Administratively, it is divided into 7 districts: El Rodeo, Las Juntas, La Puerta, Los Varela, El Bolsón, Singuil, and Los Castillos.

Other versions suggest that it comes from the Quechua word Hamppatu or Ampatu, which means "Toad Hill".

[1] The department entirely features mountainous relief, typical of the Sierras Pampeanas region.

Ambato falls within the arid climate region of mountains and basins, but the numerous watercourses create a more humid microclimate, with average annual precipitation of 350 mm, primarily during the summer months.

The seismic activity in the Catamarca region is frequent and of low intensity, with a seismic silence of medium to severe earthquakes every 30 years in random areas.