Resumen La organizacion territorial colombiana ha evolucionado desde la fundacion de la Republica hasta nuestros dias, sin progresos importantes. En ese proceso no se han tenido en cuenta conceptos tan esenciales como Estado unitario y Estado federal, pues historicamente fueron definidos mediante el enfrentamiento armado. En este articulo se examina la caracterizacion regional de Colombia y, mas especificamente, los desequilibrios que han afectado a la region Caribe. Se hace un recorrido por los diversos momentos en los que la region ha expresado su inconformidad por el tratamiento dado desde el poder central —discriminatorio frente al dado a las otras. De este modo surge la necesidad de comprender la obligacion de encontrar una salida al problema desde una perspectiva intelectual y evitar colocar al pais nuevamente al borde de otra tension interterritorial como las del siglo XIX, que hoy son tan recurrentes en otros paises latinoamericanos y europeos. En tal sentido aparece la formula de la regionalizacion, en virtud de la cual la costa Caribe pueda tener acceso a la “autonomia regional”, sin llegar a grados tan extremos como las autonomias italianas o espanolas que en sus parlamentos regionales legislan, sino tomando como referencia el modelo frances, donde solo administran, modelo que ha inspirado historicamente al Estado colombiano y que ahora tambien le puede brindar su experiencia en este aspecto. Palabras clave: Colombia, Estado unitario, autonomia regional, region Caribe. Abstract Colombian organization territorial has evolved from the forming of the Republic until present times, though without any important progress. In that process they didn’t keep in mind clear and essential concepts such as Unitary State and Federal State, because historically they were defined through armed confrontation. In this paper I examine the regional characteristics of Colombia, with special attention to the imbalances that have affected the Caribbean region. A review is made of the diverse moments in which the Caribbean region has expressed its dissent for the treatment given by the central power, a discrimination when compared with other regions, which has been decisive in its current levels of under-development and poverty, nevertheless its huge resources and potentialities. We are necessarily urged to solve the problem from an intellectual perspective and to avoid placing the country again on the edge of another inter-territorial tension, such as those of the XIX century and that are today recurrent in other Latin American and European countries. In this respect the regionalization formula appears as a solution. The Caribbean Coast having access to Regional Autonomy without the extremes of Italian or Spanish autonomies legislated by their regional parliaments. Instead, with reference to the French model, where they alone administrate, that has inspired historically the Colombian State and that now it can also offer it its experience in this aspect. Keywords: Colombia, Unitary State, regional Autonomy, region Caribbean