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

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

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 is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

and

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

. It contains one of the largest marshes in Colombia, the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta. 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 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 body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

of the high

and is only crossed by the Ranchería River with no other major water courses in the area; thus water is scarce. A small mountain range, the Serranía de Macuira, 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, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

completely surrounded by desert. Large estuaries near Riohacha 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 native to the West Indies, northern South America (including the Galápagos Islands) and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is closely related to the greater flamingo and ...

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Caribbean Savanna and Magdalena Delta

The Magdalena River basin extends from the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

through the Magdalena River valley and into the Caribbean plains, where major tributaries integrate into the floodplain. The massive Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta 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. It is the third most important river in the Caribbean Region, after the Magdalena River and the Cauca River. It is ...

. A small range of mountains called the Montes de María are found here and part of them are protected as the Los Colorados Sanctuary.

Valley of the San Jorge River

The San Jorge River rises in the northern end of the West Andes and flows northeast to flow into the Cauca River. 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 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, Co ...

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

References

{{coord missing, Colombia Natural regions of Colombia