Geography of Colombia

Fact

By Rick Segreda

Colombia is virtually all coasts to the west, and all valleys and basin to the east. The northernmost tip  of  the Andes range mountains, which extend all along the west coast of South America, can be found in Colombia, and they stretch out in three directions known as the Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera Oriental.

The Cordillera Oriental, the most easterly, varies from short, finite ridges descending into the Amazon basin to summits high enough for snow. The capital city of Bogotá, at an altitude of 2,640 meters (8,661 ft), sits on one of the high basins in this region.

The Cordillera Central offers the highest peak at its northern end – Cristobal Colon -- in Colombia at 5,776 meters, and many high and active volcanoes, including the Tolima at 5,215 meters. Some valleys here host small communities, but the region overall is largely unpopulated.

The Cordillera Occidental runs parallel to the Pacific coast, peaks only at 10,000 feet while its hills slide into the coasts and, through river deposits, create thick sediment beds under the waters of the coasts.

The coastal section east of the Panama isthmus is a low level flan plain born of sediment deposits, and intermingled with some hills, streaming through various rivers, especially the Magdalena River, and this area is home to such major port cities as Cartagena and Barranquilla.

The territory that border Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador  comprise almost two-thirds of Colombia and varies in its geography from floodplains and great rivers, along whose banks one will find most of the region's populace, as well as the spurs of the Guiana Highlands.