Map of Colombia with departments and capitals

Departments of Colombia and their capitals

Colombia is divided into 32 departments and the Capital District of Bogotá, all shown on the map. The smallest department, San Andrés and Providencia, is a group of Caribbean islands that lies much closer to Nicaragua than to the Colombian mainland.

Population from Wikidata (latest figure available for each department).

Blank and coloring maps of Colombia

Blank map of Colombia

Coloring map of Colombia

Geography of Colombia

Colombia covers 1,141,748 km² (440,831 sq mi). In the west, the Andes split into three parallel ranges, the Cordillera Occidental, Central and Oriental, separated by deep river valleys, and Bogotá sits on a high plateau in the eastern range. Near the Caribbean coast stands the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where Pico Cristóbal Colón reaches 5,775 m (18,947 ft); it is often called the highest coastal mountain range in the world. East of the Andes, the land drops to the grassy Llanos plains and the Amazon rainforest.

The Magdalena, Colombia's main river, flows north between the central and eastern ranges to the Caribbean, joined by the Cauca in its lower course. Rivers in the east drain to the Orinoco and the Amazon. The Pacific coast, in the Chocó region, is one of the rainiest places on Earth. Because Colombia lies near the equator, temperature depends mainly on altitude: the lowlands are hot, cities such as Medellín and Bogotá are mild to cool, and the highest peaks carry glaciers. The country also includes the Caribbean islands of San Andrés and Providencia.

Fun facts

• Caño Cristales, a river in Meta department, turns shades of red, yellow, green and blue in some months because of plants growing on its riverbed.
• The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta rises from Caribbean beaches to snow-capped peaks in a very short distance.
• Colombia has recorded more bird species than any other country.

Countries bordering Colombia

• Brazil
• Ecuador
• Panama
• Peru
• Venezuela