What does «Andes septentrionales» mean in Spanish?
- Of the three regions, the northern region is the most attractive for human settlement, especially since the mountains are surrounded by low, unhealthy equatorial jungles. Although high, the Andes offer minimal obstacle to communications, since their direction is that of the main trade route to the Caribbean Sea. Consequently, some of the highest concentrations of population are found in this part of the mountains. Also contributing to this is the existence of important mineral deposits, including gold, platinum, oil, coal and emeralds. The Northern Andes are made up of three main chains: Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental.