Montes de María

The Montes de María (Spanish: Mountains of Mary) are a group of mountains of the northern coast of Colombia (the Caribbean Region), which do not belong to the Andes ranges, and the highlands around them. The Montes de María are the last part of the Serranía de San Jerónimo.

Montes de María is a zone located in the center of the Colombian Departments of Bolívar and Sucre. The following towns are part of the Montes de María: El Carmen de Bolívar, María La Baja, San Juan Nepomuceno, San Jacinto, Córdoba, Zambrano and El Guamo in Bolivar; Ovejas, Chalán, Colosó, Morroa, Toluviejo, Los Palmitos, San Onofre and San Antonio de Palmitos in Sucre.

It has a total area of 6,317 km² (2,439 sq mi), of which 3,798 km² (1,466 sq mi) are in Bolívar and 2,519 km² (973 sq mi) in Sucre. This area has a population of about 330,889.

Montes de María comprises three zones: The first zone is relatively flat with no mountains: the area located between the Troncal de Occidente and the Magdalena River, dedicated to cattle-raising and forestry. And the area located between the Transversal del Caribe and the Canal del Dique, with a main activity of agriculture.

A second zone with mountains between the Transversal del Caribe and Troncal de Occidente with agriculture as the main activity.

And a third zone in the west part that corresponds to the town of San Onofre.

References

• Villalobos, Hermes Cuadros (2007). "Vegetación Caribeña" (in Spanish). Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango. http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/geografia/carcol/vegcar1.htm. Retrieved 24 May 2009.