The Patía River () is a river in southwestern
Colombia. It flows over to drain into 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 contin ...
north of
Tumaco
Tumaco is a port city and municipality in the Nariño Department, Colombia, by the Pacific Ocean. It is located on the southwestern corner of Colombia, near the border with Ecuador, and experiences a hot tropical climate. Tumaco is inhabited mai ...
. The Patía River is the longest river on the Colombian Pacific Coast. The last is navigable by boat.
Geography
The Patía River begins in the Department of
Cauca south of the city of
Popayán
Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. It has a population of 318,059 people, an area of 483 km2, is locate ...
near the town of
Timbío. The source of the river begins in the gap between the
West Andes and
Central Andes very near the source of 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 ...
.
The Patía river flows westward from the Central massif of Colombia, cuts through the
Western Cordillera and drains into 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 contin ...
.
In its upper section it runs through cloud forests and montane forests. The central section of the river flows through the
Patía Valley dry forests
The Patía Valley dry forests (NT0225) is an ecoregion in southwestern Colombia. It covers a dry valley surrounded by mountains.
The original habitat has mostly been destroyed by human activity, although a few pockets remain.
Location
The Patía V ...
ecoregion.
The lower section to the west of the Western Cordillera flows through the Chocó jungles of the Pacific region.
The Patía is fed by the Quilcacé, Guachicono, Mayo, Juanambú, Pasto and
Guaitara rivers.
An 1853 watercolor by
Manuel María Paz
Manuel María Paz Delgado (July 6, 1820, Almaguer, Cauca, Colombia - September 16, 1902 Bogotá) was a Colombian cartographer, military officer, artist and watercolorist.
Biography
Manuel María Paz Delgado was born June 6, 1820 in the town o ...
shows a mestizo or indigenous family on horseback herding cattle in a field near the Patía River.
See also
*
List of rivers of Colombia
*
Pacific Region, Colombia
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 continen ...
References
*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.
Rivers of Colombia
{{Colombia-river-stub