Which gulf lies between Colombia and Panama in the Caribbean Sea?

The gulf between Colombia and Panama in the Caribbean Sea is the Gulf of Darién. It occupies the southernmost part of the Caribbean, north and east of the border between the two countries, near the Darién region and the Darién Gap.

The gulf includes the smaller Gulf of Urabá, which extends southward into Colombia between Caribana Point and Cape Tiburón. The Atrato River delta reaches the Gulf of Darién, depositing sediment along Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The area is therefore important not only geographically but also as a meeting point of rivers, coastal wetlands and tropical marine environments.

Its name is closely tied to the Darién region and the historic Darién Gap, the roadless land connection between Central and South America. In the late 1690s, the Scottish Darien scheme attempted to establish a colony called New Caledonia on the gulf’s shores. The venture failed after disease, shortages and Spanish opposition.

Gulf of Panama lies on Panama’s Pacific side, while the Gulf of Fonseca is farther northwest, bordered by El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.