Port Town of Leticia

Leticia is Colombia's southernmost municipality and a major port on the Amazon River. It lies where the borders of Colombia, Peru, and Brazil meet.

Leticia is the capital of the Colombian Department of Amazonas and has a population of 40,000+ inhabitants who live on the west bank of the Amazon.

Founded as a military outpost and river port by the governor of the Peruvian department of Loreto in 1867, the jungle village eventually passed into Colombian hands in the 1930s.

Colombia and Peru maintained a long-standing border dispute involving Leticia that the League of Nations ultimately decided in Colombia's favor in 1934.

The majority of the town's population has migrated from elsewhere. As a result, there is no dominant segment, but a significant proportion of Leticia's population comprises native Amerindians. The region has several indigenous groups, including the Witoto, Inga, Tucano, Ticuna, and Nukak.

Leticia retains the atmosphere of an outpost. There is almost no industry, and rubber gathering is the principal economic activity. However, Leticia has long been Colombia's shipping point for tropical fish for the aquarium trade.

The town possesses a customs house and, though not accessible by road, has regular river connections with Iquitos (Peru), Manaus (Brazil), Florencia (Caquetá department) and other jungle towns.

The Vásquez Cobo International Airport, located here, is the largest in southern Colombia. In addition to being the Colombian jungle region gateway, it also serves as the primary airport in the triple-border region (Colombia, Brazil and Peru).

Leticia is a vital area for studying the Amazon Rainforest and its biodiversity. In addition, the recent introduction of regular air service to the region has resulted in tourism growth.

The Brazilian town and harbor of Tabatinga adjoin Leticia. The two cities cooperate closely, and altogether their urban area and adjacent suburbs along the Amazon River have a population of more than 100,000 people.

Leticia features a tropical rainforest climate with minimal difference in average high and low temperatures throughout the year. The wettest month is March, which experiences more than twice the precipitation as July, the driest month.

Amazonas Department

Amazonas is a department of Colombia located in the extreme south of the country, within the Amazon Basin. Its capital is Leticia.

It is the largest of Colombia's departments at 109,665 sq km (42,342 sq mi) but is one of the least densely populated, with approximately 76,000 inhabitants.

The Amazonas, Vaupés, Caquetá, Guainía, Guaviare and Putumayo departments form Colombia's Amazon Region. The Amazonas department provides Colombia's only direct contact with the Amazon River.

The Caquetá River bounds the Amazonas department in the northwest, the Apaporis River in the northeast and the south by Peru and the Putumayo River.

Economic activities include procuring wood and rubber from the forests, fishing, and cultivating fruits, nuts, grains, and sugarcane.

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