valle del Cauca, mi tierra” (“Hail Valley of the Cauca, my land”).
Vaupés
Vaupés is a department of Colombia in the jungle covered Amazonas Region. It is located in the southeast part of the country, bordering Brazil to the east, the department of Amazonas to the south, Caquetá and Guaviare, and Guainía to the north covering a total area of 54,135 km². Its capital is the town of Mitú.
The department’s main economic activities feature logging and fishing, with much exportation to neighboring Brazil.The vast majority of the population consists of indigenous inhabitants.
Vichada
Vichada (Spanish: Departamento del Vichada) is a department of the Republic of Colombia in South America. Vichada is located in the eastern plains of Colombia, in the Orinoquia region within the Orinoco river basin bordering the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the north and east. To the north the department of Vichada also borders to the north with the department of Arauca, to the northwest with the department of Casanare, to the west with the department of Meta, to the southwest narrowly bordering with the department of Guaviare and to the south with the department of Guainía. The department is the second largest in Colombia and scarcely populated in comparison to other departments.
The department of Vichada was previously a commissary established in 1913. The largest town and capital of the department is Puerto Carreño located in extreme northeastern part of the department and bordering Venezuela. the department is subdivided into four municipalities; Puerto Carreño, La Primavera, Santa Rosalía and Cumaribo. It also contains 46 indigenous reserves and 6 communities.
The Department of Vichada is located on the eastern plains of Colombia known colloquially as the Llanos. The department of Vichada limits to the north with the Department of Arauca and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; to the east with Venezuela; to the south with the Department of Guainía and the Department of Guaviare; and to the west with the Department of Meta and the Department of Casanare.
The department is located to the left margin of the Orinoco River and the right margin of the Meta River within the plains of los Llanos. Part of the department lies on the Guiana Shield. Soil lacks sediments due to the lack of alluvions from rivers coming from the Andes mountains.
Climate in the Department of Vichada is predominantly hot and humid with an average temperature of 28 °C (82 °F) throughout the year.
