Where is the orinoco river located on a physical map. Orinoco: Paradise River. Orinoco Basin: Wildlife of Venezuela

The Orinoco is one of the largest river systems in the world. This is the most mysterious and bewitching river South America. Its waters have been attracting adventurers for centuries, despite its dangerous and unpredictable nature.

Discovery history

From the day it was discovered, Orinoco was for a long time inaccessible due to the jungle hiding it, and therefore unknown. The first mention of it can be found in the records of Christopher Columbus relating to his third expedition. The discoverer saw only the Orinoco Delta, but the picture that opened up struck him with its beauty.

The name of the Spaniard Diego de Ordaz is associated with this river, who spent half his life trying to find the mysterious place of Eldorado. He was the first to study wildlife Orinoco. In 1531, the German explorer Ambrosius Ehinger decided to study the river. At the same time, several other expeditions of an exploratory nature were made. Unfortunately, the Orinoco of those times has not come down to us.

She was remembered only at the beginning of the 19th century, when the German traveler Alexander von Humboldt went to study the nature of South America. It was he who described in detail the plants that grew along the banks of the Orinoco River, as well as the animals that lived in its waters. The source of the reservoir was found only by the middle of the 20th century.

The geographical location of the river and its size

The Orinoco River, as mentioned above, is located in South America. Its source is located on the border of Venezuela and Brazil. The river originates from Mount Delgado Chalbaud in the region of the Guinean Plateau.

Almost all of the Orinoco flows through Venezuela, but some parts of it lie in Colombia. Having passed the northern part of the mainland, the river flows into the Gulf of Paria, and from it into Atlantic Ocean.

The length of the Orinoco River is 2736 km, which makes it one of the longest bodies of water in South America. The width in different sections ranges from 250 m to 10 km. During floods, the Orinoco can overflow up to 22 km wide. The depth of the river is not the greatest - its maximum point reaches 100 m.

Character of the Orinoco River

Shipping on the Orinoco is limited and very risky. moves only in the area of ​​full-flowing delta. This is a forced measure caused by the inconstancy of the nature of the reservoir. Here every 6-7 hours there are significant ebbs and flows that prevent ships from moving. Orinoco depends on the time of year and the season. In the dry season, it turns into a system of lakes and swamps, and in the rainy season it overflows.

The course of the Orinoco River at its source is southwestern. The channel gradually bends in the form of an arc. Then the direction of the Orinoco River changes. It flows to the north and northeast. There the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The speed of the water flow is stably average along the entire length, except for the source. Since the river originates in the mountains, it flows faster in this area than in the lower reaches.

Topography and tributaries

In the upper reaches of the Orinoco River there are a large number of waterfalls of various sizes. This is due to the rocky and uneven surface of this area. In the lower and middle parts, the relief of the Orinoco River is flat.

Closer to the Orinoco delta, it branches strongly, forming a large number of tributaries and lakes. Thanks to them, this place is especially picturesque. The tributaries of the river are unique, because, despite the same source, each of them has an individual color and a unique composition of water. The water level in them is also not constant, as it depends on the amount of precipitation. During the dry season, the tributaries dry up a lot or turn into small lakes.

One of the tributaries of the Orinoco - Casiquiare, connects it with the most famous and full-flowing river in South America - the Amazon.

Wildlife of the Orinoco River

Fauna river system Orinoco is unique. It has about 700 species of living beings. The waters of the river abound with fish. There are electric eels and catfish, weighing several pounds, which have been feeding the local population for many centuries. However, you should be wary of piranhas and crocodiles, which are found here in abundance. The Orinoco River area is home to thousands of bird species. Scarlet ibis, flamingos, colorful parrots live here. On the shores you can meet giant tortoises and other reptiles. In the lower part of the river there are many monkeys - capuchins, howler monkeys, macaques, as well as representatives of the cat family - ocelots, jaguars, cougars, etc.

Most tourists travel along the Orinoco River in the hope of seeing huge anacondas. But here you can also meet very rare animals - pink and gray river dolphins, a giant river otter, herbivorous manatees, as well as the rarest reptile in the world - the Orinoco crocodile. Today, these species are recognized as endangered and taken under protection.

Flora of the river

The forest growing along the river is floodable. Therefore, the plant life here is lush and varied. In the lower reaches of the river, the flora is dense due to the large number of vines that make these places impassable. However, those who manage to walk through the Orinoc forests will be delighted with the abundant flowering of bromeliads and orchids.

Among the trees, mangroves predominate. Their roots descend directly into the water, from where they receive food. Tall palm trees and various fruit trees grow abundantly in numerous mixed forests.

The value of the river in the economic life of a person

There are practically no settlements off the coast of Orinoco. However, numerous indigenous tribes live here, for whom the river has become a source of not only food, but also additional income. So, the local friendly Warao Indian tribes have been living here for many years. Their small wooden houses are built on stilts and rise above the water. In addition to catching fish, they are engaged in transporting tourists along the Orinoco River. The very word "warao" is translated as "people of the boat", so closely this primitive tribe connects its life with water.

