Colombia

Abstract

Colombia lies at the northwest corner of South America, next to the Isthmus of Panama. It is cut by three ranges of the Andes, which are separated from each other by the Magdalena and Cauca Valleys. In the southeast are the plains and grasslands of the Llanos which pass into the forests of the Upper Amazon and Orinoco valleys. In the north are coastal lowlands, passing into the arid terrain of the Guajira Peninsula, bordering Venezuela. The country is washed by the Caribbean to the north and the Pacific to the west, and drained by the Magdalena River, flowing northwards into the Caribbean, as well as by the Orinoco headwaters in the deep interior.