Departments of Colombia
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Colombia is a unitary republic made up of thirty-two administrative divisions referred to as departments (Spanish: departamentos, sing. Script error: No such module "Lang".) and one Capital District (Distrito Capital).[1] Departments are country subdivisions and are granted a certain degree of autonomy. Each department has a governor (gobernador) and an Assembly (Asamblea Departamental), elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods.
Departments are formed by a grouping of municipalities (municipios, sing. municipio). Municipal government is headed by mayor (alcalde) and administered by a municipal council (concejo municipal), both of which are elected by popular vote for four-year periods.
Internal subdivisions within departments
The current borders and number of the departments of Colombia was finally set after the 1991 Colombian Constitution came into effect. Before that, the number of departments went from the original nine federal states of the United States of Colombia who ratified the Constitution of 1863 (Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Panamá, Santander and Tolima) to the current 32 departments that exist in the present-day Republic of Colombia.
All departments of Colombia are further subdivided into various municipalities, which represent smaller areas of the department and are often, but not always, coterminous with the urban and rural limits of a given city or town. Some municipalities might also include smaller towns or hamlets (known as corregimientos in Spanish), within the borders of the wider municipality. The rural subdivisions of municipalities are known in Spanish as veredas.
Most departments also group various municipalities into regions which are larger than a municipality and are usually known as either provinces or subregions. These subdivisions work as an intermediate level subnational regions between a department and a municipality. However, this provinces or subregions do not feature in the 1991 Colombian Constitution and are thus defined instead by the departmental governments and assemblies.
List of current departments
| ID | Map | Region | Capital | Area (km2) | Population (December 2022)[2] | Density per km2 |
Established as a department | Flag | Code | Governor (2024–2027)[3] | Party or Coalition[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Capital District | Bogotá | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 4670.80 | 1861 | File:Flag of Bogotá.svg | DC | Carlos Fernando Galán | New Liberalism | |
| 01 | Amazonas | Leticia | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 0.7 | 1991 | File:Flag of Amazonas (Colombia).svg | AM | Óscar Enrique Sánchez Guerrero | Historic Pact for Colombia | |
| 02 | Antioquia | Medellín | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 100.72 | 1886 | File:Flag of Antioquia Department.svg | AN | Andrés Julián Rendón Cardona | Por Antioquia Firme | |
| 03 | Arauca | Arauca | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 11.01 | 1991 | File:Flag of Arauca.svg | AR | Manuel Alexander Pérez Rueda | Democratic Center | |
| 04 | Atlántico | Barranquilla | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 748.38 | 1910 | File:Flag of Atlántico.svg | AT | Eduardo Verano de la Rosa | Colombian Liberal Party | |
| 05 | Bolívar | Cartagena | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 79.69 | 1886 | File:Flag of Bolívar (Colombia).svg | BL | Yamil Hernando Arana Padaui | Bolivar Mejor | |
| 06 | Boyacá | Tunja | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 52.50 | 1824 | File:Flag of Boyacá Department.svg | BY | Carlos Amaya | Boyacá Grande | |
| 07 | Caldas | Manizales | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 126.55 | 1905 | File:Flag of Caldas.svg | CL | Henry Gutiérrez Angel | Por El Caldas Que Quiere La Gente | |
| 08 | Caquetá | Florencia | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 4.52 | 1981 | File:Flag of Caquetá.svg | CQ | Luis Francisco Ruiz Aguilar | Coalición Revive Caqueta | |
| 09 | Casanare | Yopal | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 9.42 | 1991 | File:Flag of Casanare Department.svg | CS | César Augusto Ortiz Zorro | Coalición Por Casanare | |
| 10 | Cauca | Popayán | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 49.97 | 1824 | File:Flag of Cauca Department.svg | CA | Jorge Octavio Guzmán Gutiérrez | La Fuerza Del Pueblo | |
| 11 | Cesar | Valledupar | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 52.42 | 1967 | File:Flag of Cesar.svg | CE | Elvia Milena Sanjuán Dávila | El Cesar En Marcha | |
| 12 | Chocó | Quibdó | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 11.49 | 1947 | File:Flag of Chocó.svg | CH | Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi | Colombian Liberal Party | |
