World Heritages in Colombia
Los Katios National Park
According to computergees, Los Katios National Park, is a protected area (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in northwest Colombia, on the border with Panama, 720 km 2; forms a natural geographical unittogether with the Darién National Park (5,970 km 2) in the east of Panama. The inaccessible marshland of the Río Atrato, which flows into the Gulf of Darién,and the rainforests of the Serrania de Baudo form a protected habitat for endangered species such as puma, jaguar, anteater, sloth and various species of monkeys.
Chiribiquete National Park (World Heritage)
Chiribiquete National Park (World Heritage)
Secluded, untouched, unique: The Chiribiquete National Park in the heart of the Amazon basin is the largest nature reserve in Colombia and a refuge within the rainforest, which is threatened by ongoing deforestation. The landscape is characterized by steeply towering table mountains (tepuis) up to 1000 meters high, deep gorges, raging rivers, lowland rainforests and stony savannah in the higher regions.
Untouched nature: The as yet little explored protected area has a number of different ecosystems with an extraordinarily diverse flora and fauna. These include various vascular plants, a number of bat species, some of which have been newly discovered, more than 350 species of birds and over 200 species of butterflies. Tapirs, giant otters, anteaters, howler monkeys and the brown woolly monkey, jaguars and pink river dolphins live here.
Prehistoric place of worship: In the inaccessible region there are over 75,000 rock paintings, some of which are over 20,000 years old. The pictures show hunting scenes, fights, dances and ceremonial scenes. Many of them are associated with the cult of the jaguar, which was considered a symbol of power and fertility. Today the Chiribiquete is hardly populated. Only a few indigenous groups live in this area, some of them in complete isolation.
Chiribiquete National Park: facts
| Official title: | Chiribiquete National Park – “The Jaguar’s House” |
| Natural and cultural monument: | Nature reserve with diverse flora and fauna, some of which are endemic and endangered species, as well as over 75,000 rock paintings |
| Continent: | America |
| Country: | Colombia |
| Location: | western part of the Guiana Mountains in southern Colombia |
| Appointment: | 2018 |
| Meaning: | Unique example of the diversity of flora and fauna in Guyanese and Amazonian landscapes and cultural testimony to isolated communities since prehistoric times |
Malpelo Nature Reserve (World Heritage)
The reserve in the Eastern Pacific includes the small island of Malpelo and an approximately 8,500 km² marine reserve. It is the largest nature reserve in the Eastern Pacific with rare shark and giant bass species.
Malpelo Nature Reserve: facts
| Official title: | Malpelo nature reserve |
| Natural monument: | Island in the Pacific Ocean with a size of 3.5 km² and an altitude of up to 258 m above sea level; Nature reserve of 8,575 km² with ten smaller rock islands and adjacent bodies of water; largest underwater protection zone in the tropical east Pacific with a large number of threatened marine animals (e.g. sharks and rays) at depths of up to 3,400 meters; extensive underwater reef and cave system; Part of a sea current from the Galapagos Islands to Coiba (Panama) and the Cocos Islands (Costa Rica) |
| Continent: | America |
| Country: | Colombia |
| Location: | Pacific Ocean, 500 km west of Buenaventura |
| Appointment: | 2006 |
| Meaning: | Unique marine biosphere and ecological reserve to protect large populations of threatened marine animals |
| Flora and fauna: | Around 200 species of fish, including silk sharks, giant groupers, hammerheads, swordfish, sand tiger sharks, whale sharks, short-nosed saw sharks, eagle rays, manta rays, seahorses, tuna; Sea birds such as fork-tailed gulls, Hawaiian petrels, masked boobies |
Mompós (World Heritage)
Founded in 1540, Mompós (formerly Santa Cruz de Mompox) has retained the legacy of the Spanish colonial era from the 16th to 19th centuries in its historic center. The city located on the Magdalena River south of Cartagena played a prominent role in the Spanish conquest of South America.
Mompós: facts
| Official title: | Historic center of Mompós (formerly Santa Cruz de Mompox) |
| Cultural monument: | Former Spanish colonial city named after its founder, Juan de Santa Cruz, governor of Cartagena, and known to this day for goldsmithing; Old town center with the Iglesia Santa Bárbara, the Iglesia San Agustín, the Iglesia San Francisco, the Iglesia Santa Domingo and the Cathedral La Concepción |
| Continent: | America |
| Country: | Colombia |
| Location: | Mompós, on the Magdalena River, southeast of Cartagena |
| Appointment: | 1995 |
| Meaning: | A colonial “open-air museum” that once played an important role in the Spanish conquest of northern South America |