Cordillera Oriental (Colombia)
The Cordillera Oriental (English: Eastern range) is one of three mountain ranges into which the Andes split in Colombia. It extends from southwest to northeast; from the "Colombian Massif" in Huila Department to Norte de Santander Department, where it splits in two: a north branch reaches the Serranía del Perijá and the other runs northeast into Venezuela, where it is called Cordillera de Mérida.
The western part of the Cordillera Oriental belongs to the Magdalena River basin, while the eastern part includes the river basins of the Amazon River, Orinoco River, and Catatumbo River. Within it, the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy (with the only snowy peaks in this particular mountain range) stand out .
The Cordillera Oriental is the main feature in the relief of Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Santander, and Norte de Santander. It forms the eastern and southeastern limits of Huila, Tolima, Cesar, and La Guajira, with its southern piedmont reaching to the western regions of Caquetá, Meta, Casanare, and Arauca.
Read more about Cordillera Oriental (Colombia): Orography, Hydrography, Natural Parks
Famous quotes containing the word oriental:
“Behold the difference between the Oriental and the Occidental. The former has nothing to do in this world; the latter is full of activity. The one looks in the sun until his eyes are put out; the other follows him prone in his westward course.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)