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, a ...

Huila Department Huila () is one of the departments of Colombia. It is located in the southwest of the country, and its capital is Neiva, Colombia, Neiva. Demography and Ethnography Huila is a department that has a population of 1,122,622 inhabitants, of whic ...

Norte de Santander Department North Santander (Spanish: Norte de Santander) () is a department of Northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities. North Santander is bordered by Venez ...

where it splits into the

Serranía del Perijá The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch ( Cordillera Oriental), in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), offici ...

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 sou ...

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 ...

at in the

Sierra Nevada del Cocuy The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Chita or Guican National Natural Park (or Sierra Nevada de Chita or Sierra Nevada de Güicán, es, Parque Natural Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Chita o Guican is a national park and a series of highlands and glaciated peaks l ...

Geography

The western part of the Cordillera Oriental belongs to the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River ( es, Río Magdalena, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of ...

basin, while the eastern part includes the river basins of the Amazon River,

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 The Catatumbo River ( es, Río Catatumbo) is a river rising in northern Colombia, flowing into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. The Catatumbo River is approximately long. It forms a part of the international boundary between the two countries. The ...

. Within it, the

Altiplano Cundiboyacense The Altiplano Cundiboyacense () is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Alt ...

and the

(with the only snowy peaks in this mountain range) stand out. The mountain range contains the most páramos in the world.

Protected areas

Cueva de los Guácharos Cueva de los Guácharos National Natural Park ( en, Cave of the Oilbirds) is the oldest national park in Colombia. Located in the western face of the Colombian Eastern Andean Range in the departments of Huila and Caquetá, the park covers an ar ...

Chingaza National Natural Park Chingaza National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Chingaza) is located in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, northeast of Bogotá, Colombia in the departments of Cundinamarca and Meta. The elevation in the park, to the e ...

Yariguíes National Park Yariguíes National Park ( Spanish: ''Serranía de los Yariguíes'') is a natural park in north central Colombia. It is located in the Santander department and measures . It was officially designated as a national natural park in 2005. See als ...

* Sumapaz Páramo *

Tamá National Natural Park The Tamá National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Tamá) is a national park located in the Tamá Massif of the Andean Region of Colombia, between the municipalities Toledo and Herrán, in the department of Norte de Santander ...

Los Estoraques Unique Natural Area The Los Estoraques Unique Natural Area ( es, Área Natural Única Los Estoraques) is one of the smaller national parks, covering only , located in the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia in the Norte de Santander Department. The landscape is shaped ...

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 Pisba (sometimes spelled Pisva) is a town and municipality in Boyacá Department, Colombia, part of the subregion of La Libertad Province. Pisba is situated in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at altitudes between and . Distance to Sogam ...

Regional geology

References

{{Mountain Ranges of Colombia Mountain ranges of the Andes Mountain ranges of Colombia .

Geography

Protected areas

Regional geology

See also

References