a river in South America, the second in length in the republic of New Granada, rises at the junction of the Central and Eastern Cordilleras of the Andes, in the small Lake of Papus; N. Lat. 1° 58', W. Long. 76° 25'. It flows northwards for 500 miles between these two ranges, and then enters the plain. After receiving from the W. the Cauca, which is nearly as large as itself; in N. Lat. 9° 25', it divides into several branches and falls into the Caribbean Sea, Lat. 11° 8', Long. 74° 50'. The total length is estimated at about 800 miles, and it is navigable as far up as Honda, 435 miles from its mouth. The Magdalena is a rapid river, and the amount of its descent and the force of its current are such that for some distance from its mouth the waters may be distinguished by their freshness from the surrounding ocean. Rapids and cataracts frequently interrupt its course, and its banks are infested with caymans and crocodiles, which, along with the excessive heat of the climate, and the swarms of mosquitoes, render the progress of the navigator anything but safe and agreeable. It is, however, the main channel of communication between the provinces in the interior and the sea. Besides the Cauca, it receives a number of smaller tributaries, the chief of which are the Sogamosa and Bogota, from the E. The chief towns on its banks are,—Neiva, Tocama, Honda, and Mompos. The department of the same name in the N. of the republic has an estimated area of about 52,000 square miles, and a population of about 337,000. It is divided into four provinces, and its chief town is Cartagena on the sea-coast.