The largest of the few towns along the Orinoco River is Ciudad Guayana. It was next to it that in the middle of the last century they began to build ports. This was the result of the discovery of iron ore and other minerals. On the this moment ore processing work continues. A reservoir and a hydroelectric power station were also installed on the river.

Recently, the vast tropical grasslands of the Orinoco Basin have been used as pastures for livestock. This entails unpleasant consequences, as herds of animals trample the grass and eat a large number of plants, and the once fertile soils are degraded.

Tourism on the Orinoco River

The tourist base of the Orinoco River began to develop quite recently. Today this place is attractive for real adventurers. Tourists are offered exciting boat trips that allow them to explore all the channels of the river, get acquainted with the flora and fauna, touch the thousand-year-old culture of the locals.

Traveling through the Orinoco can be attributed to such a popular destination today as Many places here are untouched and pristine. Travel agencies offer many programs for every taste. Depending on your preferences, you can go canoeing, go fishing (piranha hunting is especially popular), take a walk in the jungle, or visit the Warao settlement. Both day and night programs are provided.

South America is rich in many rivers, but it is precisely Orinoco(Spanish Río Orinoco) can be called a unique river. Most of its channel is located on the territory. The total length of the river is about 2.74 thousand km.

Square river basin is 880 thousand km², water consumption approaches 30 thousand m³ / s.

Originating on the mountainside Delgado-Chalbaud(Spanish Montaña Delgado Chalbaud), located near Parim (on the border with), Orinoco turns west in a wide arc from the southwest, then north and finally northeast, where the Atlantic Ocean flows into the Gulf of Paria (Spanish: Golfo de Paria). More specifically, the river goes around (plateau) and, crossing the southwestern part of the Guiana lowland, flows into the ocean bay.

In the lower reaches, the Orinoco River branches into many streams that form a river delta. The area of ​​the entire delta is about 41 thousand km². When floods begin, the river spreads, reaching a width of more than 22 km, and its depth at this moment reaches 100 m. Rio Ventuari). Left tributaries: (Spanish Río Apure), Guaviare (Spanish Río Guaviare), Arauca (Spanish Río Arauca), (Spanish Río Meta), Vichada (Spanish Río Vichada). On the river (Spanish: Río Churun ​​- a tributary of the Caroni) is the highest waterfall in the world - (Spanish: Salto Angel; about 980 m high)

The river is of interest to navigation, since ocean-going vessels can reach the city (Spanish: Ciudad Bolívar) by moving upstream. Ciudad Bolivar is located 435 km from the ocean bay.

Orinoco is located in the zone of the subequatorial belt. If we talk about the nutrition of the river, then basically the river is filled with abundant tropical rains. Therefore, the river is characterized by sharp fluctuations in water level: in the dry season, several tributaries of the Orinoco turn into small stagnant lakes.

When in 1498 the great navigator first saw the mouth of the Orinoco, he called it the "river of paradise" - he was so struck by the beauty of these places. The Warao Indians who met the travelers were very friendly. But greed and an indomitable thirst for gold turned the locals against the conquistadors. The Spaniards were obsessed with the search for the mythical city of gold - Eldorado (Spanish Eldorado), moving up the river, they destroyed absolutely everything in their path. However, there was no "Golden City".

locals

Why is the South American Orinoco River so attractive to tourists? Partly because of the incredible beauty of the natural world of the basin, partly because of the Indians living in the Orinoco Delta. The indigenous inhabitants of Venezuela, as a rule, live along the banks of the river.

The river delta is inhabited mainly by Warao Indians, who occupy the second position in Venezuela in terms of numbers: the number of Warao reaches more than 20 thousand people. This nation has inhabited the territory of the Orinoco Delta for more than 12 thousand years. The Warao tribe is known as the "boat people". They probably got this name because they build their houses on stilts above the water. Interestingly, there are no walls in the houses. Canoes are used as a means of transport for the Warao.

Arriving in Venezuela, tourists can get to know the Indians, their original culture and way of life. Warao are quite friendly, they can treat tourists with traditional local dishes. Travelers are very fond of canoe tours, where the Warao Indian acts as a guide. The Indians organize excursions in the jungle, and they can also hunt piranhas.

In addition to the Warao tribe, such tribes as the Yaruro, Guayacho, Tamanuki, Guajiro, and many others live in the Orinoco Delta. It should be noted that the tribes of indigenous Indians are quite few in number.

Flora and fauna of the Orinoco

During the rainy season, which begins in June and ends in October, the river overflows into large areas, which leads to the appearance of swamps. The fauna of the river is unusually rich and varied.

Travelers can contemplate exotic fauna: giant anaconda, white ibis, puma, parrots, hawks, jaguars, flamingos and many other species.

In addition, in the waters of the river you can see the Amazonian dolphins and the Orinoco crocodile, which is the rarest species of representatives of this genus. Orinoco crocodiles have long been exterminated by poachers because of their valuable and beautiful skin. Orinoc crocodiles are listed in the Red Book, since there are no more than 250 individuals left.

