Colombia's Administrative Divisions: Departments, Not States

Colombia does not have states. It is a unitary republic divided into:

• 32 Departments (departamentos) — similar to states/provinces but with less autonomy.
• 1 Capital District (Distrito Capital) — Bogotá, which also serves as the capital of Cundinamarca Department (though administratively separate).

Department Structure

Each department has:

• Elected Governor (4-year term).
• Elected Departmental Assembly.
• Municipalities (1,102 total) as sub-units.

List of Departments

Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlántico, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Guainía, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés, Vichada.

Why Not States?

Colombia's 1886 Constitution (reformed 1991) established a centralized unitary state. Departments have administrative, not sovereign, powers. The term "state" (estado) was used in the 19th-century federalist experiments (United States of Colombia, 1863–1886) but abandoned.