THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT RIVERS OF THE PACIFIC REGION OF COLOMBIA - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The rivers of the Pacific region of Colombia are characterized by being located in a jungle area and very prone to rainy weather. For this reason they are usually large, abundant and relatively deep.

The entire Pacific region of Colombia has a very favorable climate, vegetation and natural wealth, which make it one of the places with the greatest biodiversity in the world.

Despite their mighty waters, many of the rivers in the area are navigable, and are sometimes the only means of communication between communities.

This is due to the thick amount of vegetation in the region. For this reason, waterways are of great importance for many inhabitants.

With an annual rainfall of more than 4000 millimeters, the Pacific region of Colombia is a classic tropical jungle area, with high humidity and a large number of rivers, streams and streams.

The northernmost town, the department of Chocó, has the peculiarity of having a coastline on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Despite this, nine of the ten major rivers in the region flow into the Pacific, and only one into the Caribbean.

The 3 main rivers of the Pacific region of Colombia

Although there are 10 rivers of relevant size and importance in the region, the most prominent are the Atrato, Patía and San Juan rivers.

1- Atrato River

It is one of the largest in Colombia and the longest in the Pacific region, with a length of 750 kilometers.

It is born in the Cerro de Caramanta and flows into the Caribbean Sea, specifically in the Gulf of Urabá, through some 18 mouths that make up its delta.

Counting rivers and streams, there are more than 3,000 sources of water that flow into the Atrato River.

It is the third most navigable in Colombia, so it is one of the main transportation routes of the departments of Chocó and Antioquia, which it crosses.

It has a variable depth and width, the maximum measurements being close to 40 meters deep and 500 wide.

2- Patía River

Its 400 kilometers long make the Patía River the second longest in the region, behind the Atrato River.

The Patía River is born at more than 4,500 meters high in the Sotará volcano, in the Colombian Massif.

It crosses the departments of Cauca and Nariño, and is the second largest river on the Colombian Pacific coast.

It empties into the Pacific Ocean forming a wide delta of more than 5,000 square kilometers.

3- San Juan River

The San Juan River is the largest river in the Pacific region of Colombia, with a length of 380 kilometers.

It is located between the departments of Chocó and Valle del Cauca. Like the Atrato river, it is born on the Caramanta hill.

Its mouth is located in the Litoral de San Juan, which finally reaches the Pacific Ocean. The constant rainfall in the areas it crosses make this a river with a very high flow.

It is of great economic importance for many inhabitants of the region due to the fact that along its riverbed there are several islands surrounded by mangroves. These are areas where gold mining is intensively practiced.

References

1. Kenneth Kimutai (April 25, 2017). Major Rivers Of Colombia. Retrieved on October 17, 2017, from World Atlas.
2. Flooding in Northern Colombia (May 2006). Retrieved on October 17, 2017, from NASA Earth Observatory.
3. Atrato River (September 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2017, from Encyclopædia Britannica.
4. Hydrographic basin, patia river (March 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2017, from Diego Amayath.
5. Río San Juan (Colombia) (nd). Retrieved on October 17, 2017, from Banco Cultural de la República.
6. Río San Juan: Colombia (nd). Retrieved on October 17, 2017, from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.