Venezuelan Cordillera
Quick Summary
The Venezuelan Cordillera is a northeastern extension of the Andes Mountains in South America. This mountainous region in Venezuela is characterized by high peaks, some reaching over 16,000 feet, with Bolívar Peak being the highest at 16,332 feet. These ranges, specifically the Cordillera de Mérida and the Perijá Mountains, divide basins like Lake Maracaibo from the Orinoco River.1
The climate varies with elevation, offering temperate conditions in the mountains, while lower areas experience tropical temperatures. Vegetation ranges from alpine shrubs and lichens at high altitudes to tropical rainforests and savannas in the lower elevations and valleys. This diverse topography presents both natural beauty and challenges for development.231
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mountainThe Andes…into Venezuela as the “Venezuelan Andes,” is being underthrust from the northwest by the Maracaibo Basin and from the southeast by the Guiana Shield underlying southeastern Venezuela. Thus the Venezuelan Andes are an intracontinental mountain belt.
Read More…into Venezuela as the “Venezuelan Andes,” is being underthrust from the northwest by the Maracaibo Basin and from the southeast by the Guiana Shield underlying southeastern Venezuela. Thus the Venezuelan Andes are an intracontinental mountain belt.
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Andes MountainsPhysiography of the Northern AndesThe Venezuelan Andes are represented by the Cordillera de Mérida (280 miles long, 50 to 90 miles wide, and about 10,000 feet in elevation), which extends in a northeasterly direction to the city of Barquisimeto, where it ends. The cordillera is a great uplifted axis where…
Read MoreThe Venezuelan Andes are represented by the Cordillera de Mérida (280 miles long, 50 to 90 miles wide, and about 10,000 feet in elevation), which extends in a northeasterly direction to the city of Barquisimeto, where it ends. The cordillera is a great uplifted axis where…
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