Amazonas (Spanish pronunciation: [amaˈsonas]) is a department of Southern Colombia in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while also having the 3rd smallest population. Its capital is Leticia and its name comes from the Amazon River, which drains the department.
Department of Amazonas
Departamento del Amazonas | |
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Department | |
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Motto(s): Entre todos podemos (Spanish: All together we can) | |
Anthem: Himno de Amazonas | |
Country | Colombia |
Region | Amazonía Region |
Established | October 5, 1991 |
Capital | Leticia |
Government | |
• Governor | Jesús Galdino Cedeño (2020-present)[1][2] |
Area | |
• Total | 109,665 km2 (42,342 sq mi) |
• Rank | 1st |
Population (2018)[4] | |
• Total | 76,589 |
• Rank | 30th |
• Density | 0.70/km2 (1.8/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC-05 |
ISO 3166 code | CO-AMA |
HDI (2019) | 0.717[5] high · 26th of 33 |
Website | www.amazonas.gov.co |
The department name comes from the name of the Amazon River. The river was named by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana (1511 - 1546), who, on his voyage of exploration, said he was attacked by "fierce females" looked like Amazons of the Greek mythology, however, the existence of a female warrior tribe in that time hasn't been demonstrated and it is possible that they were long-haired Native American warriors who impressed the conqueror who called the jungle and the river with the name of Amazon.
The following ethnic groups are found in the department: Bora, Cocama, Macuna, Mirana, Okaina, Ticunas, Tucano, Uitoto, Yagua, and Yucuna, among others. These groups are more than 5,000 years old.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
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1938 | 6,414 | — |
1951 | 7,619 | +18.8% |
1964 | 12,962 | +70.1% |
1973 | 15,677 | +20.9% |
1985 | 39,937 | +154.7% |
1993 | 56,399 | +41.2% |
2005 | 67,726 | +20.1% |
2018 | 76,589 | +13.1% |
Source:[6] |
The Amazonas Department covers 109,665 km2 (42,342 sq mi) of protected area, most of it under the name of "forest reserve" since 1959. There are currently four "National Parks" (Amacayacú, Cahuinarí, Rio Puree, and Yagoje Apaporis).
Departments of Colombia | ||
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