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Cesar department is lcoated in the north of Colombia in the Caribbean region. It shares its borders with La Guajira Department to the north, Magdalena and Bolivar Departments to the west, Santander Department to the south, and the Norte de Santander Department to the west. It also shares a border with Venezuela a neigbouring country.
The "Cesar" name is an adaptation from the amerindian name Chet-tzar to Spanish, which means "calm water", and is the name of the river, i.e., Cesar River as well as the valley that spans most of the department.
Valledupar became its capital when the Department was created in 1967 by decree.
Before the Spanish conquerors arrived, the territory was populated by numerous groups of Amerindians, among them the Malibu tribe, Tairona tribe, Arhuaco tribe, Motilones tribe, Eupari tribe, Guatapuries tribe, Chimila tribe and Tupe tribe. The first European conqueror to arrive was Pedro de Badillo in 1529, and in 1531 the German Ambrosius Ehinger. He encountered great resistance and in retaliation he ordered the execution of the chief, Upar.
The lowlands have a warm, dry climate. Annual rainfall is less than 1,300 mm a year. The mountainous regions are characterized by lower temperatures and up to 2,000 mm of rain a year.
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