River · Colombia
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the longest river in Colombia. It runs northwards through a wide valley between two Andean mountain chains and reaches the Caribbean Sea at the port city of Barranquilla.
Picture credit: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0) · J.J.P. Santiago (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Magdalena River?
The river starts here: Colombian Massif in the Andes, southern Colombia.
It ends in the Caribbean Sea at Barranquilla.
Countries on the river: Colombia.
The story behind it
For hundreds of years the Magdalena has been Colombia's main road of water. Boats carried coffee, salt and travellers upstream long before there were railways or highways, and old paddle steamers once puffed past the colourful town of Mompox. The river starts as a cold mountain stream in a small lake high in the Andes and grows into a warm, muddy giant carrying sand and clay to the sea. Manatees graze in quiet side lakes, caimans doze on the banks and huge catfish hide in the deep pools. Fishing families set out at dawn in wooden canoes. When the rains come, the river spreads over the flat land and turns whole plains into shallow lakes, which is dangerous for villages but good for the fish. Barrancabermeja and Barranquilla grew rich beside its water.
Questions children ask
How long is the Magdalena River?
The Magdalena River is about 1 528 km long. It is by far the longest river in Colombia and flows almost straight from south to north.
Which country does the Magdalena River flow through?
The Magdalena River flows entirely through Colombia. Along the way it passes many of the country's busiest towns and farming regions.
Where does the Magdalena River flow into the sea?
It flows into the Caribbean Sea at Barranquilla. The river carries so much sand and mud that its brown water can be seen far out at sea.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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