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Land of Contrasts

Quick Facts: The Geography of Colombia

Location: northern South America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, between Panama and Venezuela to the north and between Ecuador and Panama to the south. Area: slightly more than the states of California and Texas combined. total: 439,733 square miles (1,138,910 sq. km) land: 401,042 square miles (1,038,700 sq. km) water: 38,691 square miles (100,210 sq. km) Borders: Brazil, 1,021 miles (1,643 km); Ecuador, 367 miles (590 km); Panama, 140 miles (225 km); Peru (est.), 930 miles (1,496 km); Venezuela, 1,274 miles (2,050 km).

Climate: varies from hot in lowland plains to the east; steamy and tropical in rain forests in south and along coasts; cool- er in mountain plateaus at higher ele- vations. The dry season runs from December to February, while the rainy season varies. Terrain: coastal seashore, plains, and high mountains. Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea—0 feet. highest point: Pico Cristóbal Colón— 18,947 feet (5,775 meters). Natural hazards: occasional volcanic erup- tions in the highlands, occasional earth- quakes, droughts.

Source: CIA World Factbook 2015.

make up the western third of the country—the Cordillera Occidental (west- ern), the Cordillera Central (middle), and the Cordillera Oriental (eastern). Between the Oriental and Central mountain ranges runs the Magdalena River, Colombia’s largest waterway at 956 miles (1,538 kilometers) long, while the Cauca River cuts a valley between the Central and Occidental. The Cordillera Central and Oriental feature towering mountain peaks— the Nevada del Huila in the Cordillera Central reaches 18,865 feet (about 5,750