This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(March 2009) |
Capital district and Colombian regions Distrito Capital y los Departamentos de Colombia (Spanish) | |
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Category | Unitary state |
Location | Republic of Colombia |
Number | 32 Departments 1 Capital District |
Populations | 48,932 (Vaupés) – 8,906,342 (Capital District) |
Areas | 50 km2 (19.3 sq mi) (San Andrés) – 109,665.0 km2 (42,341.89 sq mi) (Amazonas) |
Government |
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Subdivisions |
This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Colombia |
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Departments of Colombia refer to the administrative divisions of Colombia. As of 2024 [update] , the unitary republic is made up of thirty-two departments. Each department has a governor and an assembly, elected by popular vote for a four-year period.
Colombia is a unitary republic made up of thirty-two administrative divisions referred to as departments (Spanish: departamentos, sing. departamento ) and one Capital District ( Distrito Capital ). [1] 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 country subdivisions and are granted a certain degree of autonomy.
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.
Some departments have subdivisions above the level of municipalities, commonly known as provinces.
ID | Region | Governor | Party or Coalition | Capital | Area (km2) | Population (December 2022) [3] | Density per km2 | Established as a department | Flag | Code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
00 | Capital District | Carlos Fernando Galán | New Liberalism | Bogotá | 1,587 | 8,906,342 | 4670.80 | 1861 | DC | |
01 | Amazonas | Óscar Enrique Sánchez Guerrero | Historic Pact for Colombia | Leticia | 109,665 | 82,068 | 0.7 | 1991 | AM | |
02 | Antioquia | Andrés Julián Rendón Cardona | Por Antioquia Firme | Medellín | 63,612 | 6,887,306 | 100.72 | 1886 | AN | |
03 | Arauca | Manuel Alexander Pérez Rueda | Democratic Center | Arauca | 23,818 | 304,978 | 11.01 | 1991 | AR | |
04 | Atlántico | Eduardo Verano de la Rosa | Colombian Liberal Party | Barranquilla | 3,388 | 2,804,025 | 748.38 | 1910 | AT | |
05 | Bolívar | Yamil Hernando Arana Padaui | Bolivar Mejor | Cartagena | 25,978 | 2,236,603 | 79.69 | 1886 | BL | |
06 | Boyacá | Carlos Andrés Amaya Rodriguez | Boyacá Grande | Tunja | 23,189 | 1,259,601 | 52.50 | 1824 | BY | |
07 | Caldas | Henry Gutiérrez Angel | Por El Caldas Que Quiere La Gente | Manizales | 7,888 | 1,036,455 | 126.55 | 1905 | CL | |
08 | Caquetá | Luis Francisco Ruiz Aguilar | Coalición Revive Caqueta | Florencia | 88,965 | 419,275 | 4.52 | 1981 | CQ | |
09 | Casanare | César Augusto Ortiz Zorro | Coalición Por Casanare | Yopal | 44,640 | 442,068 | 9.42 | 1991 | CS | |
10 | Cauca | Jorge Octavio Guzmán Gutiérrez | La Fuerza Del Pueblo | Popayán | 29,308 | 1,516,018 | 49.97 | 1824 | CA | |
11 | Cesar | Elvia Milena Sanjuán Dávila | El Cesar En Marcha | Valledupar | 22,905 | 1,341,697 | 52.42 | 1967 | CE | |
12 | Chocó | Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi | Colombian Liberal Party | Quibdó | 46,530 | 553,519 | 11.49 | 1947 | CH | |
13 | Córdoba | Erasmo Elías Zuleta Bechara | Cordoba Pr1mero | Montería | 25,020 | 1,856,496 | 71.33 | 1951 | CO | |
14 | Cundinamarca | Jorge Emilio Rey Ángel | Caminando, Escuchando, Gobernando | Bogotá | 24,210 | 2,473,634 | 120.57 | 1824 | CU | |
15 | Guainía | Arnulfo Rivera Naranjo | Coalición Trabajemos Guainía | Inirida | 72,238 | 52,061 | 0.67 | 1991 | GN | |
16 | Guaviare | Yeison Ferney Rojas Martínez | Guaviare Seguimos Avanzando | San José del Guaviare | 53,460 | 90,357 | 1.55 | 1991 | GV | |
17 | Huila | Rodrigo Villaba Mosquera | Por Un Huila Grande | Neiva | 19,890 | 1,140,932 | 55.32 | 1910 | HU | |
18 | La Guajira | Jairo Alfonso Aguilar Deluque | Union Party for the People, Radical Change, Independent Social Alliance, La Fuerza de la Paz and Partido Demócrata | Riohacha | 20,848 | 1,002,394 | 42.24 | 1965 | LG | |
19 | Magdalena | Rafael Alejandro Martínez | Fuerza Ciudadana | Santa Marta | 23,188 | 1,463,427 | 57.86 | 1824 | MA | |
20 | Meta | Rafaela Cortés Zambrano | Coalición Fe y Firmeza | Villavicencio | 82,805 | 1,080,706 | 12.14 | 1959 | ME | |
21 | Nariño | Luis Alfonso Escobar Jaramillo | Historic Pact for Colombia | Pasto | 33,268 | 1,629,181 | 49.01 | 1910 | NA | |
22 | Norte de Santander | William Villamizar Laguado | Coalición Por Amor A Nuestra Gente Del Norte | Cúcuta | 21,658 | 1,651,278 | 68.87 | 1910 | NS | |
