One of only two South American countries which border both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, it is the 4th largest country in South America and the 26th largest nation in the world. Colombia is located on the northwestern region of South America and its geography is characterized by five main natural regions each with its own unique features.
Andean Region
The Andes mountain range is shared with Venezuela and Ecuador. Near the Ecuadorian border the Andes divide in three distinct chains called “Cordilleras” extending almost to the Caribbean Sea. The plateaus of these ranges provide pleasant weather conditions allowing farmers to harvest twice a year which probably explains why most of the country’s population lives in the Andean highlands.
Caribbean Region
This coastal region shared with Venezuela and Panama is where most of the country’s commerce moves through; the ports of Cartagena, Santa Marta and Barranquilla among others are located on this important coast. The Caribbean lowlands show extreme weather conditions bearing little resemblance to each other such as the semiarid Guajira Peninsula and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, an isolated mountain system with peaks over 5,700 meters high.
Pacific Region
Bordering with Ecuador and Panama, the geographically complex coastal region provides ample areas of jungle and swamps with considerable but little-exploited resources. An isolated mountain chain called Serrania del Baudo rises to the west of the Atrato river, sand of which are known to be auriferous because of its confluents lined with Gold and Platinum mines.
Orinoquia Region
Shared with Venezuela, this region commonly known as “Los Llanos” (The Plains), covers three fifths of the country and yet it is the lowest populated area of the nation. The almost unbroken plains find an end with the Serranía de la Macarena, an outlier of the Andes with unique vegetation and wildlife.
Amazon Region
The southern region known mostly by the Amazon Rainforest is shared with Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru and it is marked by its unique jungles and bathed by large navigational rivers. The totality of this moist broadleaf forest represents over half the planet’s remaining rainforest in the world.