The Cordillera Oriental ( en, Eastern Ranges) is the widest of the three branches of the
Colombian Andes. The range extends from south to north dividing from the
Colombian Massif
The Colombian Massif (from the Spanish Macizo Colombiano), also known colloquially as ''Nudo de Almaguer'', refers to a group of mountains within the Andes of south central Colombia. The massif is mainly within the area of the Cauca, Huila, and ...
in
Huila Department
Huila () is one of the departments of Colombia. It is located in the southwest of the country, and its capital is Neiva.
Demography and Ethnography
Huila is a department that has a population of 1,122,622 inhabitants, of which 679,667 (60.54% ...
to
Norte de Santander Department where it splits into the
Serranía del Perijá and the
Cordillera de Mérida
The Cordillera de Mérida is a series of mountain ranges, or massif, in northwestern Venezuela. The Cordillera de Mérida is a northeastern extension of the Andes Mountains and the most important branch of the Venezuelan Andes. The ranges run sout ...
in
Venezuelan Andes
The Venezuelan Andes (Spanish: ''Andes Venezolanos'') also simply known as the Andes (Spanish: ''Los Andes'') in Venezuela, are a mountain system that form the northernmost extension of the Andes. They are fully identified, both by their geologi ...
. The highest peak is
Ritacuba Blanco
Ritacuba Blanco is the highest peak of Cordillera Oriental, in the Andes Mountains of Colombia. It's also named Ritak'uwa, an ancient name from the U'wa indigenous people that live in the lowlands of the National Park Sierra Nevada del Cocuy y ...
at in the
Sierra Nevada del Cocuy.
Geography
The western part of the Cordillera Oriental belongs to the
Magdalena River basin, while the eastern part includes the river basins of the
Amazon River
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
,
Orinoco River
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...
, and
Catatumbo River. Within it, the
Altiplano Cundiboyacense and the
Sierra Nevada del Cocuy (with the only snowy peaks in this mountain range) stand out. The mountain range contains the most
páramo
Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrowe ...
s in the world.
Protected areas
*
Cueva de los Guácharos
*
Chingaza National Natural Park
*
Yariguíes National Park
*
Sierra Nevada del Cocuy
*
Sumapaz Páramo
*
Tamá National Natural Park
*
Los Estoraques Unique Natural Area
*
Lake Iguaque
Lake Iguaque is a lake located in the Boyacá Department of Colombia. The lake and the surrounding area was declared a Flora and Fauna Sanctuary in 1977.
Geography and climate
Lake Iguaque is located northeast of Villa de Leyva and is part of ...
*
Guanentá Alto Río Fonce Flora and Fauna Sanctuary
*
Catatumbo Barí National Natural Park
*
Los Picachos National Natural Park
*
Pisba National Natural Park
Regional geology
See also
*
Geography of Colombia
*
Altiplano Cundiboyacense,
Bogotá savanna,
Tenza Valley
*
Cordillera Central,
Occidental
Occidental may refer to:
* Western world (of or pertaining to)
Places
* Occidental, California, a town in Sonoma County, California, US
* Occidental Park (Seattle)
Other uses
* Interlingue, a constructed language formerly known as Occidental
...
,
Andean Region,
Venezuelan Andes
The Venezuelan Andes (Spanish: ''Andes Venezolanos'') also simply known as the Andes (Spanish: ''Los Andes'') in Venezuela, are a mountain system that form the northernmost extension of the Andes. They are fully identified, both by their geologi ...
, continuation of this mountain system
References
{{Mountain Ranges of Colombia
Mountain ranges of the Andes
Mountain ranges of Colombia
.