Cauca Department (, es, Departamento del Cauca) is a
Department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of Southwestern
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. Located in the southwestern 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
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 the east, and
Nariño Department to the south. Putumayo and Caqueta Departments border the southeast portion of Cauca Department as well. It covers a total area of , the 13th largest in Colombia. Its capital is the city of
Popayán
Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian departments of Colombia, department of Cauca Department, Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between the Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), Western Mountain Range and Cordillera Central (Colo ...
. The offshore island of
Malpelo belongs to the department. It is located in the southwest of the country, mainly in
the Andean and
Pacific regions (between 0°58′54″N and 3°19′04″N latitude, 75°47′36″W and 77°57′05″W longitude) plus a tiny part (
Piamonte
Piamonte is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia.
Climate
Piamonte has a tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually foun ...
) in
the Amazonian region. The area includes 2.56% of the country.
Administrative Division
Cauca department is divided into 42 municipalities, 99 districts, 474 police posts and numerous villages and populated places. The municipalities are grouped into 27 circles and 29 notaries: a circle-based registration in Popayán and eight sectional offices based in
Bolívar,
Caloto
Caloto is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia.
Notable people
*Davinson Sánchez, footballer
*John Arlington González, footballer
References
Municipalities of Cauca Department
{{Cauca-geo-stub ...
,
Puerto Tejada,
Santander de Quilichao
Santander de Quilichao is a town and municipality in the north of the Cauca Department, Colombia at 97 km to the north of Popayán and 45 km to the south of Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca d ...
,
Patia
''Patia'' is a genus of butterflies in the subfamily Dismorphiinae. They are native to the Americas.
Species
* ''Patia cordillera'' (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862)
* ''Patia orise'' (Boisduval, 1836)
* ''Patia rhetes'' (Hewitson, 857
__NO ...
,
Guapi and
Silvia
Silvia () is a female given name of Latin origin, with a male equivalent Silvio and English-language cognate Sylvia. The name originates from the Latin word for forest, ''Silva'', and its meaning is "spirit of the wood"; the mythological god of ...
, makes up the judicial district of Popayán. This district possesses 8 judicial circuit seats in Popayán, Bolívar, Caloto, Guapi, Patia, Puerto Tejada, Santander de Quilichao and Silvia. The department makes up the constituency of Cauca.
It has many small towns and indigenous reservations such as the
Lopez Adentro reservation.
Physiography
The relief of the territory of the department of Cauca belongs to the
Andean system at the macro level seven distinguishing morphological units:
# the
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate.
The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and Iza ...
# the Western Cordillera
# the Central Cordillera
# the highlands of Popayán
# the Macizo Colombiano
# Valle del Patia
# a small sliver of the
Amazon Basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
The Pacific Plate comprises two sectors, firstly the alluvial coastal belt or platform characterized by low, swampy, mangrove forest with many rivers estuaries subject to the ebb and flow of tides, the remainder is a plain or hills comprising the western slopes of the western cordillera.
The western cordillera in Cauca extends from southwest to northeast. Among the most important landmarks are the blade of Napí, the hills of Guaduas, Munchique, and Naya, and the Cauca River Valley. The central mountain range crosses the department from south to north; relevant landmarks include Sotará Colcano, Petacas Nevado del
Huila, and the departmental boundary.
The highlands of Popayán, sandwiched between the Western and Central Cordilleras, is seen as a landmark within the plateau of the hill of La Tetilla. Among the most representative landmarks of the Colombian Massif, shared with the department of
Huila, are the Páramo del Buey, the volcanoes of Cutanga and Puracé, the peak of Paletará, and the Sierra Nevada of Coconucos. Patia Valley, where the Patia River runs north-south and framed by the Central and Western mountain ranges, extends into
Nariño Department. The Amazonian salient corresponds to the so-called Bota Caucana, through which flows the
Japurá River
The Japurá River or Caquetá River is a river about long in the Amazon basin. It rises in Colombia and flows eastward through Brazil to join the Amazon River.
Course
The river rises as the Caquetá River in the Andes in southwest Colombia.
Th ...
.
Colombian Massif
The Colombian Massif, also called the Nudo de Almaguer, is a mountainous area of "Andes colombianos" covering the departments of Cauca,
Huila, and
Nariño. In the south is the Nudo de los Pastos, and the north, central, and eastern mountain ranges emerge. 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, a ...
is a strategic national and international level, given its significance for water production, biodiversity and ecosystems, an area that represents a special conformation of the regions with more potential for development in Colombia.
Hydrography
Cauca Department can be divided into the following hydrographic regions:
# The Cauca river system, consisting of five major basins: Alto Cauca, Pacific, Alto Magdalena, Patia and Caqueta. Alto Cauca, the most important, is formed by the
Cauca River
The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and th ...
and its tributaries: Palo, Guengué, Negro, Teta, Desbaratado, and Quilichao, Mondomo, Ovejas, Pescador, Robles, Piedras, Sucio, Palacé, Cofre, Honda, Cajibío, Piendamó, Tunia, Molino, Timbío and Blanco.
