Orinoco
River
Bridge over the Orinoco at Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela
Countries	Venezuela, Colombia
Source
- location	Cerro Delgado-Chalbaud, Parima, Venezuela & Brazil
- elevation	1,047 m (3,435 ft)
- coordinates	02°19′05″N 63°21′42″W / 2.31806, -63.36167
Mouth	Delta Amacuro
- location	Atlantic Ocean, Venezuela
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	2,410 km (1,498 mi)
Basin	880,000 km² (339,770 mi²)
Discharge
- average	33,000 m³/s (1,165,384 ft³/s)
Orinoco's watershed, the Orinoquia

The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at 2,410 km, (1,497.5 miles). Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia (especially in Colombia) covers 880,000 km², 76.3% in Venezuela with the rest in Colombia. The Orinoco and its tributaries are the major transportation system for eastern and interior Venezuela and the llanos of Colombia. However, since river navigation is declining in every country, many of the old waterways along the Orinoco watershed are now an obstacle to land communications more than a useful commercial route. Orinoco can refer to the Orinoco River in Venezuela and Colombia The Orinoco Belt, an oil field in Venezuela A Danube class starship in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine One of the characters in the book series The Wombles, all of whom take their names from an old atlas ORiNOCO... Bridge over the Orinoco at Ciudad Bolivar Venezuela (2004) Photo by Wikityke File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Estado Delta Amacuro is one of the 23 states (estados) into which Venezuela is divided. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... “km” redirects here. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... The cubic meter (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ... This article is about the unit of time. ... It has been suggested that Thousand Cubic Feet be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the unit of time. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1018x773, 1626 KB) Mapa de la Cuenca del Orinoco. ... Los Llanos (meaning the flat plains) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated at the east of the Andes in northwestern South America (Colombia and Venezuela). ...

History

Map of Lower Orinoco 1897

Although the mouth of the Orinoco in the Atlantic Ocean was discovered by Columbus on 1 August 1498 during his third voyage, its source at the Cerro Delgado-Chalbaud, in the Parima range, on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, at 1,047 m of elevation ( 02°19′05″N, 63°21′42″W ), was only explored in 1951, 453 years later, by a joint Venezuelan-French team. Download high resolution version (1014x747, 225 KB)Published in 1897 - no copyright. ... Download high resolution version (1014x747, 225 KB)Published in 1897 - no copyright. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and colonialist who is one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas, after the Vikings. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1498 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and colonialist who is one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas, after the Vikings. ...

The delta of the Orinoco, and tributaries in the eastern llanos such as the Apure and Meta, were explored in the 16th century by German expeditions under Ambrosius Ehinger and his successors. In 1531 Diego de Ordaz, starting at the principal outlet in the delta, the Boca de Navios, sailed up the river to the Meta, and Antonio de Berrio sailed down the Casanare, to the Meta, and then down the Orinoco and back to Coro. The Apure River is a river of western Venezuela, in the north of South America, formed by the confluence of the Sarare and Uribante at 6° 45 N. lat. ... The Meta River is formed in the Meta Department, Colombia by the intersection of the Upía and Guayuriba rivers. ... Ambrosius Ehinger, also Dalfinger, Alfinger, Thalfinger, (* c. ... CORO ROCKS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OOOOO YAA BABY!!!!! WHO ROCKS DA HOUSE? WHO ROCKS DA HOUSE??? CORO DOES!!!!!! CORO DOES!!!!!!!!! OK TIME TO CALM DOWN NOW..........The city of Santa Ana de Coro was founded in 1527 by Spanish colonists. ...

Alexander von Humboldt explored the basin in 1800, reporting on the pink river dolphins, and publishing extensively on the flora and fauna.^[1] An 1859 portrait of Alexander von Humboldt by the artist Julius Schrader, showing Mount Chimborazo in the background. ... Binomial name Blainville, 1817 Boto range The Boto, Amazon River Dolphin or Pink River Dolphin[1] (Inia geoffrensis) is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Amazon River and Orinoco River systems. ...

Geography

The Orinoco course describes a wide ellipsoidal arc, surrounding the Guiana Shield; it is divided in four stretches of unequal length that roughly correspond to the longitudinal zonation of a typical large river: Mt Roraima in Guyana The Guiana Shield (Spanish: Guayana) forms a portion of the northern coast of South America. ...

• Upper Orinoco, 242 km long, from its headwaters to the rapids Raudales de Guaharibos, flows through mountainous landscape in a northwesterly direction
• Middle Orinoco, 750 km long, divided into two sectors, the first of which ca. 480 km long has a general westward direction down to the confluence with the Atabapo and Guaviare rivers at San Fernando de Atabapo; the second flows northward, for about 270 km, along the Venezuelan - Colombian border, flanked on both sides by the westernmost granitic upwellings of the Guiana Shield which impede the development of a flood plain, to the Atures rapids near the confluence with the Meta River at Puerto Carreño,
• Lower Orinoco, 959 km long with a well developed alluvial plain, flows in a Northeast direction, from Atures rapids down to Piacoa in front of Barrancas
• Delta Amacuro, 200 km long that empties into the Gulf of Paría and the Atlantic Ocean, a very large delta (some 22.500 km² and 370 km at its widest).

