Las Hermosas National Natural Park
Encyclopedia
The Las Hermosas National Natural Park is a national park
located in the Valle del Cauca Department
at the highest elevation of Cordillera Central range in the Andean Region of Colombia
. Its main feature is probably the wetland
s and 387 glacial lake
s.
and Cauca River
. Its elevation range from 1600 m (5,249.3 ft) to 4400 m (14,435.7 ft) above mean sea level
. The area has a canyon
, formed by the surrounding rivers, but it is hard to access. It is of historical importance as it was one of the most defended areas by the indigenous
Pijao peoples against the Spanish Conquistador
s.
Three types of geological formations are found in the area: intrusive igneous rocks, metamorphic rock
and formations from more recent volcanic eruptions.
, Podocarpus oleifolius
, Aniba perutilis, Ocotea heterochroma, Chuquiraga jussieui, Passiflora tenerifensis and Andean Walnut.
The most diverse group of fauna are the birds, followed by the mammals and reptiles. Recorded mammals include: spectacled bear
, mountain tapir
, cougar, oncilla, pudú
, white-tailed deer
.
Fish in the glacial lakes feed on green algae
, blue-green algae and
unicellular algae
found throughout the 387 lakes.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
located in the Valle del Cauca Department
Valle del Cauca Department
Valle del Cauca is a department of Colombia. It is in the western side of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean, and it is considered one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Santiago de Cali...
at the highest elevation of Cordillera Central range in the Andean Region of Colombia
Andean Region of Colombia
The Andes mountains form the most populated region of Colombia and contain the majority of the country's urban centres. They were also the location of the most significant pre-Columbian indigenous settlement...
. Its main feature is probably the wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s and 387 glacial lake
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
s.
General
The park is bounded by the Magdalena RiverMagdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
and Cauca River
Cauca River
The Cauca River is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. Born in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Pinillos in Bolívar Department, and the combined river eventually flows out into the Caribbean Sea. It has a...
. Its elevation range from 1600 m (5,249.3 ft) to 4400 m (14,435.7 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. The area has a canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
, formed by the surrounding rivers, but it is hard to access. It is of historical importance as it was one of the most defended areas by the indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Pijao peoples against the Spanish Conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s.
Three types of geological formations are found in the area: intrusive igneous rocks, metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
and formations from more recent volcanic eruptions.
Climate
Average yearly rainfall is 2000 mm at the lower elevations and 1500 mm above 3000 m (9,842.5 ft). Average temperature is 24°C at the lower elevations, and 4°C at the highest. December-March and July-August are dry periods.Flora and fauna
Noteworthy plants include: wax palm treesCeroxylon quindiuense
Ceroxylon quindiuense , is a palm native to the Andean high altitude valley of Cocora in the department of Quindío, northwest Colombia.-Description:...
, Podocarpus oleifolius
Podocarpus oleifolius
Podocarpus oleifolius is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae family.It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.-References:...
, Aniba perutilis, Ocotea heterochroma, Chuquiraga jussieui, Passiflora tenerifensis and Andean Walnut.
The most diverse group of fauna are the birds, followed by the mammals and reptiles. Recorded mammals include: spectacled bear
Spectacled Bear
The spectacled bear , also known as the Andean bear and locally as ukuko, jukumari or ucumari, is the last remaining short-faced bear and the closest living relative to the Florida spectacled bear and short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age.The spectacled bear is a...
, mountain tapir
Mountain Tapir
The Mountain Tapir or Woolly Tapir is the smallest of the four species of tapir and is the only one to live outside of tropical rainforests in the wild...
, cougar, oncilla, pudú
Pudú
The pudús are two species of South American deer from the genus Pudu; the world's smallest deer. The name is a loanword from Mapudungun the language of the indigenous Mapuche people of southern Chile...
, white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
.
Fish in the glacial lakes feed on green algae
Green algae
The green algae are the large group of algae from which the embryophytes emerged. As such, they form a paraphyletic group, although the group including both green algae and embryophytes is monophyletic...
, blue-green algae and
unicellular algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
found throughout the 387 lakes.