Because of its natural structure,
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 ...
can be divided into six distinct
natural regions
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and f ...
. These consist of the
Andean Region, covering the three branches of the
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 ...
mountains found in Colombia; the
Caribbean Region, covering the area adjacent to the Caribbean Sea; the
Pacific Region adjacent to the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
; the
Orinoquía Region, part of the ''
Llanos
The Llanos ( Spanish ''Los Llanos'', "The Plains"; ) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grassla ...
'' plains mainly in the
Orinoco river basin along the border with
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
; the
Amazon Region, part of the
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
; and finally the
Insular Region, comprising the islands in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
[ MEMO: Natural Regions of Colombia]
Memo.com.co Accessed 22 August 2007. Colombia is located in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
.
Andean Region
The
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 ...
mountains form the most populous region of Colombia and contain the majority of the country's urban centres. They were also the location of the most significant pre-Columbian indigenous settlement. Beyond 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 the south-western departments of
Cauca and
Nariño, the Colombian Andes divide into three branches known as "cordilleras" (from the Spanish for ''rope''): the
Cordillera Occidental, running adjacent to the Pacific coast and including the city of
Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
; the
Cordillera Central, running up the centre of the country between the
Cauca and
Magdalena river valleys (to the west and east respectively) and including the cities of
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
,
Manizales and
Pereira; and the
Cordillera Oriental and
Perijá Mountains, extending north east towards the
Guajira Peninsula
The Guajira Peninsula ( es, Península de La Guajira, links=no, also spelled ''Goajira'', mainly in colonial period texts, guc, Hikükariby) is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the northe ...
, and including
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
,
Bucaramanga and
Cúcuta
Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...
.
The climate and vegetation of the region vary considerably according to altitude, but as a) and
tierra fría (cold land, ), which include the most productive land and the majority of the population; and the alpine conditions of the
zona forestada (forested zone, ),
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 () and
tierra helada (frozen land, and above).
Caribbean Region
The Caribbean Region covers adjacent to the Caribbean Sea, stretching from the
Gulf of Urabá in the west to the Guajira Peninsula in the east and including some or all of the departments of
Guajira,
Bolívar,
Atlántico,
Cesar,
Magdalena,
Sucre
Sucre () is the capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high altitude gives the ...
,
Córdoba,
Santander and
Antioquia.
The region is traversed by a number of rivers heading from the Andean highlands to the sea, including Colombia's principal river, the
Magdalena, which disgorges at the main port of
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Co ...
. As the area first settled by Europeans, the Caribbean region is also the location of the historic port cities of
Santa Marta
Santa Marta (), officially Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta ("Touristic, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta"), is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena ...
and
Cartagena. However, whilst generally low-lying and humid, the region also includes the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...
mountain range and the
Guajira Desert.
Pacific Region
The Pacific Region is located on Colombia's western, Pacific coast, and covers an area of . It extends from the Gulf of Urabá in the north to the border with
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
in the south, and includes part of the departments of
Nariño,
Cauca and
Valle de Cauca, and the whole of
Chocó Department.
This region is distinguished by its high humidity. Precipitation is among the highest in the world, with an average of per year and some areas that receive as much as per year. These high levels of precipitation support a number of rivers, including the
Atrato River
The Atrato River () is a river of northwestern Colombia. It rises in the slopes of the Western Cordillera and flows almost due north to the Gulf of Urabá (or Gulf of Darién), where it forms a large, swampy delta. Its course crosses the Ch ...
,
San Juan River,
Patía River
The Patía River () is a river in southwestern Colombia. It flows over to drain into the Pacific Ocean north of Tumaco. The Patía River is the longest river on the Colombian Pacific Coast. The last is navigable by boat.
Geography
The Patía ...
,
Baudó River and
Mira River. The population of the region is mainly Afro-Colombian (it also includes several indigenous settlements), and the economy is based on mining (gold and platinum), timber, fishing, cattle raising and agriculture (particularly the cultivation of
borojo,
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", disting ...
and
plantain).
Buenaventura is Colombia's main Pacific port.
Orinoco Region
Also known as the Oriental Plains from the Spanish ''Llanos Orientales'', the Orinoco Region (Spanish: ''Región de la Orinoquía'') covers most of the area of the
departments
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
Meta
Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending".
In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or end ...
,
Arauca,
Casanare and
Vichada. The region is rich in oil and suitable for extensive ranching but sparsely populated.
Amazon Region
The Amazon Region is a region in southern Colombia over 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 Boli ...
. It comprises the
departments
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
Amazonas,
Caquetá,
Guainía,
Putumayo,
Guaviare and
Vaupés.
Insular Region
The Insular Region is considered by some as a sixth region, comprising those areas outside continental Colombia, including the department of
San Andrés y Providencia in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexic ...
and the islands of
Malpelo and
Gorgona in the Pacific Ocean. However, cultural ties are with the respective coastlines.
References
{{Natural regions of Colombia
Natural history of Colombia
Natural regions of South America