23 | Putumayo | Carlos Andrés Marroquín Luna | Coalición Somos La Fuerza De La Gente | Mocoa | 24,885 | 369,064 | 13.99 | 1991 | PU | |
24 | Quindío | Juan Miguel Galvis Bedoya | Creemos Colombia | Armenia | 1,845 | 569,569 | 292.63 | 1966 | QD | |
25 | Risaralda | Juan Diego Patiño Ochoa | Colombian Liberal Party | Pereira | 4,140 | 977,829 | 227.87 | 1966 | RI | |
26 | San Andrés y Providencia | Nicolas Iván Gallardo Vásquez | Coalición Avanzar es Posible | San Andrés | 52 | 65,228 | 1178.46 | 1991 | SA | |
27 | Santander | Juvenal Díaz Mateus | Coalición Es Tiempo Juvenal Gobernador | Bucaramanga | 30,537 | 2,324,090 | 71.55 | 1886 | ST | |
28 | Sucre | Lucy Inés García Montes | Coalición Mujer de Resultados | Sincelejo | 10,917 | 972,350 | 82.89 | 1966 | SU | |
29 | Tolima | Adriana Magali Matiz Vargas | Coalición Con Seguridad en el Territorio | Ibagué | 23,562 | 1,346,935 | 56.45 | 1886 | TO | |
30 | Valle del Cauca | Dilian Francisca Toro Torres | Coalición Unidos por el Valle | Cali | 22,140 | 4,589,278 | 202.16 | 1910 | VC | |
31 | Vaupés | Luis Alfredo Gutiérrez García | Gente en Movimiento | Mitú | 54,135 | 48,932 | 0.75 | 1991 | VP | |
32 | Vichada | Hecson Alexys Benito Castro | Union Party for the People | Puerto Carreño | 100,242 | 115,778 | 1.08 | 1991 | VD |
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 in the departments of Amazonas, Cauca, La Guajira, Guaviare, and Vaupés. [1]
Evolution of Colombian departments | |||||
1824 | 1886 | 1905 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 |
1928 | 1942 | 1958 | 1966 | 1990 | Present day |
Current name and flag | Established as a department | First established under the following name | Establishment of earliest territorial predecessor | Sovereign State that established the earliest territorial predecessor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Amazonas | 1991 | Intendancy of Amazonas | 1931 | Republic of Colombia |
Antioquia | 1886 | Province of Antioquia | 1576 | Crown of Castile |
Arauca | 1991 | Commissary of Arauca | 1911 | Republic of Colombia |
Atlántico | 1910 | Province of Sabanilla | 1852 | Republic of New Granada |
Bogotá | 1861 | Federal District of Bogotá | 1861 | Granadine Confederation |
Bolívar | 1886 | Province of Cartagena | 1533 | Crown of Castile |
Boyacá | 1824 | Province of Tunja | 1539 | Crown of Castile |
Caldas | 1905 | Department of Caldas | 1905 | Republic of Colombia |
Caquetá | 1981 | Intendancy of Caquetá | 1905 | Republic of Colombia |
Casanare | 1991 | Province of Casanare | 1660 | Crown of Castile |
Cauca | 1824 | Province of Popayán | 1537 | Crown of Castile |
Cesar | 1967 | Department of Cesar | 1967 | Republic of Colombia |
Chocó | 1947 | Province of Chocó | 1726 | Kingdom of Spain |
Córdoba | 1951 | Department of Córdoba | 1951 | Republic of Colombia |
Cundinamarca | 1824 | Province of Santafé de Bogotá | 1550 | Crown of Castile |
Guainía | 1991 | Commissary of Guainía | 1963 | Republic of Colombia |
Guaviare | 1991 | Commissary of Guaviare | 1977 | Republic of Colombia |
Huila | 1910 | Province of Neiva | 1610 | Crown of Castile |
La Guajira | 1965 | Province of Riohacha | 1789 | Kingdom of Spain |
Magdalena | 1824 | Province of Santa Marta | 1533 | Crown of Castile |
Meta | 1959 | Intendancy of Meta | 1905 | Republic of Colombia |
Nariño | 1910 | Province of Pasto | 1823 | Republic of Colombia |
Norte de Santander | 1910 | Province of Pamplona | 1555 | Crown of Castile |
Putumayo | 1991 | Commissary of Putumayo | 1912 | Republic of Colombia |
Quindío | 1966 | Department of Quindío | 1966 | Republic of Colombia |
Risaralda | 1966 | Department of Risaralda | 1966 | Republic of Colombia |
San Andrés y Providencia | 1991 | Providence Island Colony | 1630 | Kingdom of England |
Santander | 1886 | Province of Socorro | 1795 | Kingdom of Spain |
Sucre | 1966 | Department of Sucre | 1966 | Republic of Colombia |
Tolima | 1886 | Province of Mariquita | 1550 | Crown of Castile |
Valle del Cauca | 1910 | Province of Cauca | 1835 | Republic of New Granada |
Vaupés | 1991 | Commissary of Vaupés | 1910 | Republic of Colombia |
Vichada | 1991 | Commissary of Vichada | 1913 | Republic of 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]
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]
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 is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range. Antioquia has been part of many territorial divisions of former countries created within the present-day territory of Colombia. Prior to adoption of the Colombian Constitution of 1886, Antioquia State had its own sovereign government.
