The Cordillera Occidental () is the lowest in elevation of the three branches of the

Colombian Andes The Andean region, located in central Colombia, is the most populated natural region of Colombia. With many mountains, the Andes contain most of the country's urban centers.Colombian Massif in

Nariño Department Nariño () is a department of Colombia named after independence leader Antonio Nariño. Its capital is Pasto. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. Nariño has a diverse geography and varied climate acc ...

, passes north through Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Chocó, and Caldas Departments to the

Paramillo Massif The Paramillo Massif (''Nudo de Paramillo'') is a mountain range of the Tropical Andes System, located at the northern end of the Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), Cordillera Occidental (West Andes) range in Colombia. Geography Administratively, ...

in Antioquia and Córdoba Departments. The cordillera is paralleled on the east by the Cauca river. From this massif the range divides further to form the Serranías de Ayapel, San Jerónimo and Abibe. Only to recede into the Caribbean plain and the

Sinú River Sinú River (), is a river in northwestern Colombia that flows mostly through the Córdoba Department and into the Caribbean. It is the third most important river in the Caribbean Region, after the Magdalena River and the Cauca River. It is ...

valley. It is a direct continuation of Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador. Pico de Loro en el PNN Farallones de Cali-Colombia

Geography

The western part of the mountain range belongs to the Pacific region of Colombia, with the San Juan River being the main watershed, while the eastern part belongs to 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 Magangué in Bolívar Department, an ...

basin. The northern and northwestern parts belong to the Atlantic Slope, with the Atrato and Sinú Rivers being the main watersheds. The Cordillera Occidental is separated from the coastal Baudó Mountains by 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 ...

. A number of

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

s cover the cordillera. The Chocó–Darién moist forests cover the western foothills below 1000 meters elevation. The

Northwestern Andean montane forests The Northwestern Andean montane forests (NT0145) is an ecoregion on the Andes mountains in the west of Colombia and Ecuador. Both flora and fauna are highly diverse due to effect of ice ages when the warmer climate zones were separated and the cool ...

cover the humid western slopes of the range. The

Cauca Valley montane forests The Cauca Valley montane forests (NT0109) is an ecoregion in western Colombia. It covers the sides of the Cauca Valley, which runs from south to north between the Cordillera Central (Colombia), Central and Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), Western ...

cover the eastern slopes.

Northern Andean páramo The Northern Andean páramo (NT1006) is an ecoregion containing páramo vegetation above the treeline in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. In the past, when the climate was cooler, the treeline and the páramo units were lower and the units were c ...

covers the highest elevations.

Highest peaks

* Cerro Tatamá – – Chocó & Risaralda * Azufral – – Nariño * Farallones de Cali – – Valle del Cauca * Farallones del Citará – – Antioquia * Páramo de Frontino – – Antioquia * Cerro Caramanta – – Antioquia, Caldas & Risaralda * Cerro Napi – – Cauca * Alto Musinga – – Antioquia * Cerro Calima – – Valle del Cauca * Cerro Paramillo – – Antioquia * Cerro Ventana – – Valle del Cauca & Chocó

Protected areas

The West Andes have the following nationally protected areas from south to north: * PNN Munchique * PNN Farallones de Cali * PNN Tatamá * PNN Las Orquídeas * PNN Paramillo Other areas under consideration for national protection include: * Serranía del Pinche * Serranía de los Paraguas

Locally protected areas

* Yotoco Forest Reserve * Bitaco River Forest Reserve

Recreation areas

* Dapa *

Calima Lake Calima Lake () is the largest artificial lake in Colombia and in the American continent (South, Central and North America) with an area of 70 km2. It is located in the municipality of Darién in the Valle del Cauca Department. The lake is ...

References