Magdalena (Spanish pronunciation:[maɣðaˈlena]) is adepartment ofColombia, located in the north of the country by theCaribbean Sea, with more than 1.3 million people. The capital of the Magdalena Department isSanta Marta and was named after theMagdalena River. The department inherited the name of one of the original nine states of theUnited States of Colombia that its current territory integrated.
The territory of the Department of Magdalena is formed by fourdrainage basins which are very different in composition and importance.
Sierra Nevada's Northern Slope
The drainage basin of the Sierra Nevada's western slope is located in the northern part of the department. TheSierra Nevada de Santa Marta creates different rivers that run mainly through the municipality ofSanta Marta, and that finally end up draining into theCaribbean Sea.
The rivers that form part of this basin are:
Palomino River
Don Diego River 2
Buritaca River
Guachaca River
Mendiguaca River
Piedras River
Manzanares River
Gaira River
Sierra Nevada’s Southwestern Slope
This basin gathers its waters from the rivers coming from the southern and western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The basin irrigates great extensions of the municipalities ofCiénaga,Zona Bananera,Fundación,Aracataca, andEl Retén, which are the heart of the agricultural and livestock economy of the department.The rivers that form part of this basin are:
Frío River
Sevilla River
Tucurinca River
Aracataca River
Fundación River
Rosa Creek
It also consists of a small number ofarroyos that only flow during the rainy seasons.
This basin also encompasses theCiénaga Grande de Santa Marta, the largestmarsh in the north of the country, which is formed by 16 smaller marshes that are connected by means ofarms within the march. The balance of the march is a delicate one that depends on the fresh waters coming from the Sierra Nevada, and the periodical flooding of theMagdalena River, and the salt water coming from the mouth of the March to the sea, that is carried by the current and winds into the marshland.
The Magdalena River Basin is the largest drainage basin in the department, it is formed by theMagdalena River and itstributaries that feed on to the river and the Marsh.
Overflow of the Magdalena River caused floodings in 2005.
TheMompóx Depression is found within this basin, this depression runs from theZapatosa Marsh to the delta of the Magdalena River. This depression collects the most water in the department as its where theCauca River,Cesar River, and theSan Jorge River drain its waters. The Magdalena River is by far the most affluent river of these, and during the rainy season when it overflows, it causes the other rivers to flow backwards, not before overflowing the marshes and sometimes flooding some valleys.
Ariguaní Basin
TheAriguaní River drains into the Magdalena River through the Zapatosa Marsh and washes over the central valleys of the departments of Magdalena andCesar that are the principal areas of agriculture andanimal husbandry in theCaribbean Region.
Marshes
The department of Magdalena is characterized by its many marshes and extensive marshland valleys. The whole western side of the department its dotted with marshes and lakes due to the Magdalena River that borders the department on this side. Most of this marshes are located in the northwestern side. The permanent marshes are, Chilloa, La Rinconada, Tesca, Pijiño, Juan Criollo, Jaraba, Playa Afuera,Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, andZapatosa.
The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, is the biggest and by far the most important marsh in the department of Magdalena and one of the most important marshes in the country. It is located in the northwest of the department and is separated from the sea by a very thin margin of land, only a few meters away. It has an extension of 4,280 km2 (1,650 sq mi), of which 730 km2 (280 sq mi) are just water mirrors with a depth of 2 to 6 meters.
TheZapatosa Marsh, located in the municipality ofEl Plato in the southernmost part of the department, it is shared with theCesar Department, who controls most of its waters. It has an extension of 310 km2 (120 sq mi) and at its deepest it reaches about 8 metres (26 ft). In it many rivers of different importance merge. The Zapatosa Marsh drains into the Magdalena River by an arm of about 16 km (10 mi) of length.
The Department of Magdalena, because of its terrain, and proximity to the sea has an unstable weather. ItsClimate is mainly dictated by its global positioning, and because the department of Magdalena is located on theIntertropical Convergence Zone it possess an inter-tropical climate. Temperature in the department is affected byocean currents,precipitation andatmospheric pressure, it mainly has a hot temperatures with high humidity, but temperatures vary as altitude raises.
The altitude of the department goes from 0m to 5,775m above sea levels, the drastic changes of altitude divide the territory into what is calledthermal floors. There are no solid or determined divides between these floors as local factors can affect the temperature. The first 200m of altitude are considered the warm lands, they occupy a great extension of the departmental territory, the average temperature is of 30°C. The main urban centers are located in the warm lands, including all of the downtown urban area of Santa Marta. The altitude increase because of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, an isolated mountain, the highest at sea level, and temperatures raise as it goes up.
The presence of the Sierra Nevada in this area of the country has consequences in the climate of the department, the SNSM stands windward blocking the path of theTrade winds that blow from the North and Northeast creating a greater cloud accumulation and precipitation. The winds that crash into the mountain ascend in anOrographic lift, this cooler air cannot hold the moisture as well as warm air and this effectively raises therelative humidity, creating clouds and frequentlyprecipitation. The clouds that manage to pass over the mountain, move hastily downwards creatingfoehn winds that raise the temperature of the area west of the Sierra, which include the Santa Marta, and Ciénaga.
In the coastal area, droughts are cause by the diversion of the cold and warmkatabatic winds coming down the Sierra, however thesea breezes help to cool down temperatures a bit, but by because of their direction, they end up extending the drought effects farther inland.
The department of Magdalena due to its location in the Intertropical Convergence Zone has only two seasons. TheRainy season takes place between April and November, with a period of less intensity between June and August. Thedry season takes place during December and March.
TheMompox Depression presents its own climatic conditions due to its many permanent bodies of water, like the different ciénagas or mashes, and rivers and lakes. This wet habitat, permanently exposed tosolar radiation, makes for a veryhumid environment, with an average annual rainfall of between 1,500 and 2,000mm, these rains areConvection rains as they are created by evaporation of its waters by high temperatures, this is typical precipitation around the equatorial belt.
Due to its complicated geography, the precipitation in the department ranges from 250mm in the driest areas, to 4,000mm in the cold floors of the Sierra Nevada.
The territory of Magdalena has an area of approximately 23,188 km², small compared to other regions, but in its territory various types of differentecoregions are found. From the beaches and sea landscape in the North, the snow-covered peaks in the Sierra, the swampy marshes in the west, thecloud forests, to the grasslands inland, the urban districts, the farmlands, the dry desert like, the deep rain forest, the rocky rivers to many other small ecosystems. These ecosystem support differentfauna andflora and house many delicate species.
The Department of Magdalena is subdivided into 30 municipalities and one district. The municipalities are governed by a democratically electedmunicipal mayor and amunicipal council. The Touristic, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta is administered by theMunicipality of Santa Marta and has special distinction within the country.
Unión MagdalenaFootball Team that until c. 2005 that did not make the cut and was sent to the Colombian second division (Primera B). The team is nicknamed "el ciclón bananero" (The Banana Cyclone).
The flag of the department consists of six horizontal bands, alternately red and blue, on which is a five-pointed star made up of 30 small white stars to represent the department's 29 component municipalities and one district.[7]
^Kline, Harvey F. (2012). "Magdalena, Department of".Historical Dictionary of Colombia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 304.ISBN978-0-8108-7813-6.
^"DANE". Archived fromthe original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved13 February 2013.
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