Departments of Colombia

National subdivisions in Colombia

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Capital district and Colombian regions
Distrito Capital y los Departamentos de Colombia (Spanish)

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|

* Department government, national government

Subdivisions|

* Province, municipality

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] 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

[edit]

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 know 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

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Departments of Colombia  ID  | 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]

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00 | Capital District | Bogotá | 1,587 | 8,906,342 | 4670.80 | 1861 |  | DC | Carlos Fernando Galán | New Liberalism
01 | Amazonas | Leticia | 109,665 | 82,068 | 0.7 | 1991 |  | AM | Óscar Enrique Sánchez Guerrero | Historic Pact for Colombia
02 | Antioquia | Medellín | 63,612 | 6,887,306 | 100.72 | 1886 |  | AN | Andrés Julián Rendón Cardona | Por Antioquia Firme
03 | Arauca | Arauca | 23,818 | 304,978 | 11.01 | 1991 |  | AR | Manuel Alexander Pérez Rueda | Democratic Center
04 | Atlántico | Barranquilla | 3,388 | 2,804,025 | 748.38 | 1910 |  | AT | Eduardo Verano de la Rosa | Colombian Liberal Party
05 | Bolívar | Cartagena | 25,978 | 2,236,603 | 79.69 | 1886 |  | BL | Yamil Hernando Arana Padaui | Bolivar Mejor
06 | Boyacá | Tunja | 23,189 | 1,259,601 | 52.50 | 1824 |  | BY | Carlos Amaya | Boyacá Grande
07 | Caldas | Manizales | 7,888 | 1,036,455 | 126.55 | 1905 |  | CL | Henry Gutiérrez Angel | Por El Caldas Que Quiere La Gente
08 | Caquetá | Florencia | 88,965 | 419,275 | 4.52 | 1981 |  | CQ | Luis Francisco Ruiz Aguilar | Coalición Revive Caqueta
09 | Casanare | Yopal | 44,640 | 442,068 | 9.42 | 1991 |  | CS | César Augusto Ortiz Zorro | Coalición Por Casanare
10 | Cauca | Popayán | 29,308 | 1,516,018 | 49.97 | 1824 |  | CA | Jorge Octavio Guzmán Gutiérrez | La Fuerza Del Pueblo
11 | Cesar | Valledupar | 22,905 | 1,341,697 | 52.42 | 1967 |  | CE | Elvia Milena Sanjuán Dávila | El Cesar En Marcha
12 | Chocó | Quibdó | 46,530 | 553,519 | 11.49 | 1947 |  | CH | Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi | Colombian Liberal Party
13 | Córdoba | Montería | 25,020 | 1,856,496 | 71.33 | 1951 |  | CO | Erasmo Elías Zuleta Bechara | Cordoba Pr1mero
14 | Cundinamarca | Bogotá | 24,210 | 2,473,634 | 120.57 | 1819 |  | CU | Jorge Emilio Rey Ángel | Caminando, Escuchando, Gobernando
15 | Guainía | Inirida | 72,238 | 52,061 | 0.67 | 1991 |  | GN | Arnulfo Rivera Naranjo  | Coalición Trabajemos Guainía
16 | Guaviare | San José del Guaviare | 53,460 | 90,357 | 1.55 | 1991 |  | GV | Yeison Ferney Rojas Martínez | Guaviare Seguimos Avanzando
17 | Huila | Neiva | 19,890 | 1,140,932 | 55.32 | 1910 |  | HU | Rodrigo Villaba Mosquera | Por Un Huila Grande
18 | La Guajira | Riohacha | 20,848 | 1,002,394 | 42.24 | 1965 |  | 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 | 23,188 | 1,463,427 | 57.86 | 1824 |  | MA | Rafael Alejandro Martínez | Fuerza Ciudadana
20 | Meta | Villavicencio | 82,805 | 1,080,706 | 12.14 | 1959 |  | ME | Rafaela Cortés Zambrano | Coalición Fe y Firmeza
21 | Nariño | Pasto | 33,268 | 1,629,181 | 49.01 | 1910 |  | NA | Luis Alfonso Escobar Jaramillo | Historic Pact for Colombia
22 | Norte de Santander | Cúcuta | 21,658 | 1,651,278 | 68.87 | 1910 |  | NS | William Villamizar Laguado | Coalición Por Amor A Nuestra Gente Del Norte
23 | Putumayo | Mocoa | 24,885 | 369,064 | 13.99 | 1991 |  | PU | Carlos Andrés Marroquín Luna | Coalición Somos La Fuerza De La Gente
24 | Quindío | Armenia | 1,845 | 569,569 | 292.63 | 1966 |  | QD | Juan Miguel Galvis Bedoya | Creemos Colombia
25 | Risaralda | Pereira | 4,140 | 977,829 | 227.87 | 1966 |  | RI | Juan Diego Patiño Ochoa | Colombian Liberal Party
26 | San Andrés y Providencia | San Andrés | 52 | 65,228 | 1178.46 | 1991 |  | SA | Nicolas Iván Gallardo Vásquez | Coalición Avanzar es Posible
27 | Santander | Bucaramanga | 30,537 | 2,324,090 | 71.55 | 1886 |  | ST | Juvenal Díaz Mateus | Coalición Es Tiempo Juvenal Gobernador
28 | Sucre | Sincelejo | 10,917 | 972,350 | 82.89 | 1966 |  | SU | Lucy Inés García Montes | Coalición Mujer de Resultados
29 | Tolima | Ibagué | 23,562 | 1,346,935 | 56.45 | 1886 |  | TO | Adriana Magali Matiz Vargas | Coalición Con Seguridad en el Territorio
30 | Valle del Cauca | Cali | 22,140 | 4,589,278 | 202.16 | 1910 |  | VC | Dilian Francisca Toro Torres | Coalición Unidos por el Valle
31 | Vaupés | Mitú | 54,135 | 48,932 | 0.75 | 1991 |  | VP | Luis Alfredo Gutiérrez García | Gente en Movimiento
32 | Vichada | Puerto Carreño | 100,242 | 115,778 | 1.08 | 1991 |  | VD | Hecson Alexys Benito Castro | Union Party for the People

