QUINDO

departamento, west-central Colombia, on the western slopes of the Andean Cordillera Central. The smallest department in the nation, it occupies an area of 712 square miles (1,845 square km) in one of Colombia's leading coffee-producing regions. Bananas, corn (maize), sugarcane, and beans are among the other crops, and livestock raising is widespread. Quindo has rich deposits of gold, silver, copper, and limestone. Armenia, the departmental capital, has long been important as a transportation centre because it is situated at the western end of the Quindo Pass. Pop. (1985) 377,860.