#Patia basin, consists of the Patia River and its tributary rivers Guachinoco, Ismita, Bojoleo, El Guaba, Sambingo and Mayo.
#Outside the Patia basin, the Pacific slope is mainly drained by the rivers Guapi, Timbiquí, Saija and Micay.
#Alto Magdalena, whose main river is the
Páez River
The Páez River (Río Páez ) is a river in southwestern Colombia. It is a tributary of the Magdalena River which drains into the Caribbean Sea. It flows into the Magdalena just south of the village of Remolino del Vicho.
Earthquake
On 6 June 199 ...
which is fed by the rivers: San Vicente, Moras, Ullucos, Negro y Negro de Narvaez, and the streams: Toez, Símbola, Salado, Gualcar, Gallo, Macana, Honda and Totumo.
#Caquetá basin, consists of the Caquetá River into which the rivers Cusiyaco, Cascabelito, Verdeyaco, Mandiyaco, Fragua, Cascabel, Curiaco and Pacayaco flow.
Gorgonilla and
Gorgona islands are located in the Pacific Ocean and belong to Cauca Department.
Economy
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 the main crops being 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
Santander de Quilichao is a town and municipality in the north of the Cauca Department, Colombia at 97 km to the north of Popayán and 45 km to the south of Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca d ...
,
Puerto Tejada with factories of food, beverages, dairy products, paper, packaging,
wood processing
Wood processing is an engineering discipline in the wood industry comprising the production of forest products, such as pulp and paper, construction materials, and tall oil. Paper engineering is a subfield of wood processing.
The major wood pro ...
, sugar industry and paper processing for export. The main centers of commercial activity are Popayán, Santander de Quilichao,
Patia
''Patia'' is a genus of butterflies in the subfamily Dismorphiinae. They are native to the Americas.
Species
* ''Patia cordillera'' (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862)
* ''Patia orise'' (Boisduval, 1836)
* ''Patia rhetes'' (Hewitson, 857
__NO ...
, Puerto Tejada,
Piendamó and
Corinto.
Municipalities
*
Almaguer Almaguer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Frank Almaguer (born 1945), United States diplomat
*Ilean Almaguer (born 1990), Mexican actress best known for her roles in telenovelas and dozens of TV commercials
*Sergio Almaguer ( ...
*
Argelia
*
Balboa
*
Bolívar
*
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
*
Cajibío
*
Caldono
*
Caloto
Caloto is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia.
Notable people
*Davinson Sánchez, footballer
*John Arlington González, footballer
References
Municipalities of Cauca Department
{{Cauca-geo-stub ...
*
Corinto
*
El Tambo
*
Florencia
*
Guapi
*
Inzá
*
Jambaló
*
La Sierra
*
La Vega
*
López de Micay
López de Micay () is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia. The Colombian meteorological service IDEAM reports an average annual precipitation of , potentially making it the wettest inhabited place in the world; however, som ...
*
Mercaderes
*
Miranda
*
Morales
Morales is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alfredo Morales (born 1990), American footballer
* Alvaro Morales (disambiguation), several people
* Amado Morales (born 1947), Puerto Rican javelin thrower
* Bartolomé Mo ...
*
Padilla
*
Páez
*
Patía
*
Piamonte
Piamonte is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia.
Climate
Piamonte has a tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually foun ...
*
Piendamó
*
Popayán
Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian departments of Colombia, department of Cauca Department, Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between the Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), Western Mountain Range and Cordillera Central (Colo ...
*
Puerto Tejada
*
Puracé
Puracé is an andesitic stratovolcano located in the Puracé National Natural Park in the Cauca Department, Colombia. It is part of the North Volcanic Zone of the Andean Volcanic Belt. The volcano is located at the intersection of the Coconuc ...
*
Rosas
*
San Sebastián
San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
*
Santander de Quilichao
Santander de Quilichao is a town and municipality in the north of the Cauca Department, Colombia at 97 km to the north of Popayán and 45 km to the south of Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca d ...
*
Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose.
Santa Rosa may also refer to:
Places Argentina
*Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city
* Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca
* Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca
* Santa Rosa, La Pampa
* S ...
*
Silvia
Silvia () is a female given name of Latin origin, with a male equivalent Silvio and English-language cognate Sylvia. The name originates from the Latin word for forest, ''Silva'', and its meaning is "spirit of the wood"; the mythological god of ...
*
Sotará
*
Suárez
*
Sucre
Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...
*
Timbío
Timbio is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department
Cauca Department (, es, Departamento del Cauca) is a Department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the ...
*
Timbiquí
Timbiqui is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia.
An earthquake affected its inhabitants on the first of October, 2012.
Climate
Like all the Pacific coast of Colombia, Timbiquí has a very wet tropical rainforest climate (K ...
*
Toribío
*
Totoró
*
Villa Rica
References
External links
*
*
Territorial-Environmental Information System of Colombian Amazon SIAT-AC website
{{Authority control
Departments of Colombia
States and territories established in 1857
1857 establishments in the Republic of New Granada