At its mouth it forms a wide delta that branches off into hundreds of rivers and waterways that flow through 41,000 km² of swampy forests. In the rainy season the Orinoco can swell to a breadth of 22 kilometres and a depth of 100 meters. The Guaviare is a tributary of the Orinoco located in Colombia. ... San Fernando de Atabapo was the capital city of the Amazonas State, Venezuela until the early 1900s. ... The Meta River is formed in the Meta Department, Colombia by the intersection of the Upía and Guayuriba rivers. ... Puerto Carreño is the capital city of the department of Vichada in Colombia. ... The Gulf of Paria (Golfo de Paria in Spanish) is a 7800 km2 (3000 square mile) shallow inland sea between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ...

Most of the important Venezuelan rivers are tributaries of the Orinoco, the largest being the Caroní, which joins it at Puerto Ordaz, close to the Llovizna Falls. A peculiarity of the Orinoco river system is the Casiquiare canal, which starts as an arm of the Orinoco, and finds its way to the Rio Negro, a tributary of the Amazon, thus forming a 'natural canal' between Orinoco and Amazon. The Caroní River is a major river of the Orinoco basin in South America, having its source in South Eastern Venezuela, in the Guiana Highlands. ... Puerto Ordaz is a town which, together with San Felix, forms part of Ciudad Guayana in the Caroní region of Bolivar State, Venezuela. ... Categories: South America geography stubs | Venezuela ... The Casiquiare is a distributary of the upper Orinoco, which flows southward into the Rio Negro. ... The Negro (Spanish: black) River, the great northern tributary of the Amazon River and the largest blackwater river in the world, has its sources along the watershed between the Orinoco and the Amazon basins, and also connects with the Orinoco by way of the Casiquiare canal. ... This article is about the river. ...

Major rivers in the Orinoco Basin

• Apure: from Venezuela through the east into the Orinoco
• Arauca: from Colombia to Venezuela east into the Orinoco
• Atabapo: from the Guiana Highlands of Venezuela north into the Orinoco
• Caroní: from the Guiana Highlands of Venezuela north into the Orinoco
• Casiquiare canal: in SE Venezuela, a distributary from the Orinoco flowing west to the Negro River, a major affluent to the Amazon
• Caura: from eastern Venezuela (Guiana Highlands) north into the Orinoco
• Guaviare: from Colombia east into the Orinoco
• Inírida: from Colombia northeast into the Guaviare.
• Meta: from Colombia, border with Venezuela east into the Orinoco
• Ventuari: from eastern Venezuela (the Guiana Highlands) southwest into the Orinoco
• Vichada: from Colombia east into the Orinoco

The Apure River is a river of western Venezuela, in the north of South America, formed by the confluence of the Sarare and Uribante at 6° 45 N. lat. ... The Arauca River (Spanish: Río Arauca) rises in the Andes Mountains of north-central Colombia and ends at the Orinoco in Venezuela. ... Mt Roraima in Guyana The Guiana Shield (Spanish: Guayana) forms a portion of the northern coast of South America. ... The Caroní River is a major river of the Orinoco basin in South America, having its source in South Eastern Venezuela, in the Guiana Highlands. ... The Casiquiare is a distributary of the upper Orinoco, which flows southward into the Rio Negro. ... The Caura is a Venezuelan river in the Orinoco, entirely located in the Bolívar State in Venezuela. ... The Guaviare is a tributary of the Orinoco located in Colombia. ... The Meta River is formed in the Meta Department, Colombia by the intersection of the Upía and Guayuriba rivers. ... The Ventuari River is a river in the Orinoco basin in Venezuela. ... The Vichada River is a river in the country of Colombia, South America. ...

Ecology

The Boto, or Amazon River Dolphin, is also known to inhabit the Orinoco River system. Binomial name Blainville, 1817 Boto range The Boto, Amazon River Dolphin or Pink River Dolphin[1] (Inia geoffrensis) is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Amazon River and Orinoco River systems. ...

The Orinoco Crocodile is one of the rarest reptiles in the world, with fewer than 250 specimens remaining in the wild. Its present-day range in the wild is restricted to the Orinoco River Basin. Binomial name Crocodylus intermedius Graves, 1819 The Orinoco Crocodile Crocodylus intermedius is a crocodilian found in freshwater in northern South America, in particular the Orinoco river. ...