| 13 | Córdoba | Montería | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 71.33 | 1951 | File:Flag of Córdoba Department.svg | CO | Erasmo Elías Zuleta Bechara | Cordoba Pr1mero | |
| 14 | Cundinamarca | Bogotá | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 120.57 | 1819 | File:Flag of Cundinamarca.svg | CU | Jorge Emilio Rey Ángel | Caminando, Escuchando, Gobernando | |
| 15 | Guainía | Inirida | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 0.67 | 1991 | File:Flag of Guainía.svg | GN | Arnulfo Rivera Naranjo | Coalición Trabajemos Guainía | |
| 16 | Guaviare | San José del GuaviareScript error: No such module "String". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 1.55 | 1991 | File:Flag of Guaviare.svg | GV | Yeison Ferney Rojas Martínez | Guaviare Seguimos Avanzando | |
| 17 | Huila | Neiva | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 55.32 | 1910 | File:Flag of Huila.svg | HU | Rodrigo Villaba Mosquera | Por Un Huila Grande | |
| 18 | La Guajira | Riohacha | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 42.24 | 1965 | File:Flag of La Guajira.svg | LG | Jairo Alfonso Aguilar Deluque | Union Party for the People, Radical Change, Independent Social Alliance, La Fuerza de la Paz and Partido Demócrata | |
| 19 | Magdalena | Santa Marta | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 57.86 | 1824 | File:Flag of Magdalena.svg | MA | Rafael Alejandro Martínez | Fuerza Ciudadana | |
| 20 | Meta | Villavicencio | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 12.14 | 1959 | File:Flag of Meta.svg | ME | Rafaela Cortés Zambrano | Coalición Fe y Firmeza | |
| 21 | Nariño | Pasto | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 49.01 | 1910 | File:Flag of Nariño.svg | NA | Luis Alfonso Escobar Jaramillo | Historic Pact for Colombia | |
| 22 | Norte de Santander | Cúcuta | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 68.87 | 1910 | File:Flag of Norte de Santander.svg | NS | William Villamizar Laguado | Coalición Por Amor A Nuestra Gente Del Norte | |
| 23 | Putumayo | Mocoa | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 13.99 | 1991 | File:Flag of Putumayo.svg | PU | Carlos Andrés Marroquín Luna | Coalición Somos La Fuerza De La Gente | |
| 24 | Quindío | Armenia | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 292.63 | 1966 | File:Flag of Quindío Department.svg | QD | Juan Miguel Galvis Bedoya | Creemos Colombia | |
| 25 | Risaralda | Pereira | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 227.87 | 1966 | File:Flag of Risaralda.svg | RI | Juan Diego Patiño Ochoa | Colombian Liberal Party | |
| 26 | San Andrés y ProvidenciaScript error: No such module "String". | San Andrés | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 1178.46 | 1991 | File:Flag of San Andrés y Providencia.svg | SA | Nicolas Iván Gallardo Vásquez | Coalición Avanzar es Posible | |
| 27 | Santander | Bucaramanga | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 71.55 | 1886 | File:Flag of Santander Department.svg | ST | Juvenal Díaz Mateus | Coalición Es Tiempo Juvenal Gobernador | |
| 28 | Sucre | Sincelejo | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 82.89 | 1966 | File:Flag of Sucre (Colombia).svg | SU | Lucy Inés García Montes | Coalición Mujer de Resultados | |
| 29 | Tolima | Ibagué | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 56.45 | 1886 | File:Flag of Tolima Department.svg | TO | Adriana Magali Matiz Vargas | Coalición Con Seguridad en el Territorio | |
| 30 | Valle del Cauca | Cali | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 202.16 | 1910 | File:Flag of Valle del Cauca.svg | VC | Dilian Francisca Toro Torres | Coalición Unidos por el Valle | |
| 31 | Vaupés | Mitú | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 0.75 | 1991 | File:Flag of Vaupés.svg | VA | Luis Alfredo Gutiérrez García | Gente en Movimiento | |
| 32 | Vichada | Puerto Carreño | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | Script error: No such module "Number table sorting". | 1.08 | 1991 | File:Flag of Vichada Department.svg | VD | Hecson Alexys Benito Castro | Union Party for the People |
Indigenous territories
Template:Main article The indigenous territories are at the third level of administrative division in Colombia, as are the municipalities. Indigenous territories are created by agreement between the government and indigenous communities. In cases where indigenous territories cover more than one department or municipality, local governments jointly administer them with the indigenous councils, as set out in Articles 329 and 330 of the Colombian Constitution of 1991. Also indigenous territories may achieve local autonomy if they meet the requirements of the law.
