The watersheds of Colombia They are extensive and rich, being distributed throughout the South American country. Colombia has five major hydrographic watersheds: the watershed of the Caribbean region, the Pacific, the Orinoquía, the Amazon and the Catatumbo.
Colombia is a country located in the northwest of South America. This subcontinent is characterized by having numerous hydrographic basins. Through it, the largest and longest rivers in the world pass, highlighting the Amazon, which although it does not pass through Colombia, its slope radiates in its hydrography.
Watersheds are a set of basins of the same type. These basins have rivers and tributaries that flow into the same sea, or on certain occasions, into the same lake.
Understanding the slopes as a geographical unit, it is possible to divide a territory by the slopes that it has.
The seas that receive the large Colombian rivers are the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and some smaller ones reach Lake Maracaibo, in Venezuela. There are also rivers that flow into other rivers, mainly the Orinoco and the Amazon..
The hydrographic flow of these springs can be more than 2000 cubic kilometers per year. The slopes are divided into basins, which are formed by the various tributaries.
The coast of the Caribbean Sea is located in the northern part of the Republic of Colombia. The extension of this slope amounts to 363,878 km².
The Caribbean Sea is an open sea belonging to the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous rivers flow into this sea, also known as the Antilles Sea, grouped into the following basins:
It is the main basin of the Caribbean slope and of the country. In importance, the Magdalena River is usually considered the most relevant in Colombia.
This is due to its navigability, which although truncated by the Salto de Honda, extends for more than 1290 km. The length of this river is more than 1500 kilometers, passing through seventeen Colombian departments.
Its main tributary is the Cauca River. The Cauca and Magdalena rivers cross the territory from north to south in parallel, until the Cauca joins the Magdalena, which flows into the Caribbean Sea in the form of a delta..
This is another river that, although it is not the longest, is one of the most important due to its navigability. It crosses a large part of the department of Chocó, being one of its main means of transport.
With a length of 750 kilometers and a navigability of approximately 500 kilometers, the Atrato flows into the Caribbean through 18 mouths, constituting a delta.
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the highest coastal mountain range in the world. Although it is far from the Andes mountain range, the height of its mountains is similar.
It is just forty kilometers from the sea, so its rivers, torrential and not very navigable, descend quickly and flow into the Caribbean Sea.
With a length of 415 kilometers, the Sinú River stands as another great navigable option, especially in the department of Córdoba, passing through its capital of the same name.
With more than 17 thousand kilometers, this basin gathers its tributaries in the Sinú that flows into the Caribbean through two channels.
The Pacific Ocean bathes the entire western Colombian coast. It has an area of approximately 76,500 km².
It is made up of more than 200 rivers, which flow into the largest ocean on planet Earth, the Pacific. Unlike the slope of the Caribbean region, the rivers of this slope are shorter, although they turn out to be very mighty. The basins are:
This 380-kilometer river drains a basin of more than 17,000 square kilometers. It is the largest river that flows into the Pacific of South America.
It is the longest river on this slope, with more than 400 kilometers in length. However, the uneven terrain makes navigable areas few.
The route of this river is made towards the south, passing through the Andean mountain ranges and ending in the Pacific in Nariño.
This river is born in Ecuador and defines the border between the two countries in part of its route. The areas through which it passes tend to be jungle and uninhabited.
At just 375 km², this basin is one of the smallest. Despite this, it has more than a hundred tributaries. Your tour focuses on the department of Chocó.
The ones that stand out the most are those of the Guapi and Micay rivers.
The Orinoco River is the fourth longest river in South America. For this reason, this river has dozens of tributaries. The Orinoco route takes place mainly in Venezuela, the country of its birth. However, this river enters Colombia. The basins that supply it are:
It is born in the eastern Andean mountain range. It is the longest, with more than 1,350 kilometers. It has the Inírida as a tributary and marks the border between the plains and the jungle.
The most important river in the region, due to its 785 navigable kilometers. It is a river that works extremely well for trade between the two countries..
It is born in the plain and is highly navigable. It serves mainly for irrigation and gives its name to the department of Vichada.
It is born in the department of Meta and crosses the entire Vichada, until it flows into the Orinoco River.
River that is found mainly in Venezuela and marks the border, runs 400 kilometers in Colombia and empties into the Orinoco.
The Amazon River is the longest river in the world. Consequently, the Amazon slope is the largest river basin in the world. Colombia supplies the Amazon River, which originates in Peru and passes through its territory, through three basins:
It is born in the Páramo de las Papas and enters Brazil, where it empties into the Amazon. It is navigable although it has interruptions.
River born in Colombia, marks the border with Peru and enters Brazil to flow into the Amazon.
Born in the middle of the Amazon, it joins the Negro River which, loaded with waters from the Orinoco, joins the Amazon.
Lake Maracaibo is the largest lake in Latin America and 60% of its fresh water comes from the Catatumbo River.
It is located in the state of Zulia, in Venezuela. Two large Colombian rivers contribute to the basin of this lake. It is the smallest hydrographic basin in Colombia.
It is born in the department of Norte de Santander and continues its course northwards and joins Catatumbo in the town of Found, from which it owes its name..
It is also born in the North of Santander and reaches the Catatumbo, receiving the Tibú River as a tributary.
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