Venezuela Geography

Venezuela Geography Information

Venezuela is located in the northern part of South American and it lies between Guyana and Columbia. It shares its boundaries with countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Guyana. There are 4 well defined and principal geographical divisions of Venezuela. The Maracaibo lowlands lie in the northeast and llanos or the vast Orinoco Plains occur in the central part.

In the southeast lie the Guiana highlands and in the northwest lie the Maracaibo Lowlands and Andes Mountains. The climate in Venezuela is hot, humid and tropical, while in the highlands it is moderate.

The vegetation of Venezuela ranges from the epiphytes of the rainforest to the desert cacti.

Over 250 different species of mammals are found in the country. The flora is very diverse with species ranging from various birds to reptiles.

Venezuela Topography

According to topography, Venezuela is divided into 4 main regions. The northern portion of the country has a less elevated extension of the Andes mountain range. To the west of Venezuela the hot basin of Lake Maracaibo is located. In the southeastern part of the country, the vast and expansive plains or the llanos and forests are found. The huge undiscovered and uninhabited areas of the Guiana Highlands occur to the south of the Orinoco river. These highlands take up the area of nearly half of the country. The Orinoco river is roughly 2,574 kilometers in length and its water drains about four-fifths of the entire country. Venezuela also boasts of over 1,000 rivers, other than the Orinoco. In the region between the northeastern plateau of the Andes and the western extension of the Andes, along the Columbia-Venezuela border, nearly 90% of the entire population is concentrated.

Venezuela Topography Information

Angel Falls, 3,212 ft high, is not only the highest waterfall in the entire world but is an extraordinary geographical feature of Venezuela. The highest peak in the country is Pico Bolivar in Sierra Nevada de Me rida.

Venezuela Flora and Fauna

The difference in the climatic condition, rainfall and altitude are the deciding factors for the diversity in Venezuela flora and fauna. The Venezuela flora comprises tropical, evergreen and partially deciduous vegetation. Almost two fifth of the total surface area is covered with forests. Further, half of the land is covered with savanna grasslands. Tropical vegetation is predominant at an altitude lower than 1,500 feet . The Venezuela semitropical vegetation is another important aspect of the Venezuela flora and fauna. It is found at an altitude of 5,000 feet. This type of vegetation includes tree ferns and epiphytes like orchids

The Venezuela Fauna is different in different regions of the country, depending on the suitability of the habitat. Climatic variations and availability of food are some of the determining factors of the distribution of Venezuela Fauna. There are 250 species of mammals that can be found in Venezuela , which include jaguars, monkey, sloth, manatee, puma, giant otter or the water wolf, two types of fresh water dolphins. Ideal for ornithologists, Venezuela has 1,200 species of birds. The bird life in Venezuela is another important aspect of Venezuela flora and fauna. They comprise condor, hoatzin, parrot, oilbird, toucan, flamingo and pelican. Some of the Venezuela reptiles include five different species of cayman, rattlesnake, boa, common iguana and anaconda, which is considered to be the largest snake in the world

Venezuelan Rivers

Venezuela Rivers number to a thousand. Most of the Rivers in Venezuela rise in the northern mountains and flow towards the south east to the Rio Apure, which is a tributary of Orinoco. Orinoco is the most important river of Venezuela. It covers a distance of more than 2,500 kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean from its source, which is in the Guiana highlands at the Brazilian border. Orinoco happens to be the eight largest river of the world and the second largest in South America after the Amazon.

Few Venezuelan rivers flow into the Orinoco and increase the volume of water. Among the rivers of Venezuela, Caroni is another important one. The genesis of this river lies in the Guiana highlands, from where it flows towards the north into the Orinoco upstream. The Venezuela rivers are great attractions among the tourists for cruise rides as well as the natural beauty. Following is the list of rivers in Venezuela

Apure River
Arauca River
Branco River
Caroni River in Venezuela
Cuyuni River
Rio Negro Amazon River Venezuela
Orinoco River Venezuela

Venezuelan Mountains

The snow-clad mountain of Venezuela cover a significant portion of this South-American country. Some of the other mountains in Venezuela are mentioned below:-

Pico Humboldt –

It has derived its name from the German Naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. Considered to be the second highest mountain in Venezuela after Pico Bolivar, it measures approximately 4,942 meters from the sea level.
Pico Bolivar –

is considered to be the tallest mountain in this country. As a matter of fact, Pico Bolivar rises up to a height of approximately 5007 meters. A cable car ride also take tourists to the top of this mountain in Venezuela. The trekkers and climbers also come across small rural settlements during the course of their expedition.
Cordillera de la Costa Central –

This mountain range runs from the eastern to the western side of Venezuela through the state of Araqua and Carabobo. Cordillera de Me
rida –

This mountain range extends across six states namely Tachira, Merida, Lara, Portuguesa, barinas and Trujillo.

There are many more mountains in the South-American country of Venezuela including Pico da Neblina, Sarisarinama, Pico Piedras Blancas, Monte Roraima, Venezuelan Coastal Range and Pico Pan de Azucar