The Republic of Gran Colombia was a former independent country in northern

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 sout ...

, a post-Spanish colonial country that existed from 1819 to 1831. Its initial subdivisions, created in 1820, were revised and expanded in 1824.

1820 Departments

The initial country subdivision of Gran Colombia was into three departments, without larger districts or smaller provinces. They were: * Cundinamarca Department * Quito Department * Venezuela Department

1824 Districts, departments, & provinces

Distrito del Norte

The Distrito del Norte (northern district) was in present-day

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 ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Its departments and provinces were: * Apure Department: 2 provinces —

Barinas Province Barinas Province (1786 - 1864) was a province of the Captaincy General of Venezuela and later of Venezuela. It was founded on 15 February 1786, with territory formerly part of the Maracaibo Province. In 1823, Apure Province was split from Barin ...

and Achaguas Province. * Orinoco Department: 4 provinces — Cumaná Province, Barcelona Province,

Guayana Province Guayana Province (1585−1864) was a former province of Spanish Colonial Venezuela and independent Venezuela, located in the Guyana region of northeastern South America. The province was part of the Spanish colonial New Andalusia Province and ...

and

Margarita Province Margarita Province (1525 - 1864) was one of the provinces of the Spanish Empire, then one of the provinces of Gran Colombia, and later one of the Provinces of Venezuela. In Gran Colombia it belonged to the Orinoco Department which was created in 1 ...

. * Venezuela Department: 2 provinces —

Caracas Province The Venezuela Province (or Province of Caracas) was a province of the Spanish Empire (from 1527), of Gran Colombia (1824-1830) and later of Venezuela (from 1830), apart from an interlude (1528 - 1546) when it was contracted as a concession by the ...

and Carabobo Province. * Zulia Department: 4 provinces — Maracaybo/Maracaibo,

Coro Province Coro Province (1811 - 1864) was a province in the Zulia Department of Gran Colombia, and later one of the provinces of Venezuela, after Venezuelan independence in 1830. In 1864 it became one of the States of Venezuela, as Coro State, and was rena ...

, Mérida Province and Trujillo Province.

Distrito del Centro

The Distrito del Centro (central district) was in present-day Colombia and

Panamá Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. Its departments and provinces were: * Boyacá Department: 4 provinces —

Tunja Province Tunja Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Boyacá Department which was created in 1824. Provinces of Gran Colombia Provinces of the Republic of New Granada {{Colombia-geo-stub ...

, Casanare Province,

Pamplona Province Pamplona Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Boyacá Department Boyacá () is one of the thirty-two departments of Colombia, and the remnant of Boyacá State, one of the original nine states of the "Unite ...

, and

Socorro Province Socorro Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Boyacá Department which was created in 1824. See also * Revolt of the Comuneros (New Granada) Provinces of Gran Colombia Provinces of the Republic of New Gra ...

. *

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 Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department ...

: 4 provinces —

Popayán Province Popayán Province was first a Spanish jurisdiction under the Royal Audience of Quito and the Royal Audience of Santafé , and after the independence one of the provinces of the Cauca Department (Gran Colombia), later becoming the Republic of New Gr ...

Buenaventura Province Buenaventura Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. It belonged to the Cauca Department Cauca Department (, es, Departamento del Cauca) is a Department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, f ...

Chocó Province Choco or Chocó may refer to: *El Chocó, a region in western Colombia and adjacent parts of Panama and Ecuador **Chocó–Darién moist forests ** Pacific/Chocó natural region **Chocó Department, Colombian administrative region *Choco languages ...

, Pasto Province. * Cundinamarca Department: 4 provinces —

Bogotá Province Bogotá Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia and later of the Republic of New Granada. Information Bogotá is located high in the Andes at 2620 m. (8646 ft) and is a city full of skyscrapers and is right next to colonial churc ...

