Colombia is the fourth largest country in the south of the American Continent and the only one with coast in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It has so a geographic variety that it makes Colombia a country with a lot of contrasts. The western region is made up mainly by mountains (the Andes occupies more than 8 000 km long of the South America Continent). The western region is mountainous. It is made up by three ranges, that go downward to the south from the Caribbean zone and are known as Western, Central and Eastern.. Apart from these three Andean chains, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is also in Colombia. It is the highest coastal range of the world. 50% of the east of the Andes is made up by many rivers with their tributaries. Colombia has medium temperatures during the whole year. Due to its geographic conditions, these temperatures vary according to the height, which causes different climatic zones. That is the reason why two well identified seasons: summer , which is dry (from December to March) and winter, which is humid (from April to November) can be observed in this country.
The country is divided into 32 Departments and a district capital:Amazonas, Antioquía, Arauca, Atlántico, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, César, Choco, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andrés and Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada and the District Capital of Santa Fe de Bogotá.
The country is bounded by Panama to the northeast, by Venezuela to the east, by Brazil to the southeast, by Peru to the south and by Ecuador to southwest. The Colombian territory also includes San Andrés and Providencia island that are grouped to the northwest of the continent, in the Caribbean Sea.
It has around 3 208 km of coasts. About 1 764 Km. Belong to the coast along the Caribbean and almost 1 444 Km. along the Pacific. There are a lot of mouth of rivers along the coast, but there are not any ports suitable for the passing of ships.
In Colombia we found many rivers that descend from the Andes, and form part of the Orinoco Basin and in its banks the exuberant vegetation of the equatorial jungle grows and develops. Magdalena river is the most important river of Colombia; it flows north between the Eastern and the Central ranges, crossing almost all the country, and flows into the Caribbean Sea near Barranquilla city. Cauca river is used as a mean of communication; it flows to the north between the Central and Western ranges and joins Magdalena river before flows into the Caribbean Sea. West to the Western Range is Atrato river, which crosses the humid jungle of the Pacific, and is considered the main transport route of the region, and flows into the Gulf of Urabá, on the Caribbean. San Juan and Patía rivers belong to the Pacific Basin.
There are many lagoons located in the basins among the mountains, in the different ranges and in the nearby swamps the flows of the large rivers. In the Eastern Range we may find the greatest number of lagoons of different sizes. Tota lagoon in the Boyacá river and the Fúquene lagoon in the Cundinamarca river. Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta is the largest swamp. There are also reservoirs as: Tominé, Sisga and Neusa in Cundinamarca; Calima in the Cauca Valley; Guadalupe and Río Grande in Antioquia; and Ríoprado in Tolima
Colombia is a paradise and its inhabitants proclaim it when they say that the country constitutes the largest concentration of plant varieties and near 130 000 varieties of plants have been classified. Its vegetation comprises the tropical jungle of the Amazon region, the humid grasslands of the north, the swamps, the scrublands of the Guajira region and the mangroves of the Pacific coast. Besides, the grasslands of the basins of Cauca and Magdalena rivers and the tropical forests. The Caribbean region has swamps which are very humid, with a sediment of fine materials. In this region fruits and vegetables are grown. Avocados, bread tree, banana, sweet potatoes, nutmeg, papaya, guava, mango, passion fruit cocoa, naseberry and coconut grow there too.
Colombia has the greatest number of animal species in the world. More than 1 500 bird varieties have been classified. In the Amazon region there are around 200 mammal species, 600 of bird species, 200 of reptiles and more than 600 of fish. Among the most important animal species are: jaguars, deers, armadillos and many species of monkeys and bears and others. There are more than 1 550 species of birds: from the Andean condor to the small humming bird. The marine life is very large. It makes the country in one of the most important nature reserve of the world. There are 33 National Parks, 6 Sanctuaries of Flora and Fauna, 2 Natural Reserves and a unique area known as Los Estoraques. In this paradise you may find jaguars, peccaries, deer, tapirs, armadillos, anacondas, many varieties of fish, different kinds of bears, flamingos,seagulls,vultures and hundreds of other species. The Caribbean egions has lagoons, very good watering places for cattle, besides excellent farms for marine life.