### Indigenous territories

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Main article: Indigenous territory (Colombia)

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

[edit]

Territorial evolution of Colombian departments

1824  | 1886  | 1905  | 1908  | 1912  | 1916
1928  | 1942  | 1958  | 1966  | 1990  | Present day

### Gran Colombia

[edit]

Main article: Subdivisions of 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

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Main article: 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Current name and flag  | Established as a department  | Name at time of establishment  | Establishment of earliest territorial predecessor  | Sovereign State that established the earliest territorial predecessor

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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

## Map gallery

[edit]

* Departments of Colombia with municipalities

* Map with numbered departments

* Departments of Colombia with names

* Political map of Colombia

* Topography of Colombia, highly variable per department

## See also

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* Colombia portal

* 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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1. ^ a b "Division Política de Colombia" (in Spanish). Portal ColombiaYA.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009.
2. ^ "Censo General 2005". Archived from the original on 2011-05-17.
3. ^ a b "Elecciones Territoriales 2023 - Resultados Electorales". La República (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-15.
4. ^ 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."
5. ^ Guhl Nannetti, Ernesto (1991). "Capítulo XII: División Política de la Gran Colombia". Las fronteras políticas y los límites naturales: escritos geograficos [Political Boundaries and Their Natural Limits: Geographic writings] (in Spanish). Bogotá: Fondo FEN. ISBN 978-958-9129-22-7.
6. ^ a b Aguilera Peña, Mario (January 2002). "División política administrativa de Colombia". Credential Historia (in Spanish). Bogotá: Banco de la República. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011.
7. ^ a b Oficina Nacional de Estadística (Office of National Statistics) (1876). "Estadística de Colombia" [Colombian Statistics] (PDF). Oficina Nacional de Estadística (FTP) (in Spanish). Bogotá. Retrieved 23 November 2016.[dead ftp link] (To view documents see Help:FTP)
8. ^ Domínguez, Camilo; Chaparro, Jeffer; Gómez, Carla (2006). "Construcción y deconstrucción territorial del Caribe Colombiano durante el siglo XIX". Scripta Nova (Revista Electrónica de Geografía y Ciencias Sociales). 10 (218 (75)).

## External links

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* "Departments of Colombia". Statoids.

* v
* t
* e

Departments of Colombia

Amazonas
Antioquia
Arauca
Atlántico
Bolívar
Boyacá

Caldas
Caquetá
Casanare
Cauca
Cesar
Chocó

Córdoba
Cundinamarca
Guainía
Guaviare
Huila
La Guajira

Magdalena
Meta
Nariño
N. Santander
Putumayo
Quindío

Risaralda
San Andrés
Santander
Sucre
Tolima
Valle del Cauca

Vaupés
Vichada

Capital district:
Bogotá

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