, Antioquia Province, Mariquita Province,

Neiva Province Neiva Province was one of the provinces of Gran Colombia. With the 1824 changes in the subdivisions of Gran Colombia, it became part of the Cundinamarca Department. Provinces of Gran Colombia Provinces of the Republic of New Granada ...

. * Istmo Department: 2 provinces — Istmo Province and

Veraguas Province Veraguas () is a province of Panama, located in the centre-west of the country. The capital is the city of Santiago de Veraguas. It is the only Panamanian province to border both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It covers an area of 10,587.6&nb ...

. * Magdalena Department: 3 provinces — Cartagena Province,

Riohacha Province Riohacha Province was a province of Gran Colombia. With the 1824 changes in the subdivisions of Gran Colombia, it became part of Magdalena Department. Riohacha (Spanish pronunciation: joˈa.tʃa Wayuu: Süchiimma , is a city in the Riohacha Mun ...

Santa Marta Province Santa Marta Province was a province of New Granada. Provinces of the Republic of New Granada {{Colombia-stub ...

Distrito del Sur

The Distrito del Sur (southern district) was in present-day

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: ' ...

, and north of

Marañón River , name_etymology = , image = Maranon.jpg , image_size = 270 , image_caption = Valley of the Marañón between Chachapoyas ( Leimebamba) and Celendín , map = Maranonrivermap.png , map_size ...

in present-day Perú. Its departments and provinces were: *

Azuay Department Azuay Department was created with the 1824 reform of the subdivisions of Gran Colombia. * Cuenca Province - Capital: Cuenca. Cantons: Cuenca, Cañar, Gualaseo y Girón. * Loja Province - Capital: Loja. Cantons: Loja, Catacocha, Cariamanga y Z ...

: 3 provinces — Cuenca Province,

Loja Province Loja Province () is one of 24 provinces in Ecuador and shares its southern border on the west with El Oro Province, on the north with El Azuay, and on the east with Zamora-Chinchipe. Founded on its present site in 1548 by Captain Alonso de Mer ...

, Jaén de Bracamoros y Maynas Province. *

Guayaquil Department Guayaquil Department was one of the departments of Gran Colombia. It bordered * Ecuador Department in the East * Azuay Department in the South * Pacific Ocean in the West Subdivisions 2 provincias y 9 cantones: * Guayaquil Province. Capital: ...

: 2 provinces —

Guayaquil Province , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

and Manabi Province. *

Ecuador Department Ecuador Department was one of the departments of Gran Colombia. It had borders to: * Azuay Department in the South. * Guayaquil Department in the West. Subdivisions 3 provincias and 15 cantones: * Pichincha Province. Capital: Quito. Cantones ...

: 3 provinces —

Pichincha Province Pichincha () is a province of Ecuador located in the northern Sierra region; its capital and largest city is Quito. It is bordered by Imbabura and Esmeraldas to the north, Cotopaxi and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the south, Napo and ...

Chimborazo Province Chimborazo () is a province in the central Ecuadorian Andes. It is a home to a section of Sangay National Park. The capital is Riobamba. The province contains Chimborazo (6,267 m), Ecuador's highest mountain. Cantons The province is divided ...

and

Imbabura Province Imbabura () is a province located in the Andes of northern Ecuador. The capital is Ibarra. The people of the province speak Spanish, and a large portion of the population also speaks the Imbaburan Kichwa variety of the Quechua language. The s ...

Maps of subdivisions

File:AGHRC (1890) - Carta IX - Guerras de independencia en Colombia, 1821-1823.jpg , 3 departments in 1820: Quito, Cundinamarca, Venezuela File:AGHRC (1890) - Carta XI - División política de Colombia, 1824.jpg , 12 departments in 1824 File:Carta de la República de Gran Colombia.jpg , Gran Colombia in 1827

External links

* Ley de División Territorial de la República de Colombia— * Historia territorial de Colombia— {{Gran Colombia independence, state=collapsed