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Orinoco River
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
Physical map of the northern Andes and the Orinoco River basin, covering parts of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and northern Brazil. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation, highlights major mountain ranges, rivers, and drainage networks, and marks international and political boundaries as well as key cities. An inset locator map shows the region's position in northern South America. Indigenous dwelling Orinoco River, Venezuela Ciudad BolĂ­var, Venezuela Llanos Mangroves Catfish Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) lying on its stomach on sandy ground, facing the camera with its legs splayed out. An adult capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) stands in shallow water beside two young capybaras, all with brown fur and rounded bodies. Yanomami
At a Glance
Orinoco River, Venezuela
Orinoco River summary
Quizzes
Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.
Guess the City by Its River Quiz
water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
Related Questions

Orinoco River: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Detailed studies in Spanish of the physical and human geography of the Orinoco River basin include Rafael Gómez Picón, Orinoco, río de libertad, 2nd rev. ed. (1978); and Francisco Tamayo, Los Llanos de Venezuela, 2nd ed. (1987). The most useful English-language description of the basin still is found in the essays by Alexander von Humboldt, Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent, During the Years 1799–1804, trans. from French, 7 vol. (1814–29), available also in later editions. Specialized studies include Carl F. Nordin, Jr., and David Perez-Hernandez, Sand Waves, Bars, and Wind-Blown Sands of the Río Orinoco, Venezuela and Colombia (1989); and Edwin D. McKee, Sedimentary Structures and Textures of the Río Orinoco Channel Sands, Venezuela and Colombia (1989). A work on the people of the basin is Johannes Wilbert and Miguel Layrisse (eds.), Demographic and Biological Studies of the Warao Indians (1980). The settlement of the Llanos is described in Jane M. Rausch, A Tropical Plains Frontier: The Llanos of Colombia, 1531–1831 (1984), and The Llanos Frontier in Colombian History, 1830–1930 (1993). Neil L. Whitehead, Lords of the Tiger Spirit: A History of the Caribs in Colonial Venezuela and Guiana (1988).

William M. Denevan

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Mentioned the Orinoco oil belt. Added metric units and cross-references throughout. Media added. Jan 05, 2026
Modified age appropriateness: Science with Kids - Orinoco River Facts. Apr 02, 2020
Add new Web site: Science with Kids - Orinoco River Facts. Dec 18, 2019
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Orinoco. May 04, 2018
Add new Web site: World Wide Fund For Nature - Orinoco. May 04, 2018
Clarified that caimans are alligator-like reptiles. Sep 11, 2017
Geologic time data updated. Oct 06, 2009
Article revised and updated. Oct 25, 2007
Media added. May 16, 2007
Bibliography revised. Feb 09, 2007
Article revised and updated. Feb 09, 2007
Article added to new online database. Jul 26, 1999
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