Nariño (Spanish pronunciation: [naˈɾiɲo]) is a department of Colombia named after independence leader Antonio Nariño. Its capital is Pasto. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean.

Nariño has a diverse geography and varied climate according to altitude: hot in the plains of the Pacific and cold in the mountains, where most of the population resides, a situation that is repeated in a north-south direction. Other important cities include Tumaco and Ipiales.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1973	809,178	—
1985	1,085,173	+34.1%
1993	1,443,671	+33.0%
2005	1,541,956	+6.8%
2018	1,630,592	+5.7%
Source:

The territory was occupied during the Pre-Columbian era by numerous Indian tribes, including Quillacingas, Awá, Pasto, and Tumas. The first European conquistador who entered the territory was Andagoya Pascual in 1522, who traveled from the Colombian Pacific coast and then used information obtained by Francisco Pizarro to organize the expedition that culminated in the conquest of Peru.

Juan de Ampudia and Pedro de Añazco first explored the mountainous part of the department, commissioned by Sebastián de Belalcázar in 1535, who then toured the territory in 1536 and reached Popayán and remained for some time before leaving for Spain.

• Las Lajas Sanctuary

• (in Spanish) Government of Narino official website

• Territorial-Environmental Information System of Colombian Amazon SIAT-AC website