Amazonas Department, Administrative division in southern Colombia
Amazonas Department is an administrative division in southern Colombia that extends across wide rainforest areas with numerous river channels and wetlands. The capital Leticia lies on the Amazon River at the border with Brazil and Peru and serves as the main urban center of the region.
The territory belonged for a long time to the sparsely populated parts of Colombia until it was recognized as an independent department in the late 20th century. This change took place during the constitutional reorganization in the early 1990s.
Names such as Leticia recall earlier Colombian figures, while several indigenous groups continue to speak their own languages and follow their customs in daily life. Visitors can see at markets and in small settlements how fishing and crafts are practiced using methods passed down over generations.
Travel within the department takes place mainly via waterways and the airport in Leticia, as continuous road connections are absent. Visitors planning to explore the region should expect high humidity and warm temperatures year-round.
The so-called Amazon Trapeze is a narrow strip of land that gives Colombia direct access to the Amazon and borders two other countries. Here three nations meet, giving the border region a special position.
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