Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Geography of Venezuela

The Orinoco river divides the country intwo halves.The southeastern half,mon the right bank of the river , is part of the Guiana Highlands, a region of rounded hills, cut into by rivers and covered with thick woodland and Savana.   
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at 2,140 km (1,330 mi). Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers 880,000 square kilometres (340,000 sq mi), with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. The Orinoco and its tributaries are the major transportation system for eastern and interior Venezuela and the llanos of Colombia.Orinoco ends in a broad delta covered with thick swamp forset.To the north and west of the river are the Orinoco plains , a vast area of Savana.
The plains end at the northern highlands much of which enjoys a spring like climate all year. About 70% of the people live in this region.In the north west lie the hot, humid , low lands surrounding lake Maracaibo (pic top-rt 2), a fresh water lake with an outlet to the sea.It is South America's largest Lake.These lowlands contain good farm lands and extensive petroleum reserves.
Venezuela has a 2,000 mile coast line on the Caribbean Sea. The trade wind brings rain in the summer
Angel Falls (Spanish: Salto Ángel; Pemon language: Kerepakupai Vená, meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or Parakupá Vená, meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela. It is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 m (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 m (2,648 ft). The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyantepui mountain in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima), a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State. The height figure 979 m (3,212 ft) mostly consists of the main plunge but also includes about 400 m (0.25 mi) of sloped cascades and rapids below the drop and a 30-metre (98 ft) high plunge downstream of the talus rapids.
The falls are on the Gauja River (alternatively known as the Kerep River or Kerepacupai), which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River.
and the climate is very hot , except in the mountain areas.A range of the Andes, the Sierra Navada de Merida, extends north-eastwards from Columbia, its heighest peaks is above 15,000 ft. The southern half of Venezuela consists of part of the Guiana highlands , with rounded hills and plato cut deep plateau cut by deep , jungle-filled valleys. It is an area of great timber resources ,but is very sparsely populated with difficult communications.