Insular Formations of Colombian Caribbean Sea
Two main island groups are present in the Colombian Caribbean Sea, the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Catalina and its cays, and the archipelago of Rosario, San Bernardo and Isla Fuerte. The former was declared a World
Biosphere Reserve in the year 2000 and is characterized by volcanic elevations
covered by carbonate platforms produced by the reef biota. These emerge to form
islands and cays, surrounded by coral reefs and sedimentary plains, vegetated by
algae or seagrasses that form a shallow island shelf (down to 40 m deep),
surrounded by seafloor exceeding 600 m in depth. The second archipelago is part
of the Marine Protected Area Corales del Rosario, San Bernardo and Isla Fuerte,
the only marine protected area of Colombia, enclosing the most developed coral
reefs of the Colombian north coast and a high biodiversity of other ecosystems
(INVEMAR 2010).
Caribbean Ecoregions
The Colombian Caribbean Sea has been divided into nine ecological regions
according to natural characteristics like geomorphology, hydrography, sedimentology, and ecosystems. These will be used to present the diversity and distribution
of echinoderms. They are: Guajira (GUA), Palomino (PAL), Tayrona (TAY),
Magdalena (MAG), coralline archipelagos (ARCO), Morrosquillo (MOR), Darién
(DAR), San Andrés and Providencia Archipelago (SAN) and Oceanic Caribbean
(COC) (Fig. 5.2). Six of these regions are coastal and limited by the 200 m isobath
that defines the continental shelf platform. SAN is an insular sector that comprises
the atolls, coral reefs and islands of the San Andres and Providencia archipelago.
The Oceanic Caribbean sector (COC) includes the continental slope extending
from 200 to 2,700 m in the Colombian Basin (Tabares et al. 1996; INVEMAR
2000). Table 5.1 summarizes the main physical, oceanographic and ecological
features of these ecoregions.
5.1.2 Colombian Pacific Ocean
The Pacific coast of Colombia is located in the northwest region of South America,
between 7°12
0 N–77°53
0 W and 1°26
0 N–78°49
0 W, bordering Panama in the north
and Ecuador in the south. Four departments are in this area: Chocó, Valle del
Cauca, Cauca and Nariño, and includes the islands of Gorgona, Gorgonilla and
Malpelo. The coastline extends for 1,576 km. The departments have a terrestrial
area of 8,181 km
2 , an insular area of 14 km
2
, and a territorial sea area of
359,995 km
2 (Steer et al. 1997; INVEMAR 2002) (Fig. 5.3).
The Pacific coast of Colombia can be divided into two areas based on physiographic and hydrographic characteristics. The northern coast, from Panama to
5 Echinoderms of Colombia
149
Two main island groups are present in the Colombian Caribbean Sea, the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Catalina and its cays, and the archipelago of Rosario, San Bernardo and Isla Fuerte. The former was declared a World
Biosphere Reserve in the year 2000 and is characterized by volcanic elevations
covered by carbonate platforms produced by the reef biota. These emerge to form
islands and cays, surrounded by coral reefs and sedimentary plains, vegetated by
algae or seagrasses that form a shallow island shelf (down to 40 m deep),
surrounded by seafloor exceeding 600 m in depth. The second archipelago is part
of the Marine Protected Area Corales del Rosario, San Bernardo and Isla Fuerte,
the only marine protected area of Colombia, enclosing the most developed coral
reefs of the Colombian north coast and a high biodiversity of other ecosystems
(INVEMAR 2010).
Caribbean Ecoregions
The Colombian Caribbean Sea has been divided into nine ecological regions
according to natural characteristics like geomorphology, hydrography, sedimentology, and ecosystems. These will be used to present the diversity and distribution
of echinoderms. They are: Guajira (GUA), Palomino (PAL), Tayrona (TAY),
Magdalena (MAG), coralline archipelagos (ARCO), Morrosquillo (MOR), Darién
(DAR), San Andrés and Providencia Archipelago (SAN) and Oceanic Caribbean
(COC) (Fig. 5.2). Six of these regions are coastal and limited by the 200 m isobath
that defines the continental shelf platform. SAN is an insular sector that comprises
the atolls, coral reefs and islands of the San Andres and Providencia archipelago.
The Oceanic Caribbean sector (COC) includes the continental slope extending
from 200 to 2,700 m in the Colombian Basin (Tabares et al. 1996; INVEMAR
2000). Table 5.1 summarizes the main physical, oceanographic and ecological
features of these ecoregions.
5.1.2 Colombian Pacific Ocean
The Pacific coast of Colombia is located in the northwest region of South America,
between 7°12
0 N–77°53
0 W and 1°26
0 N–78°49
0 W, bordering Panama in the north
and Ecuador in the south. Four departments are in this area: Chocó, Valle del
Cauca, Cauca and Nariño, and includes the islands of Gorgona, Gorgonilla and
Malpelo. The coastline extends for 1,576 km. The departments have a terrestrial
area of 8,181 km
2 , an insular area of 14 km
2
, and a territorial sea area of
359,995 km
2 (Steer et al. 1997; INVEMAR 2002) (Fig. 5.3).
The Pacific coast of Colombia can be divided into two areas based on physiographic and hydrographic characteristics. The northern coast, from Panama to
5 Echinoderms of Colombia
149