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Norte de Santander (North Santander) is a department in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta.
North Santander Department is bounded by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the east and north with the Santander Department and Boyaca Department to the south; South Santander Department and Cesar Department to the east.
The official name for the department in Spanish is "Departamento de Norte de Santander" (North Santander Department) in honor to the Colombian military and political leader Francisco de Paula Santander. North Santander Department is located in the northwestern zone of the Colombian Andean Region.
North Santander has a varied geography and is composed by mountainous areas, deserts, plateaus, plains and hills, with municipalities of varying altitudes resulting in rich landscapes and varied climates. The landscape is divided by rivers and lagoons.
The Department consists of three natural regions: the most fragmented part is represented in the Eastern Mountain range, it begins in the site known as Naked Santurbán and is joined by a mountainous area called Motilones. The plains of Catatumbo River and the Zulia River are located to the northwest and the valley of the Magdalena River is located in the south.
A rich hydrographic system crosses the department with three important river basins. To the north the Catatumbo river, to the west the Magdalena river and to the southwest, the Orinoco river.
Cúcuta currently has the biggest population of Venezuelans living in Colombia.
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Western
Northern
Eastern
South-West
Centre
Southeast
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