The Magdalena River is located in north-central Colombia and flows northward through the western half of the country. It is the river that separates the Cordilleras Central and Oriental in the Andes, and flows into the Caribbean Sea. The Magdalena River is 1,549 km (963 mi) long, of which 1,300 km (808 mi) are navigable by shallow-draft steamboats. The course of the river is relatively straight, and the current is fast and the depth is subject to sharp variations. It also has the greatest concentration of freshwater fishing in the country and flows into the San Jorge, César, and Cauca rivers in the swampy floodplain of the northern lowlands. Due to its geographical position in the north of South America, the Magdalena River since Pre-Columbian Times was a route towards the interior of present-day Colombia and Ecuador. Several Carib-speaking peoples such as the Panche and the Yariguí ascended through the western bank of‌ the river and its eastern portion was inhabited by the Muisca civilization, which called the river Yuma. After the Spanish conquest, the Magdalena became a major commercial artery and goods were carried down the river in keelboats. In summary, Magdalena River is important to Colombia because it serves as the country’s primary waterway.