Article 329 of the 1991 constitution recognizes the collective indigenous ownership of indigenous territories and repeats that are inalienable. Law 160 of 1994 created the National System of Agrarian Reform and Rural Development Campesino, and replaced Law 135 of 1961 on Agrarian Social Reform; it establishes and sets out the functions of INCORA, one of the most important being to declare which territories will acquire the status of indigenous protection and what extension of existing ones will be allowed. Decree 2164 of 1995 interprets Law 160 of 1994, providing, among other things, a legal definition of indigenous territories.[4]
Indigenous territories in Colombia are mostly located in the departments of Amazonas, Cauca, La Guajira, Guaviare, and Vaupés.[1]
History
| Territorial evolution of Colombian departments | |||||
Gran Colombia
When it was first established in 1819, The Republic of Gran Colombia had three departments. Venezuela, Cundinamarca (now Colombia) and Quito (now Ecuador).[5] In 1824, the Distrito del Centro (which became Colombia) was divided into five departments and further divided into seventeen provinces. One department, Isthmus Department, consisting of two provinces, later became the sovereign country of Panama.[6]
Republic of New Granada
With the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1826 by the Revolution of the Morrocoyes (La Cosiata), New Granada kept its 17 provinces. In 1832 the provinces of Vélez and Barbacoas were created, and in 1835 those of Buenaventura and Pasto were added. In 1843 those of Cauca, Mompós and Túquerres were created. At this time the cantons (cantones) and parish districts were created, which provided the basis for the present-day municipalities.[6][7]
By 1853 the number of provinces had increased to thirty-six, namely:Antioquia, Azuero, Barbacoas, Bogotá, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Casanare, Cauca, Chiriquí, Chocó, Córdova, Cundinamarca, García Rovira, Mariquita, Medellín, Mompós, Neiva, Ocaña, Pamplona, Panamá, Pasto, Popayán, Riohacha, Sabanilla, Santa Marta, Santander, Socorro, Soto, Tequendama, Tunja, Tundama, Túquerres, Valle de Upar, Veraguas, Vélez and Zipaquirá.[7] However, the new constitution of 1853 introduced federalism, which lead to the consolidation of provinces into states. By 1858 this process was complete, with a resulting eight federal states: Panamá was formed in 1855, Antioquia in 1856, Santander in May 1857, and Bolívar, Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca and Magdalena were formed in June 1858. 1861 saw the creation of the final federal state of Tolima.[8]
Republic of Colombia
The Colombian Constitution of 1886 converted the states of Colombia into departments, with the state presidents renamed as governors. The states formed the following original departments:
- Antioquia Department
- Bolívar Department
- Boyacá Department
- Cauca Department
- Cundinamarca Department
- Magdalena Department
- Panamá Department
- Santander Department
- Tolima Department
Historical predecessors of current departments
Map gallery
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Departments of Colombia with municipalities
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Map with numbered departments
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Departments of Colombia with names
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Political map of Colombia
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Topography of Colombia, highly variable per department
See also
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- ISO 3166-2:CO
- List of Colombian flags
- Lists of political and geographic subdivisions by total area
- States of Colombia
- List of Colombian departments by Human Development Index
References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Decree 2164 of 1995 provides "Reserva Indígena. Es un globo de terreno baldío ocupado por una o varias comunidades indígenas que fué delimitado y legalmente asignado por el INCORA a aquellas para que ejerzan en él los derechos de uso y usufructo con exclusión de terceros. Las reservas indígenas constituyen tierras comunales de grupos étnicos, para los fines previstos en el artículo 63 de la Constitución Política y la ley 21 de 1991. [...] Territorios Indígenas. Son las áreas poseidas en forma regular y permanente por una comunidad, parcialidad o grupo indígena y aquellas que, aunque no se encuentren poseidas en esa forma, constituyen el ámbito tradicional de sus actividades sociales, económicas y culturales. " Art. 21: "Los resguardos son una institución legal y sociopolítica de carácter especial, conformada por una o más comunidades indígenas, que con un título de propiedad colectiva que goza de las garantías de la propiedad privada, poseen su territorio y se rigen para el manejo de éste y su vida interna por una organización autónoma amparada por el fuero indígena y su sistema normativo propio."
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
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