The Colombian Massif (from the Spanish Macizo Colombiano), also known colloquially as ''Nudo de Almaguer'', refers to a group of mountains within 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 ...

of south central

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. The

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

is mainly within the area of the Cauca, Huila, and

Nariño Department Nariño () is a department of Colombia named after independence leader Antonio Nariño. Its capital is Pasto. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. Nariño has a diverse geography and varied climate acc ...

s. To the south is the Pasto Massif and to the north begins the Central and Eastern Andes.

Geography

The total area is , which is distributed as follows: of forests, of agroecosystems, of

páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

s, of snow zone, have

xerophytic A xerophyte () is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water. Examples of xerophytes include cactus, cacti, pineapple and some gymnosperm plants. The morphology (biology), morphology and physiology ...

vegetation and of urban settlements. The altitude varies between and . This area is identified as the source of 70% of the Colombian

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

for human consumption and irrigation. It embodies the headwaters of the Magdalena and

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 Magangué in Bolívar Department, an ...

s (Caribbean slope), Caquetá and

Putumayo River The Putumayo River or Içá River (, ) is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River, southwest of and parallel to the Japurá River. Course The Putumayo River forms part of Colombia's border with Ecuador, as well as most of the border with Per ...

s (

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

) and the Patía River (Pacific slope). The massif contains 362 high mountain bodies of water, 13

s and other

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

s rich in flora and fauna. From south to north are the páramos of ''Cutanga'', ''Letero'', ''Las Papas'' (Potatoes), ''Apio'' (Celery) and ''Buey'' (Ox) as well as high altitude valleys like the Valley of Potatoes (3000 m.a.s.l.) and Valley of Paletara (3000 m.a.s.l.). The Sotará and Puracé are the prominent volcanoes of the area, the latter being within the Puracé National Natural Park. Very few people have traversed the mountains of this region because it is covered by rugged terrain and an impenetrable and cold páramo environment, both of which are natural guardians which preserve the water sources that provide water for half of Colombia before emptying into the sea. File:Cerro Lerma.JPG, Cerro de Lerma
in Cauca File:Macizo Colombiano.jpg, Las Reginas

References

External links

Ministerio del Medio Ambiente; Poblacion y ordenamiento ambiental: Macizo Colombiano
{{Mountain Ranges of Colombia Andes Mountain ranges of Colombia Mountains of Colombia Geography of Cauca Department Geography of Huila Department Geography of Nariño Department