Magdalena

The Magdalena river is one of the longest rivers in Colombia. This river flows northward for 1,528 kilometers through the country's western half. It is named after Mary Magdalene, a biblical character. Despite the fluctuating sand bars at the mouth of its delta, it is navigable over much of its lower reaches as far as Honda, near the downstream base of its rapids. It runs through the valley of the Magdalena river.

Its drainage basin comprises 273,000 square kilometers, or 24 percent of the country's land area, and is home to 66 percent of the country's people. With a length of 1.612 kilometers, the Magdalena River is the greatest river system in the northern Andes. Its source is in the Huila Department of Colombia, where the Andean subranges Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental split. The river then flows east-northeast between the two cordilleras, forming a large valley. It reaches the coastal plain at around nine degrees north, then meanders west for about 100 kilometers before turning north again to reach the Caribbean Sea near Barranquilla in the Bocas de Ceniza zone.

Length: 950 miles