The Caribbean region is mostly lowland plains extending from the northern reaches of the

Colombian Andes The Andean region, located in central Colombia, is the most populated natural region of Colombia. With many mountains, the Andes contain most of the country's urban centers.Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

that are characterized by a variety of ecosystems including: humid forests, dry forests, savannas, wetlands and desert. The

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

rise from the plains to snow-capped peaks, separated from the Andes as an isolated area of high

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

and

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

. It contains one of the largest marshes in Colombia, the

Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (Spanish for Large Marsh of Saint Martha) is the largest of the swampy marshes located in Colombia between the Magdalena River and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It has an area of 4280 km2 and belongs to the ...

. The main river is the Magdalena which is fully navigable in the region and a major path for the flow of shipments to and from inland Colombia.

Biogeographical subregions

The Caribbean region contains 6 subregions which differ in certain natural aspects.

Guajira Peninsula

The

Guajira Peninsula The Guajira Peninsula ( es, Península de La Guajira, links=no, also spelled ''Goajira'', mainly in colonial period texts, guc, Hikükariby) is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the northernm ...

is the most northerly point of South America and mostly desertic due to the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...

of the high

and is only crossed by the

Ranchería River The Ranchería River ( es, Río Ranchería) is a river located in northern La Guajira Department, Colombia. Born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta southern steps flows south, abruptly turns northeast and then north where it finally flows into th ...

with no other major water courses in the area; thus water is scarce. A small mountain range, the

Serranía de Macuira Serranía de Macuira is a mountain range in northern Colombia located in the municipality of Uribia, La Guajira. The Serrania de Macuira stands in the middle of the La Guajira Desert at isolated from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Eas ...

, is located in the tip of the peninsula and contains a unique dwarf

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

completely surrounded by desert. Large estuaries near

Riohacha Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach waterf ...

are protected as the SFF Los Flamencos which is meant to protect the habitat for the

American flamingo The American flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'') is a large species of flamingo closely related to the greater flamingo and Chilean flamingo native to the Neotropics. It was formerly considered conspecific with the greater flamingo, but that trea ...

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Caribbean Savanna and Magdalena Delta

The Magdalena River basin extends from the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

through the Magdalena River valley and into the Caribbean plains, where major tributaries integrate into the floodplain. The massive

is situated between the delta and the base of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Caribbean savanna extends from the delta west toward the

Sinú River Sinú River (), is a river in northwestern Colombia that flows mostly through the Córdoba Department and into the Caribbean. The river is the third most important river after the Magdalena River and the Cauca River in the Caribbean Region. It i ...

. A small range of mountains called the

Montes de María The Montes de María is an isolated group of small mountains near the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region. The Montes de María (also known as Serranía de San Jacinto) are the last part of the Serranía de San Jerónimo which exte ...

are found here and part of them are protected as the Los Colorados Sanctuary.

Valley of the San Jorge River

The

San Jorge River The San Jorge River is a river in Colombia that begins in National Park Paramillo ( departments of Antioquia and Córdoba) and that runs between the mountains of San Geronimo and Ayapel before flowing into the River Cauca in Sucre Department. ...

rises in the northern end of the West Andes and flows northeast to flow into the

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and th ...

. Large swaths of the valley are covered by marshes like the ''Ciénaga de Ayapel''.

Valley of the Sinú River

The

flows through the

Sinú Valley dry forests The Sinú Valley dry forests (NT0229) is an ecoregion in the north of Colombia. Geography Location The Sinú Valley is an area of . located within the zone of parallel, north-northeast trending hills that lies between the low-point Magdalena ...

ecoregion.

Gulf of Urabá

The

Gulf of Urabá The Gulf of Urabá is a gulf on the northern coast of Colombia. It is part of the Caribbean Sea. It is a long, wide inlet located on the coast of Colombia, close to the connection of the continent to the Isthmus of Panama. The town of Turbo, ...

Protected areas

* PNN Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo * SFF Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta * PNN Tayrona * PNN Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta * PNN Macuira * SFF Los Colorados * SFF Los Flamencos * SFF El Corchal "El mono Hernández" *

Salamanca Island Road Park The Salamanca Island Road Park ( es, Vía Parque Isla de Salamanca) is a national park located in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, on the western outskirts of the city of Ciénaga in the Magdalena Department. The flora and fauna is in abundanc ...