
Orinoco River Facts
- The deceptively simple term of Orinoco River serves as the typical name used for this meandering masterpiece of natural geological formation. It’s also the english language derivative of the Spanish term for it. That, though, is the very similar name of Río Orinoco.
- Even that moniker, however, derives from an even earlier, far more ancient title for the fascinating body of water. That’s because the local Indigenous Peoples, the Warao, long knew of and utilized the river. In their native language, its title literally meant a place to paddle.
- The first known sighting of the amazing watercourse by outsiders, though, occurred on August 1, 1498. At that time, the well known European explorer, Christopher Columbus spotted its mouth. Fortuitously for Europeans, that event took place during his third voyage of discovery.
- The remarkable Orinoco River stands out for a variety of reasons. It remains one of the longest rivers on the continent it formed on. In terms of total discharge volume, it additionally ranks as the fourth largest on the planet. The formation also serves as a main transportation system.
- The majestic flow of water also held a certain air of mystery well into modern times. That’s due to the incredible fact that its source actually remained unknown to science until 1951. At that time, a joint French-Venezuelan expedition discovered and explored the location of its origins.
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Orinoco River Physical Description
The outstanding Orinoco River immediately intrigues those individuals fortunate enough to view this true marvel of Nature. The natural feature does so for its sheer beauty, of course. Yet, the fabulous formation also garners much appreciation due to its many other fascinating attributes.
Its course itself forms a comparatively wide, arcing ellipsoid shape. This also surrounds the large structure known as the Guiana Shield, a tectonic plate formation. It’s also roughly divided into four sections of uneven lengths. That’s due to both the nature of the landscape and convention.
The first of these separate sections understandably holds the name of the Upper Orinico. It’s the second shortest part, at 178 mi (286 km) in length. Next comes the Middle Orinoco, at 500 mi (805 km) long. Third is the Lower Orinoco, at 596 mi (959 km), then Delta Amacuro, at 120 mi (200 km).
Combined, these individual components of the Orinoco River provide it with a prodigious length. Due to their union, the captivating river stretches for an impressive 1,400 mi (2,250 km). Much of its full course, however, wends its way back and forth across the surrounding landscape of the region.
Yet it’s not very deep compared to other rivers. It only has a maximum measured depth equaling around 330 ft (100 m). Despite this, though, it manages its impressive discharge rate. This averages 1,333,000 cubic ft (37,740 cubic ms) per second! Its maximum rate exceeds this by almost 50%.
Orinoco River Location, Formation, and Ecology
The mind-boggling beauty known as the Orinoco River formed in a part of the world already renowned for its extraordinary abundance of natural beauty. That general location won’t surprise many people, however. That’s because this marvel sits on the continent of South America.
Its location places the wonder of Nature in the immediate northerly portion of that continent. There, the majority of its great length lies within the boundaries of the country of Venezuela. The remainder of its expanse falls inside the national confines of the sovereign state of Colombia.
As we now know, this astounding creation of natural forces begins at the southern end of the Parima Mountains, in Venezuela. Its headwaters originate near Mount Delgado Chalbaud. From its humble beginnings, its waters flow west-northwest, departing the mountains from which it sprang.
As it meanders, the wondrous river increases vastly in volume due to the influx of waters from multiple tributaries from the surrounding mountains. Many of these sources themselves form from the prodigious rainfall prevalent to the region. A few of them, though, arise from natural springs.
The beautiful Orinoco River plays a pivotal role in the ecology of the region in which it lies. Its waters serve as home to an abundance of wildlife. Mammals such as river dolphins and the giant otter thrive in its depths. One of the rarest reptiles on earth, the Orinoco crocodile, does too.
Understandably, a staggering number of fish species also continue to flourish within its confines. Over 1,000 known species do so, in fact. Roughly 15% of these appear nowhere else on the planet. That even includes such unfairly notorious animals as the Pacu, a cousin of the piranha.
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