Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta

In this satellite image, the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta is the greenish area at top, bordered by the Caribbean Sea on the left.

The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (Spanish for Large Marsh of Saint Martha) is the largest of the swampy marshes located in Colombia between the Magdalena River and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It has an area of 4280 km2 and belongs to the outer delta system of the Madgalena River [1] and is separated from the Caribbean Sea by a narrow, sandy artificial spit built in the 1950s[2] on which is situated coastal route 90 from Barranquilla to Santa Marta. The marsh's large lagoon is connected to the Caribbean Sea via a narrow strait (the La Barra channel) located between the town of Pueblo Viejo and the city of Ciénaga.

Vegetation by the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta near the town of Cienaga 
Ciénaga 
 
Palafitos in marsh 
Panorama of Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta from 2006-10-12

References

  1. ↑ http://www.coastalwiki.org/coastalwiki/Cienaga_Grande_de_Santa_Marta
  2. ↑ http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=COL+04 UNESCO

External links

Coordinates: 10°52′N 74°25′W / 10.867°N 74.417°W