The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for Large Marsh of Saint Martha) is the largest of the swampy

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

es located in Colombia between the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River ( es, Río Magdalena, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of ...

and 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 ...

. It has an area of 4280 km2 and belongs to the outer delta system of the Madgalena River. It is separated from the

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 ...

by a narrow, sandy artificial spit built in the 1950s,http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=COL+04 UNESCO on which is situated coastal route 90 from Barranquilla to Santa Marta. The marsh's large

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

is connected to the Caribbean Sea via a narrow strait (the La Barra channel) located between the town of Pueblo Viejo and the city of Ciénaga.

References

External links

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve information
*
Colombia National Park system website

At Coastal Wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta Marshes of Colombia Wetlands of Colombia Geography of Magdalena Department Biosphere reserves of Colombia Ramsar sites in Colombia Magdalena River Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta