64 A BRIEF HISTORY OF COLOMBIA
A Brief History of Colombia
Because of its geography, Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in
the world. The high Andes mountains splits into three ranges (cordilleras) in
Colombia, offering a vertical climate for the cultivation of just about any crop in
its slopes and valleys, while at the same time dividing the country into distinct
regions which even today have difficulty communicating with each other
overland. Between the eastern and central cordilleras flows Colombia's most
important river, the Magdalena, which empties into the Caribbean near
Barranquilla; the Cauca River, which divides the western and central cordilleras,
meets the Magdalena in the coastal lowlands. East of the Andes lay vast plains
called the llanos, which extend into Venezuela. Southern Colombia is mostly
rainforest, part of the Amazonian system; thick jungles are also found on the
Pacific coast and all along the border with Panama. The Caribbean coastal plain
is interrupted by a small but high mountain range near Colombia's northernmost
point, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
The vast majority of Colombians live in the Andes — four of the five largest cities
are located in the mountains, including Bogotá in the center of the eastern
cordillera (at 2,600 meters/8,600 feet), Bucaramanga in the northern part of the
eastern cordillera, Medellín in the central cordillera, and Cali in the southwest —
these last three are all at lower and more comfortable elevations than the
capital (the fifth city, Barranquilla, is the major port city on the Caribbean).