The Orinoco

Facts

Location

The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America. Its source is high up in the Guiana Highlands. The Orinoco starts as a small mountain stream. It gradually gets bigger by rain water and the joining of other streams as tributaries. The river becomes a torrential flow of water cascading over many rocks down a narrow steep sided V-shaped valley.

The Orinoco river travels through dense rainforest on its journey to its mouth. It becomes narrower at one point and there are rapids. The land becomes flatter and the river begins to meander downstream of the rapids. Further downstream the Orinoco is joined by tributaries including the Caura and the Caroni. The Carrao is a minor tributary of the Caroni river and it is home to the Angel Falls. The mouth of the Orinoco is the Atlantic Ocean. There is a delta about 190 kilometres from the mouth of the Orinoco. The delta is made of huge sand bars where sediment from the river has been deposited. Lush tropical fruits are grown in the very fertile soils of the delta.

The Orinoco and flooding

During the rainy season, the Orinoco is prone to flooding, especially downstream from the rapids. The land is very flat and the river has looping meanders. Also there are less trees and rainforest downstream from the rapids to break the flow of the flood waters.

Peoples of the Orinoco

There are two tribes of people who still live by the banks of the Orinoco river. The Piaroa people make clearings in the forest to grow crops like yucca. The women make bread from the yucca while the men hunt for food in the forest. The Piaroa use the Orinoco for washing, drinking water and for food. The Piaroa trade wood from the forest at the local market for food and petrol for their boats.

The Warao people live in the Orinoco delta. Their houses are made entirely from wood from the local trees and are built on stilts. They make canoes from fallen trees. The delta provides them with fish to eat and water for drinking and washing.

The city of Cuidad Bolivar

The city of Cuidad Bolivar is the main city along the Orinoco River. It is built high on the river banks to escape floods. It is the main river port on the Orinoco and ocean going ships can navigate the Orinoco up to this city. Cuidad Bolivar is (420 kilometres from the mouth. There are markets there and it is the main place for commerce and trade along the Orinoco

Wildlife

The Orinoco delta is a mangrove swamp. Many species of insects, birds and animals live there. There are no signs of pollution at all in the Orinoco delta, or anywhere along the Orinoco River.