The river in Venezuela - Orinoco - is located in South America and is one of the most picturesque among local reservoirs. This is the first river that was discovered in the New World. Singer Enia even dedicated her song, "Orinoco Stream."
Opening
Columbus, when he first saw the mouth of this beautiful reservoir, decided that this is a paradise. The Indians who lived on the banks of the river greeted the strangers amiably. But their tradition of wearing gold jewelry sparked a gold rush. Conquistadors moved deeper and deeper into the territory, dreaming of finding a precious city.
But he turned out to be only their imagination. On the way to advance along the Orinoco estuary, gold seekers destroyed everything in the way. But the Varao Indians were able to survive and still continue to live in the delta of the river. But their number now amounts to only 20,000 people.
The location of the river
The river in Venezuela and Colombia (Orinoco) originates not far from the Brazilian border, near Mount Delgado-Chalbaud. The river flow begins its journey from the ridge of Paris. From the source (it is located not far from the Brazilian border), it flows around the Guiana Highlands along an arc and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Orinoco is also attributed to Colombia, since this reservoir serves simultaneously as the border with Venezuela.
Reservoir description
The Orinoco River is one of the largest in South America. Its length is 2410 kilometers, the catchment area is 880 thousand square kilometers. In Venezuela, only 76.3% of the total area is located. The rest is in Colombia. Orinoco is divided into four sections of different lengths: upper, lower, middle and delta.
The upper section is approximately 250 kilometers long. It is from source to Raudalis de Guajaribos. The terrain is mountainous, and the waters flow to the northwest.
The middle section stretches about 750 kilometers. The first 480 km of Orinoco flows westward. Then it turns north and carries water along the Colombian border.
The lower section, almost a thousand kilometers long, begins at the confluence of the Puerto Carreno and Meta rivers. This is a well-developed floodplain. Water moves to the northeast. The lower section ends at Barrancas.
The delta is 200 kilometers long, and its area is 41,000 square meters. km, and at its widest point the waterway reaches 370 km.
This is the main river of Venezuela and a very important transport route. It is navigable from the delta to Ciudad Bolivar. In the lower reaches, Orinoco has many branches and forms a delta. The river feeds on rains (mainly summer). And when the dry season begins, it looks like a chain of small standing lakes.
The sources of the river were not investigated until the 20th century. Flooded forests, tributaries, waterfalls and valleys interfered. All this complicated the way for researchers. Orinoco could only visit two expeditions. According to the stories of the Indians, several small ancient tribes still live on the river. They avoid contact with the outside world, hunt, collect gifts of nature.
When the dry season begins, the river in Venezuela (Orinoco) recedes from the coast, and the ancient drawings created by the Arawaks 3000 years ago become visible. Below the pond spills over the Lianos plain. There, Venezuelan cowboys (descendants of Native American hunters and Negro slaves) breed cattle. The river narrows at Ciudad Bolivar, then again flows through the valley.
Sights and features of Orinoco
The river has a peculiarity - the Casikjare rivulet connecting the Amazon and Orinoco. And its tributaries are the majority of Venezuelan ponds. On one of them is Angel - the highest waterfall in the world. Orinoco is an oil river in Venezuela. Researchers did not find gold in it, but bitumen sands (heavy oil) were discovered. Therefore, the river is called oil.
Fauna Orinoco
Giant otters are found in the river. In this pond lives one of the rarest reptiles in the world - the Orinoc crocodile. The river is home to over a thousand species of fish. Some live only near the mouth. Black piranhas live in Orinoco. And also a fish called Cardinal Tetra. She is very loved by aquarists. And the real homeland of these fish is Rio Negru. Large rodents of capybara live on the shores of Orinoco. And in 1800, unique pink dolphins were discovered in the river by Alexander von Humboldt .
River in Venezuela: Orinoco. Minerals
In 1926, rich deposits of iron ore were discovered in the river. But its mass production was begun only in the second half of the 20th century. There is a lot of tar sand in river sediments, which in the future can serve for oil production.