Boyacá is one of the thirty-two departments of Colombia, and the remnant of Boyacá State, one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia".
The First Republic of New Granada, known despectively as the Foolish Fatherland, is the period in the history of Colombia immediately following the declaration of independence from Spain in 1810 and until the Spanish reconquest in 1816. The period between 1810 and 1816 in the Viceroyalty of New Granada was marked by such intense conflicts over the nature of the new government or governments that it became known as la Patria Boba. Constant fighting between federalists and centralists gave rise to a prolonged period of instability that eventually favored Spanish reconquest. Similar developments can be seen at the same time in the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Each province, and even some cities, set up its own autonomous junta, which declared themselves sovereign from each other.
Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi was an Italo-Venezuelan soldier, scientist, geographer, cartographer, and governor of Barinas (1846–1847). He made his main investigations and cartographic work in Venezuela and Colombia, thereby creating for both countries a complete set of maps and statistics after the tumultuous years following independence from the Spanish Empire.
The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1810 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as la Patria Boba. It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada, roughly corresponding to the territory of modern-day Colombia. The government was a federation with a parliamentary system, consisting of a weak executive and strong congress. The country was reconquered by Spain in 1816.
The Granadine Confederation was a short-lived federal republic established in 1858 as a result of a constitutional change replacing the Republic of New Granada. It consisted of the present-day nations of Colombia and Panama and parts of northwestern Brazil. In turn, the Granadine Confederation was replaced by the United States of Colombia after another constitutional change in 1863.
The Colombian Civil War began on 8 May 1860 and lasted until November 1862. It was an internal conflict between the newly formed conservative Granadine Confederation and a more liberal rebel force from the newly seceded region of Cauca, composed of dissatisfied politicians commanded by General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, its former president. The Granadine Confederation, created a few years earlier in 1858 by Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, was defeated in the capital Bogotá, with Mosquera deposing the newly elected president Bartolomé Calvo on July 18, 1861. Forming a provisional government, with himself as president, Mosquera continued to pursue the conservative forces until their final defeat in 1862. The resulting formation of the new United States of Colombia would have significant cultural and economic consequences for Colombia.
San Sebastián is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia at a distance of 165 km by road from the city of Popayán, capital city of the department of Cauca.</ref> The town was founded in 1562 by Pedro Antonio Gómez.
The constitutional history of Colombia is the process of formation and evolution of the different constitutions that Colombia has had since its formation.
Guillermo Abadía Morales was a Colombian linguist, academic, anthropologist, folklore researcher and indigenous language expert. Abadía Morales was one of the first to champion the study of indigenous languages in Colombia.
Antioquia State was one of the states of Colombia, which existed from 1856 until 1886. Today the area of the former state makes up most of modern day Antioquia Department, Colombia.
Cauca State was one of the states of Colombia, which existed from 1857 until 1886.
States of Colombia existed from February 27, 1855, in the Republic of New Granada and the Granadine Confederation, where they were called "federal states". In the United States of Colombia they were called "sovereign states".
Tolima State was one of the states of Colombia, which existed from 1861 until 1886.
Race and ethnicity in Colombia descend mainly from three racial groups—Europeans, Amerindians, and Africans—that have mixed throughout the last 500 years of the country's history. Some demographers describe Colombia as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the Western Hemisphere and in the World, with 900 different ethnic groups. Most Colombians identify themselves and others according to ancestry, physical appearance, and sociocultural status. Social relations reflect the importance attached to certain characteristics associated with a given racial group. Although these characteristics no longer accurately differentiate social categories, they still contribute to one's rank in the social hierarchy. A study from Rojas et al. involving 15 departments determined that the average Colombian has a mixture of 47% Amerindian, 42% European, and 11% African. These proportions also vary widely among ethnicities.
The History of the Jews in Colombia begins in the Spanish colonial period with the arrival of the first Jews during the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
The Cabildo Mayor del Pueblo Muisca is an organisation of indigenous people, in particular the Muisca. It was established in September 2002 in Bosa, Bogotá, Colombia. The organisation, member of National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), focuses on defending the rights of the descendants of the Muisca, and the development of cultural and historical heritage, territory and health and the linguistics of the indigenous language, Muysccubun.
Events in the year 2020 in Colombia.
The Zipaquirá Province was an administrative division of the Republic of New Granada. It was created on 6 May 1852 when the Bogotá Province was subdivided. The province existed until 24 May 1855, when its territory was reintegrated into the Bogotá Province.
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