Pacific/Chocó natural region

Pacific/Chocó region
Ecology
Ecozone Neotropic
Biome Marine, Rainforest
Geography
Country  Colombia
Oceans or seas Pacific Ocean
Rivers Atrato, San Juan, Patía
Climate type Tropical
Conservation
Global 200 Chocó Biogeographic

The Pacific/Chocó natural region is one of the five major natural regions of Colombia. Ecologically, this region belongs entirely to the Chocó Biogeographic Region and is considered a biodiversity hotspot. It also has areas with the highest rainfall in the world, with areas near Quibdo, Chocó reaching up to 13,000 mm (510 in) annually.[1]

Biogeographical subregions

The Pacific region is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the West Andes to the east. To the north is the Darién Gap and the Serranía del Darién at the border with Panamá. The area mostly flat and covered by dense rainforest, rivers, swamps, and mangroves. The Baudó Mountains are a small, isolated range in this area along the coast. Gorgona Island is located off the southwest coast.

Politically, the region is within the following Colombian departments: Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño.

Rivers

From north to south the main rivers are the Atrato, San Juan, Dagua, Anchicayá,

Biodiversity

This region has the distinction of being one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.[2]

Protected areas

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, October 20, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.