Caldas is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, with an estimated population of 1,030,062 inhabitants according to population projections for 2010 and an area of 7,888 km². Caldas is divided into 27 municipalities, and its capital Manizales.

Caldas is part of the Coffee and the paisa region. The department has limits on the north by the department of Antioquia, in the east with the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, on the west by the department of Risaralda and south by the same department and Tolima .

Its economic growth is derived in much of the coffee. Initially he was part of the department of Antioquia. It was created in 1905 and until 1966 comprised the territories occupied by the departments of Risaralda and Quindio, which were segregated.