The Orinoco is home to the Caribe Piranha or Pygocentrus cariba. It is the most aggressive piranha of the Characidae family.^{[citation needed]} Subfamilies and Genera[2] Subfamily Agoniatinae  Agoniates Subfamily Aphyocharacinae  Aphyocharax Subfamily Bryconinae  Brycon  Chilobrycon  Henochilus Subfamily Characinae  Acanthocharax  Acestrocephalus  Charax  Cynopotamus  Galeocharax  Gnathocharax  Heterocharax  Hoplocharax  Phenacogaster  Priocharax  Roeboides  and many more Subfamily Cheirodontinae  Cheirodon  Compsura  Odontostilbe  Serrapinnus  Spintherobolus  and many more Subfamily Clupeacharacinae  Clupeacharax Subfamily Glandulocaudinae  20 genera Subfamily Iguanodectinae...

Economic activity

The river is navigable for most of its length, and dredging enables ocean ships to go as far as Ciudad Bolívar, the confluence of the Caroní River, 435 km upstream. River steamers carry cargo as far as Puerto Ayacucho and the Atures Rapids. Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of the eastern Venezuelan state of Bolívar. ... The Caroní River is a major river of the Orinoco basin in South America, having its source in South Eastern Venezuela, in the Guiana Highlands. ... Puerto Ayacucho is the capital and largest city of Amazonas state in Venezuela. ...

The Orinoco river deposits also contains extensive tar sands in the Orinoco oil belt, which may be a source of future oil production.^[2] Athabasca Oil Sands Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands, bituminous sands, or (in Venezuela) extra-heavy oil, are a mixture of sand or clay, water, and extremely heavy crude oil. ... Formally named in spanish Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco (Orinoco Petroleum Belt), is a territory which occupies the southern strip of Eastern river basin of Venezuela, specifically at the south of Guárico, Azoátegui, Monagas, and Delta Amacuro states, and it is close to the river line. ...

Recreation and sports

Since 1988, the city of Guayana, and the municipality, have conducted a swim race in the rivers Orinoco and Caroní with up to 1000 competitors. Since 1991, the "Paso a Nado Internacional de los Rios Orinoco-Caroní" has been celebrated every year on a Sunday close to 19 April. Worldwide, this swim-meet has gained importance and it has a large number of competitors.^[3] Ciudad Guayana from space, 2005 Ciudad Guayana is a city in Bolívar State, Venezuela. ... The Caroní River is a major river of the Orinoco basin in South America, having its source in South Eastern Venezuela, in the Guiana Highlands. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Robinson Crusoe (a fictional character created by Daniel Defoe) was stranded on an island near the mouth of the Orinoco river on September 30, 1659. [1]

• The 1982 Doctor Who episode "Black Orchid", set in 1925, involved a botanist-explorer who reportedly went missing during one of his trips down the Orinoco river, where he had previously acquired the titular orchid.

• Orinoco Flow is a UK #1 song sung by the Irish singer Enya in 1988.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... For other uses, see Robinson Crusoe (disambiguation). ... Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 [?] â€“ April 24 [?], 1731)[1] was an English writer, journalist, and spy, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events May 25 - Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth. ... For other uses, see Doctor Who (disambiguation). ... Black Orchid is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two parts on March 1 and March 2, 1982. ... This article is about the Enya single. ... For the letter Ñ pronounced Enye, see Ñ. Enya (born Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin[2] on 17 May 1961), sometimes presented in the media as Enya Brennan, is an Irish singer and songwriter. ...

References

• Stark, James H. 1897. Stark's Guide-Book and History of Trinidad including Tobago, Granada, and St. Vincent; also a trip up the Orinoco and a description of the great Venezuelan Pitch Lake. Boston, James H. Stark, publisher; London, Sampson Low, Marston & Company. (This book has an excellent description of a trip up the Orinoco as far as Ciudad Bolívar and a detailed description of the Venezuelan Pitch Lake situated on the western side of the Gulf of Paria opposite.)
• MacKee, E.D., Nordin, C.F. and D. Perez-Hernandez (1998). "The Waters and Sediments of the Rio Orinoco and its major Tributaries, Venezuela and Colombia." United States Geological Survey water-supply paper, ISSN 0083; 2326/A-B. Washington: United States Government Printing Office.
• Weibezahn, F.H., Haymara, A. and M.W. Lewis (1990). The Orinoco River as an ecosystem. Caracas: Universidad Simon Bolivar.
• Rawlins, C.B. (1999). The Orinoco River. New York: Franklin Watts.

Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of the eastern Venezuelan state of Bolívar. ... The Pitch Lake The Pitch Lake is a lake of natural asphalt located at La Brea in southwest Trinidad. ...

Notes

1. ^ Helferich, Gerard (2004) Humboldt's cosmos: Alexander von Humboldt and the Latin American journey that changed the way we see the world Gotham Books, New York, ISBN 1-59240-052-3
2. ^ Forero, Juan (1 June 2006) "For Venezuela, A Treasure In Oil Sludge" New York Times Vol. 155 Issue 53597, pC1-C6
3. ^ "Antecedentes y Sumario Paso a Nado Internacional de Los Rios Orinoco/Caroni" Paso Nado Internacional de Los Rios Orinoco y Caroní Official website in Spanish, translation of title: "Antecedents and Summary of the International Swim Meet of the Orinoco and Caroni Rivers"