Colombia: Geography#
| Location | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 4 00 N, 72 00 W 4.0,-72.0 |
| Area | total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank We are unable to verify those figures from Factbook, since the 6 main sources we used for checking give different figures as follows: Factbook: 1138910 DBpedia: 1141747 Geoname: 1138910 Infoplease: 1138910 Britannica: 1141748 Wolfram: 1139000 Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Land boundaries | total: 6,672 km border countries: Brazil 1,790 km, Ecuador 708 km, Panama 339 km, Peru 1,494 km, Venezuela 2,341 km |
| Coastline | 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Pico Cristóbal Colón 5775 m; Nevado de Huila 5750 m; Ritacuba Blanco 5410 m; Ritak Uwa Blanco 5330 m; Nevado del Ruiz 5320 m According to Geonames: Pico Simón Bolívar 5775 m; Nevado del Huila 5365 m; Nevado del Ruiz 5300 m; Nevado del Tolima 5200 m; Nevado del Quindío 5150 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Mountains |
| Terrain | flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos) |
| Natural Hazards | highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts volcanism: Galeras (elev. 4,276 m) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes, having erupted in 2009 and 2010 causing major evacuations; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Nevado del Ruiz (elev. 5,321 m), 129 km (80 mi) west of Bogota, erupted in 1985 producing lahars that killed 23,000 people; the volcano last erupted in 1991; additionally, after 500 years of dormancy, Nevado del Huila reawakened in 2007 and has experienced frequent eruptions since then; other historically active volcanoes include Cumbal, Dona Juana, Nevado del Tolima, and Purace |
| Natural Resource | petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower |
| Land Use | arable land: 1.84% permanent crops: 1.66% other: 96.5% (2011) |
| Climate | tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands |
| Irrigated Land | 10,870 sq km (2011) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 2,132 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Bogotá; Medellin; Cali; Barranquilla; Cartagena According to Geonames: Bogotá; Cali; Medellín; Barranquilla; Cartagena Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
| Geography-note | only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea |