Amazonas Department


The Amazonas Department is a department of Colombia in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while also having the 3rd smallest population. Its capital is Leticia and its name comes from the Amazon River, which drains the department.

Toponymy

The department name comes from the name of the Amazon River. The river was named by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana, who, on his voyage of exploration, said he was attacked by "fierce females" looked like Amazons of the Greek mythology, however, the existence of a female warrior tribe in that time hasn’t been demonstrated and it is possible that they were long-haired Native American warriors who impressed the conqueror who called the jungle and the river with the name of Amazon.

Culture

The following ethnic groups are found in the department: Bora, Cocama, Macuna, Mirana, Okaina, Ticunas, Tucano, Uitoto, Yagua, and Yucuna, among others.
These groups are more than 5,000 years old.

National parks

The Amazonas Department covers of protected area, most of it under the name of "forest reserve" since 1959. There are currently four "National Parks".

Municipalities and communities

  1. El Encanto
  2. La Chorrera
  3. La Pedrera
  4. La Victoria
  5. Leticia
  6. Mirití-Paraná
  7. Puerto Alegría
  8. Puerto Arica
  9. Puerto Nariño
  10. Puerto Santander
  11. Tarapacá