Magdalena River

Magdalena
Magdalena
	The delta of the Magdalena River
	Map of the Magdalena River watershed
Etymology	Biblical figure Mary Magdalene
Location
Country	Colombia
Cities	Neiva; Girardot; Honda; La Dorada; Puerto Boyacá; Puerto Berrío; Barrancabermeja; Santa Cruz de Mompox; Magangué; Barranquilla;
Physical characteristics
Source	La Magdalena lagoon
• location	Colombian Massif, Colombia
• coordinates	1°56′3″N 76°36′29″W / 1.93417°N 76.60806°W
• elevation	3,685 m (12,090 ft)
Mouth	Caribbean Sea
• location	Barranquilla, Colombia
• coordinates	11°7′0″N 74°51′0″W / 11.11667°N 74.85000°W
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	1,528 km (949 mi)
Basin size	257,438 km2 (99,397 sq mi) to 271,807 km2 (104,945 sq mi)
Discharge
• location	Calamar, Bolívar
• average	(Period: 1975–1995)7,200 m3/s (250,000 cu ft/s) (Period: 1991–2020)8,058 m3/s (284,600 cu ft/s)
• minimum	2,000 m3/s (71,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum	12,000 m3/s (420,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Páez, Saldaña, La Miel, Nare, Cauca, San Jorge
• right	Cabrera, Bogotá, Negro, Carare, Sogamoso, Cesar
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Sistema Delta Estuarino del Río Magdalena, Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta
Designated	18 June 1998
Reference no.	951

The Magdalena River (Spanish: Río Magdalena, Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o maɣðaˈlena]; less commonly Rio Grande de la Magdalena)^[5] is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about 1,528 kilometres (949 mi) through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as far as Honda, at the downstream base of its rapids. It flows through the Magdalena River Valley.

Its drainage basin covers a surface of 273,000 square kilometres (105,000 sq mi), which is 24% of the country's area and where 66% of its population lives.

^ "Sistema de informacion Ambiental de Colombia – SIAC" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
^ ^a ^b ESTUDIO NACIONAL DEL AGUA 2022 (PDF). 2023. ISBN 978-958-5489-12-7.
^ ^a ^b "Chapter 14" (PDF). The Pacific and Caribbean Rivers of Colombia: Water Discharge, Sediment Transport and Dissolved Loads. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
^ "Sistema Delta Estuarino del Río Magdalena, Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
^ "Polinizaciones: Las Abejas y las Garzas / The Bees and Storks". Polinizaciones.blogspot.com. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-06.

[SIAC-1] "Sistema de informacion Ambiental de Colombia – SIAC" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2011-07-13.

[ESTUDIO_NACIONAL_DEL_AGUA_2022-2] ESTUDIO NACIONAL DEL AGUA 2022 (PDF). 2023. ISBN 978-958-5489-12-7.

[urlgeotest.tamu.edu-3] "Chapter 14" (PDF). The Pacific and Caribbean Rivers of Colombia: Water Discharge, Sediment Transport and Dissolved Loads. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2011-07-13.

[4] "Sistema Delta Estuarino del Río Magdalena, Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

[5] "Polinizaciones: Las Abejas y las Garzas / The Bees and Storks". Polinizaciones.blogspot.com. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-06.

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