Guajira Department

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Image:Flag of La Guajira.svg	Image:Guajiraseal1.png
(Detail)	(Detail)

Motto:

Image:La Guajira, Colombia (localización).png

Capital

Riohacha

Governor

Area

20,848 km²

Population
- Total (2003)
- Density

524,619
20 people/km²

Adjective

guajiro

Image:LaGuajiramap.jpg

La Guajira is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of its namesake peninsula, in the north-east region of the country, facing the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela. Its capital is Riohacha. There are various indigenous tribes that populate the vast arid plains such as the wayú people who are noted for their beautiful woven bags and the strong alcoholic spirit 'chirinchi'. The Guijara tribes feature prominently in the book Papillon by Henri Charriere, about an escaped convict who takes refuge with one such tribe. The largest employer in the department is the Cerrejón coal mine, which produced 24.9 million tons of export coal in 2004. A popular tourist destination is to Cabo de la Vela, a small fishing village located on the tip of the peninsula.

[edit] Geography

The northern part of the department are arid plains, the Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub, in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta which rise to the height of 5,775 meters in the south. The Sinú Valley dry forests lie in between.

In the far south are the headwaters of the Cesar River.