Departments

Colombia is a unitary republic conformed by thirty-two departments (Spanish: departamentos, sing. departamento) and a Capital District (Distrito Capital), as shown in the table below.

Each department has a Governor (gobernador) and a Department Assembly (Asamblea Departamental), elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected consecutively.

The Capital District is the country's capital, Bogotá. It is partially dependent on the Department of Cundinamarca that surrounds it.

Department (Capital) Area (sq km) Population
Amazonas (Leticia) 109,665 80,360
Antioquia (Medellín) 63,612 5,750,478
Arauca (Arauca) 23,818 282,302
Atlántico (Barranquilla) 3,388 2,365,663
Bolívar (Cartagena) 25,978 2,229,967
Boyacá (Tunja) 23,189 1,411,239
Caldas (Manizales) 7,888 1,170,187
Caquetá (Florencia) 88,965 463,333
Casanare (Yopal) 44,640 325,713
Cauca (Popayán) 29,308 1,363,054
Cesar (Valledupar) 22,905 1,050,303
Chocó (Quibdó) 46,530 413,173
Córdoba (Montería) 25,020 1,392,905
Cundinamarca (Bogotá) 24,210 9,467,562
Guainía (Inirida) 72,238 43,314
Guaviare (San José del Guaviare) 53,460 133,236
Huila (Neiva) 19,890 994,218
La Guajira (Riohacha) 20,848 524,619
Magdalena (Santa Marta) 23,188 1,403,318
Meta (Villavicencio) 85,635 771,089
Nariño (Pasto 33,268 1,775,139
Norte de Santander (Cúcuta) 21,658 1,493,932
Putumayo (Mocoa) 24,885 378,483
Quindío (Armenia) 1,845 613,375
Risaralda (Pereira) 4,140 1,024,362
San Andrés and Providencia (San Andrés) 52 83,491
Santander (Bucaramanga) 30,537 2,085,084
Sucre (Sincelejo) 10,917 868,648
Tolima (Ibagué) 23,562 1,312,972
Valle del Cauca (Cali) 22,140 4,524,678
Vaupés (Mitú) 54,135 33,152
Vichada (Puerto Carreño) 100,242 97,276
Bogotá (Distrito Capital) 1,587 7,117,984