Cauca Department

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Department of Cauca Departamento del Cauca
Department
Flag Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Por el Derecho a la Diferencia (Spanish: For the Right to a Difference)
Cauca shown in red
Topography of the department
Coordinates: 2°27′N 76°37′W / 2.450°N 76.617°W / 2.450; -76.617
Country	Colombia
Region	Andean Region/Pacific Region
Established	June 15, 1857
Capital	Popayán
Government
• Governor	Elías Larrahondo Carabalí (2020-Present)
Area
• Total	29,308 km2 (11,316 sq mi)
• Rank	13th
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	1,464,488
• Rank	11th
• Density	50/km2 (130/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	COP 25,768 billion (US$ 6.1 billion)
Time zone	UTC-05
ISO 3166 code	CO-CAU
Municipalities	41
HDI (2019)	0.719[3] high · 25th of 33

Cauca Department (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkawka], Spanish: Departamento del Cauca) is a department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west,^[4] the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east, and Nariño Department to the south. Putumayo and Caqueta Departments border the southeast portion of Cauca Department as well. It covers a total area of 29,308 km² (11,316 sq mi), the 13th largest in Colombia. Its capital is the city of Popayán. The offshore island of Malpelo belongs to the department. It is located in the southwest of the country, mainly in the Andean and Pacific regions (between 0°58′54″N and 3°19′04″N latitude, 75°47′36″W and 77°57′05″W longitude) plus a tiny part (Piamonte) in the Amazonian region. The area makes up 2.56% of the country.