Vichada

Colombia's second-largest department by area ranks among its emptiest: 100,242 square kilometers hold roughly 1.15 people per square kilometer. No paved roads cross rural Vichada; unpaved tracks become impassable during rainy season; the Meta and Orinoco rivers carry most freight and people. Puerto Carreño, the capital, sits where those rivers meet—directly across from Venezuela's Puerto Páez, enabling cross-border trade that defines the local economy.

Cattle ranching dominates as it has for centuries across the Llanos. Rice, cassava, and plantains grow in the savannas; sportfishing and agritourism draw visitors to working ranches. Gold, coltan, and silver mines operate in 'rudimentary' fashion. In 2024, solar energy began transforming Vichada's infrastructure: a 1.4MW solar field in Cumaribo (3,094 panels) now provides 24/7 power to 1,350 families, while Puerto Carreño received a solar-diesel hybrid plant serving 239 families. Ecotourism is projected to overtake other economic activities between 2023-2025, with Puerto Carreño positioning as the Orinoco's hospitality hub.

By 2026, Vichada will test whether solar power and ecotourism can overcome geographic isolation. The department's emptiness is both curse (no infrastructure, no markets) and opportunity (pristine Orinoco ecosystems, minimal development pressure). If solar scales further and eco-lodges multiply, Vichada could demonstrate how Colombia's forgotten frontier becomes an asset. If not, it remains Latin America's beautiful nowhere—rich in space, poor in everything else.