Orinoco Online

To be the discoverer of this "great and golden city" was a tantalizing dream that spurred the imagination of all those who searched for it. Each failure to find El Dorado, over the course of centuries, caused its purported location to shift; new reports always placed it over the next horizon.

Raleigh sought El Dorado in the heart of Guiana, a region that today accounts for nearly half of Venezuela's territory. He confidently placed the golden city of Manoa at the center of a map he created, on the shores of the mythical lake Parima.

We will take Raleigh's cue and place the land of our fascination – Venezuela and the Orinoco – in the center of our known world as we begin to explore its territory.

Venezuela, called “tierra de gracia” or “land of grace” by Christopher Columbus when he arrived on its eastern shores in 1498, is situated on the northernmost end of South America.

The Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet Venezuela on the north, and almost a hundred islands and rocky promontories dot the waters off its coast. Brazil is to the south, and Guyana (not to be confused with Venezuela's Guiana region) is to the southeast. On its west border is Colombia.

Located at the northern tip of South America, Venezuela occupies 916,445 square kilometers – about three times the size of Germany or twice that of the state of California in the United States.

The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from April to October. Temperatures are normally in the 10-12C range in the mountains; 20-25C in areas between 1,000 -1,500 meters above sea level; and 25-35C in the lowlands of Guyana and Amazonas. Temperatures have been known to reach as much as 40C, though they become dramatically cooler at night.

Superlative features abound: Venezuela has the Caribbean's longest coastline, the world's highest waterfall (Angel Falls, which at 979 meters is three times higher than the Eiffel Tower), and the continent's largest lake, Lake Maracaibo. The territory includes rain forest, high mountains in the Andes (the highest of which, Pico Bolívar, is about 5,000 meters) savannas, beaches, and the distinctive vertically walled, flat-topped mountains called tapuis.

Such diverse geography supports a wealth of flora and fauna, and is rich in natural resources. Jaguars, ocelots, deer, tapir, anteaters, monkeys, macaws, and caiman are just a few of the animals that inhabit Venezuela, and plant species number in the tens of thousands.

Unfortunately, hundreds of square kilometers of rain forest are lost each year and many of these species are becoming extinct even before they can be described. Venezuela leads South America in wilderness protection. Currently, a major effort is underway to preserve genetic diversity and maintain the integrity of key ecosystems. Known as “Man and the Biosphere," the project is being conducted with UNESCO. The Venezuelan government has been working to regulate atmospheric pollution and the usage of ozone depleting substances with official decrees since 1992.

The great Orinoco River is a crucial part of the Venezuelan environment. It originates 1,047 meters above sea level in the Venezuelan State of Amazonas, in the southern part of the country at the Brazilian border.

Traveling north along the Colombian border and then east to the ocean, it effectively divides the country in two. The majority of its length is navigable, one spectacular exception being the thundering rapids of the Atures and Maipures streams. Two hundred major and 600 minor tributaries flow into its waters.

To the south of the Orinoco are Venezuela’s Guayana and Amazon regions, which together comprise nearly half of the country’s territory. The Orinoco and Amazon basins might be considered Venezuela’s cradle of civilization for it is there that many of the country’s indigenous people have lived long before recorded time.

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	To be the discoverer of this "great and golden city" was a tantalizing dream that spurred the imagination of all those who searched for it. Each failure to find El Dorado, over the course of centuries, caused its purported location to shift; new reports always placed it over the next horizon. Raleigh sought El Dorado in the heart of Guiana, a region that today accounts for nearly half of Venezuela's territory. He confidently placed the golden city of Manoa at the center of a map he created, on the shores of the mythical lake Parima. We will take Raleigh's cue and place the land of our fascination – Venezuela and the Orinoco – in the center of our known world as we begin to explore its territory. Venezuela, called “tierra de gracia” or “land of grace” by Christopher Columbus when he arrived on its eastern shores in 1498, is situated on the northernmost end of South America. The Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet Venezuela on the north, and almost a hundred islands and rocky promontories dot the waters off its coast. Brazil is to the south, and Guyana (not to be confused with Venezuela's Guiana region) is to the southeast. On its west border is Colombia. Located at the northern tip of South America, Venezuela occupies 916,445 square kilometers – about three times the size of Germany or twice that of the state of California in the United States. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from April to October. Temperatures are normally in the 10-12C range in the mountains; 20-25C in areas between 1,000 -1,500 meters above sea level; and 25-35C in the lowlands of Guyana and Amazonas. Temperatures have been known to reach as much as 40C, though they become dramatically cooler at night. Superlative features abound: Venezuela has the Caribbean's longest coastline, the world's highest waterfall (Angel Falls, which at 979 meters is three times higher than the Eiffel Tower), and the continent's largest lake, Lake Maracaibo. The territory includes rain forest, high mountains in the Andes (the highest of which, Pico Bolívar, is about 5,000 meters) savannas, beaches, and the distinctive vertically walled, flat-topped mountains called tapuis. Such diverse geography supports a wealth of flora and fauna, and is rich in natural resources. Jaguars, ocelots, deer, tapir, anteaters, monkeys, macaws, and caiman are just a few of the animals that inhabit Venezuela, and plant species number in the tens of thousands. Unfortunately, hundreds of square kilometers of rain forest are lost each year and many of these species are becoming extinct even before they can be described. Venezuela leads South America in wilderness protection. Currently, a major effort is underway to preserve genetic diversity and maintain the integrity of key ecosystems. Known as “Man and the Biosphere," the project is being conducted with UNESCO. The Venezuelan government has been working to regulate atmospheric pollution and the usage of ozone depleting substances with official decrees since 1992. The great Orinoco River is a crucial part of the Venezuelan environment. It originates 1,047 meters above sea level in the Venezuelan State of Amazonas, in the southern part of the country at the Brazilian border. Traveling north along the Colombian border and then east to the ocean, it effectively divides the country in two. The majority of its length is navigable, one spectacular exception being the thundering rapids of the Atures and Maipures streams. Two hundred major and 600 minor tributaries flow into its waters. To the south of the Orinoco are Venezuela’s Guayana and Amazon regions, which together comprise nearly half of the country’s territory. The Orinoco and Amazon basins might be considered Venezuela’s cradle of civilization for it is there that many of the country’s indigenous people have lived long before recorded time.
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