Lebrija River is a river of northern

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 ...

. It originates in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

in Piedecuesta and flows through the northern part of the department of

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

into the Magdalena River in

Puerto Wilches Puerto Wilches is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia. References Municipalities of Santander Department {{Santander-geo-stub ...

Etymology

The Lebrija River is named after Antonio de Lebrija, the

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

who discovered the river in 1529.

Description

The Lebrija River originates at an altitude of in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian

to the northeast of Piedecuesta,

. The Lebrija River, a confluence of the Suratá River and the Río de Oro,GIDROT, 2011, p.144CIAT, s.a., p.21 flows northward through the municipalities Girón, capital of Santander Bucaramanga, Lebrija and Sabana de Torres to flow into the Magdalena River near the Loma de Corredor,

Puerto Wilches Puerto Wilches is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia. References Municipalities of Santander Department {{Santander-geo-stub ...

,CDIM, s.a., p.5 Santander at an altitude of .Google Maps Elevation Finder
/ref> In the lower course of the river, it forms the natural boundary between Santander and

Cesar Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

, close to the border with Bolívar. About of the river, with a total basin size of , is navegable.GIDROT, 2011, p.128

Geology

The type locality of the

Girón Formation The Girón Formation ( es, Formación Girón, Jg) is an extensive geological formation stretching across from the north in Teorama, Norte de Santander, across the Mesa de Los Santos and Chicamocha Canyon towards west of Nobsa, Boyacá in the nor ...

was identified along the Lebrija River in 1954.GIDROT, 2011, p.44 At this type section, a total thickness of of the formation was registered in 1968.GIDROT, 2011, p.45 The type locality of the thick

La Paz Formation LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

is also located near the river.GIDROT, 2011, p.59

Climate

The heavy rains over the capital district of Santander, the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga, have caused mortality of fish in the Lebrija River.El Río Lebrija pierde sus peces
- El Espectador The Lebrija River transports an average of of water per year.GIDROT, 2011, p.117 The maximum discharge at the San Rafael station has been registered in December with and the minimum in January with .GIDROT, 2011, p.118GIDROT, 2011, p.119 The higher basin of Lebrija Alto has between of precipitation per year in a bimodal pattern. The rainy seasons are March to May and September to November with drier periods from December to February and June to August. The temperature ranges from , the relative humidity reached 81% and the hours of sunshine vary between 1472 and 1913.CDMB, s.a., p.4

Flora and fauna

Many species of flora and fauna have been registered in the Lebrija River basin. A total number of 761 species of which 172 birds, 77 insects, 124 mammals, 104 fish and 284 plant species have been noted at Rionegro, Santander.Fauna y flora de la cuenca media del Río Lebrija en Rionegro, Santander
- Humboldt Institute The

Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve, known in Spanish as Reserva Natural de las Aves Reinita Cielo Azul, is a nature reserve near Bucaramanga in central Colombia. The reserve is set among oak forest on the eastern slopes of the Magdalena River. It meas ...

is close to the Lebrija River in Bucaramanga.Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve
- ProAves

Flora

The following species and genera are noted in the upper part of the Lebrija River: '' Ocotea sp.'', '' Miconia sp.'', '' Guarea grandifolia'', '' Hedyosmum bomplandianum'', '' Guateria sp.'', '' Protium sp.'', '' Ochroma sp.'', '' Piper sp.'', '' Trema micrantha'', ''

Vismia baccifera ''Vismia baccifera'' is a tropical plant used by indigenous peoples in South America, in Colombian Amazon as well as Brazil, infused as traditional medicine. It has been demonstrated to have great antitumor capability in kidney and liver by indu ...

'', '' Urera caracasana'', '' Cecropia sp.'' and '' Croton leptostachis''.CDMB, s.a., p.9

Fauna

= Mammals

= The following mammals have been registered in the upper and central Lebrija River basins:CDMB, s.a., p.10

= Amphibians and reptiles

= The following species have been registered in the central Lebrija River basin:

= Birds

= The following species have been registered in the central Lebrija River basin:

= Fish

= The following species have been registered in the central Lebrija River basin:

Trivia

* In 1898, Princess Theresa of Bavaria made the first reported finding of an egg of the

Magdalena River turtle The Magdalena River turtle or Rio Magdalena river turtle (''Podocnemis lewyana'') is a species of turtle in the family Podocnemididae, :

List of rivers of Colombia Atlantic Ocean Amazon River Basin * Amazon River ** Guainía River or Negro River *** Vaupés River or Uaupés River **** Papuri River **** Querary River *** Isana River or Içana River **** Cuiari River *** Aquio River ** Caquetá River o ...

Suárez River The Suárez River, originally Saravita, is a river in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The river originates in Lake Fúquene on the border of Cundinamarca and Boyacá and its mouth is the confluence with the Chicamocha River, formin ...

Chicamocha River Chicamocha River is a river of Boyacá and Santander in central-eastern Colombia. It is part of the Magdalena river system that flows into the Caribbean Sea. Chicamocha River originates in the municipality of Tuta in the department of Boyac ...

, Sogamoso River

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

Etymology

Description

Geology

Climate

Flora and fauna

Flora

Fauna

= Mammals

= Amphibians and reptiles

= Birds

= Fish

Trivia

References

Bibliography

Further reading