Cauca Department

For other uses, see Cauca (disambiguation).

Department of Cauca
Departamento del Cauca

Department

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: Por el Derecho a la Diferencia
(Spanish: For the Right to a Difference)

Cauca shown in red

Topography of the department

Coordinates: 2°27′N 76°37′W / 2.450°N 76.617°WCoordinates: 2°27′N 76°37′W / 2.450°N 76.617°W

Country

June 15, 1857

Government

• Governor

Oscar Rodrigo Campo Hurtado (2016-2019)

Area

• Total

29,308 km² (11,316 sq mi)

Area rank

13th

Population (2013)^[1]

• Total

1,354,744

• Rank

11th

• Density

46/km² (120/sq mi)

Website

Cauca is a Department of Colombia. Located in the south-western part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west,^[2] the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east and the Nariño Department to the south, Putumayo and Caqueta Departments are located and bordering the southeast portion of Cauca Department as well. covering a total area of 29,308 km², the 13th largest in Colombia. Its capital is the city of Popayán. The offshore island of Malpelo belongs to the department. It is located in the southwest of the country near the Andean (between 00°58'54"N and 03°19'04"N latitude, 75°47'36"W and 77°57'05"W longitude). The area includes 2.56% of the country.

Administrative Division

Departments bordering Cauca; boundary intersections indicated in red.

Cauca department is divided into 38 municipalities, 99 districts, 474 police posts and numerous villages and populated places. The municipalities are grouped into 27 circles and 29 notaries notary, a circle-based registration in Popayán and eight sectional offices based in Bolívar, Caloto, Puerto Tejada, Santander de Quilichao, Patia, Guapi and Silvia, makes up the judicial district, Popayán, with 8 seats judicial circuit in Popayán, Bolívar, Caloto, Guapi, Patia, Puerto Tejada, Santander de Quilichao and Silvia. The department makes up the constituency of Cauca.

Physiography

The relief of the territory of the department of Cauca belongs to the Andean system at the macro level seven distinguishing morphological units: the Pacific plate, western cordillera, Central cordillera, highlands of Popayán, Macizo Colombiano, Valle del Patia and the sector of the Amazon basin. The Pacific plate comprises two sectors, the alluvial coastal belt or platform characterized by low, covered with mangrove forest, swampy, both the quantity of rivers, estuaries and reaching the Pacific coast, such as being subjected the ebb and flow of tides, the other area is the actual plain of hills comprising the western slopes of the western cordillera.

The western cordillera in the Cauca extends from southwest to northeast, among the most important accidents is the blade of Napí, the hills of Guaduas, Munchique and Naya and the Cauca River Valley. The central mountain range crosses from south to north of the department, relevant accidents are Sotará volcano, Petacas Nevado del Huila and in the departmental boundary.

The highlands of Popayán, sandwiched between the Western and Central Cordilleras, is seen as an accident within the plateau the hill La Tetilla. The Colombian Massif shared with the department of Huila, among the most representative accidents are the Páramo del buey, the volcanoes of Cutanga and Puracé, the peak of Paletará and the Sierra Nevada of Coconucos. Patia Valley, framed by the Central and Western mountain ranges, where the river runs north-south Patia, extends to the department of Nariño. The Amazon Basin, corresponds to the so-called Bota Caucana, through which the Caquetá river.

Colombian Massif

The Colombian Massif, also called the Nudo de Almaguer, is a mountainous group of "Andes colombianos" covering the departments of Cauca, Huila and Nariño in the south is the Nudo de los Pastos and emerge north central and eastern mountain ranges. The Colombian Massif is a strategic national and international level, given its significance for water production, biodiversity and ecosystems, an area that represents a special conformation of the regions with more potential for development in Colombia.

Hydrography

The Cauca river system, consists of five major basins: Alto Cauca, Pacific, Alto Magdalena, Patia and Caqueta.

Alto Cauca, formed by the Cauca River and its tributaries: Palo, Guengué, Negro, Teta, Desbaratado, and Quilichao, Mondomo, Ovejas, Pescador, Robles, Piedras, Sucio, Palacé, Cofre, Honda, Cajibío, Piendamó, Tunia, Molino, Timbío and Blanco.

The Pacific, made up mainly by rivers Guapi, Timbiquí, Saija and Micay.

Alto Magdalena, the main river is the Páez River which is fed by the rivers: San Vicente, Moras, Ullucos, Negro y Negro de Narvaez, and the streams: Toez, Símbola, Salado, Gualcar, Gallo, Macana, Honda and Totumo.

Patia basin, consists of the Patia River and its tributary rivers Guachinoco, Ismita, Bojoleo, El Guaba, Sambingo and Mayo.

Caquetá basin, consists of the Caquetá River where the rivers Cusiyaco, Cascabelito, Verdeyaco, Mandiyaco, Fragua, Cascabel, Curiaco and Pacayaco. Gorgonilla and Gorgona islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, belong to the territory Cauca.

Economy

The Cauca economy is based primarily on agriculture and livestock production, forestry, fishing and trade. Agriculture has been developed and modernized in the northern department, with main crops are sugar cane, cane panela, conventional maize, rice, corn tech, banana, agave, yucca, potatoes, coconut, sorghum, cocoa, groundnut and palm.

In the Pacific region is extracted gold, silver and platinum. Other non-precious minerals that are exploited are sulfur, asbestos, limestone, talc, gypsum and coal. The manufacturing industry is located in Popayán, Santander de Quilichao, Puerto Tejada with factories of food, beverages, dairy products, paper, packaging, wood processing, sugar industry and paper processing for export. The main centers of commercial activity are Popayán, Santander de Quilichao, Patia, Puerto Tejada, Piendamó and Corinto.

Municipalities

References

↑ "DANE". Retrieved February 13, 2013.
↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cauca". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

Official website
Cauca travel guide from Wikivoyage
Territorial-Environmental Information System of Colombian Amazon SIAT-AC website

Departments of Colombia

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