In terms of birds, there are over 100 wading bird colonies. The most remarkable plant growing in the river delta is the Morice palm, famous for its perfectly even trunks up to 30 m high. From this palm, the inhabitants make cellulose. In addition, Morice palm is one of the main materials in the construction of huts. The core of the tree is edible.

Orinoco from the languages ​​of almost all the Indian tribes of the basin is translated simply - River, that's right - as a proper name, with respect.
And this means that it is both “great” and “large”, as this translation is sometimes expanded. The Warao Indians living in the Orinoco Delta call it the "River into which you can plunge the oar", that is, "navigable river", and their self-name means "people of the boat." Also called Orinoco and Guajiro Indians. How long ago people began to settle on the banks of the Orinoco, the question is still not fully clarified, there is only one evidence that they lived here at least three thousand years ago, these are the rock paintings of the Arawak Indians on the border of Venezuela and Colombia, passing along the river.
Orinoco begins with a fast stream in the Venezuelan state of Amazonas, near the border with Brazil, on the slopes of Mount Dilgado Chilbaud in the Serra Parima range of the Guiana Highlands. From it and the spurs of the Andes in the west, numerous rivers flow into it, and the Orinoco in the upper reaches is rapidly gaining strength. Going around the Guiana Highlands, before the confluence of the Meta Orinoco River, it passes through many rapids and rapids, the most significant of which are Maipures and Atures. In some places of the upper reaches of the Orinoco, low - up to 17 m - waterfalls are formed. Descending from the heights of the highlands, then the river flows through the Guiana lowland, expanding to 3-10 km. In the gorges, called angosturas (gorges) in Venezuela, the Orinoco channel in places narrows to 250 m. Below the largest port of the river - Ciudad Bolívar - its channel expands sharply, and in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe city of Barrancas it branches out, forming a complex network of water channels and oxbow lakes, spilled between land areas overgrown with dense wet jungles, mangroves. Numerous lagoons and swamps adjoin them. This network forms 36 branches spread over a large area. The most significant of them - Boca Grande - has a width of up to 20 km, and the most convenient for navigation is Macareo. These two natural channels flow into the Gulf of Paria of the Atlantic Ocean, most of the other branches - into the Boca del Serpiente Strait, between the continent and the island of Trinidad.

Story

When Christopher Columbus, on August 1, 1498, during his third expedition to the New World, saw the Orinoco Delta, he called it "paradise river", and it can be understood. natural world delta is unusually rich and colorful. Many tall palm trees rush to the sky, fruit trees are hung with ripe fruits, orchids, bromeliads and other outlandish flowers bloom under their crowns. tropical plants, tree-like and liana-like ferns stretch their powerful feather-like leaves. Jaguars, ocelots, capuchin monkeys, giant otters, manatees, hundreds of bird species, as well as anacondas, caimans and crocodiles live here. The Warao Indians, who still live in the delta today, were friendly to the newcomers, but the Spaniards were not up to them: obsessed with the desire to find El Dorado, they were sure that the country of their dreams was somewhere close. They did not meet anything similar and took out their annoyance on the same warao, destroying their villages. For a very long time, the Orinoco was considered in Europe the most mysterious river in South America. Its source was discovered only in 1951. But the delta was explored as early as the 16th century. In 1531, the conquistador Diego de Ordaz went from the mouth of the Orinoco to the Meta River in search of the same El Dorado, by the way, this was, by the way, the first such deep penetration of a European deep into the South American continent in history. In the same year, the expedition of the German Ambrosius Ehinger explored the delta. The governor of Trinidad, Antonio de Berrio, made a great journey along the Orinoco and its tributaries. And the first one is really Scientific research The Orinoco was made by Alexander Humboldt, the founder of vegetation geography, who described both the features of the river and its flora and fauna, he was also the first to describe the river pink dolphin.

Nature

The life cycles of a river are directly related to the wet and dry seasons. During the rainy season, the water in the Orinoco rises by 8-10 m and vast expanses of water form on the lowlands, and when the water subsides, many small tributaries of the Orinoco turn into chains of small enclosed swamps, which are immediately populated by malarial mosquitoes. Further, everything is even more severe: in the open spaces of the savannah in the middle reaches, the grass withers, clouds of dust begin to walk, some trees even throw off their leaves. Apart from the thickets of the delta, during the period of drought, only the tropical palm gallery forests of the southwestern part of the Llanos Orinoco, stretching parallel to the water flow, are completely preserved. And of course, cacti in the savannah.
The bird world of the savannah is no less diverse than in the delta region; a huge number of species of ibis, herons, storks, flamingos and other marsh birds, tree ducks, as well as parrots, hawks, kites, falcons and vultures live here. In the savannas there are a myriad of species of insects, and large colonies of termites are also often found.
And the main predators, just like in the delta, are jaguars, cougars and ocelots. In general, counting all the species of fish, crustaceans, birds, reptiles and mammals that live in the Orinoco basin, we can talk about many hundreds of species. And all this richest animal world, judging by the fact that the drought does not cause much damage to its numbers, it is perfectly adapted to the extremes of the local climate. The person is causing harm. rarest species reptile - the Orinoco crocodile - today is listed in the Red Book, only 250 individuals of this endemic Orinoco remained due to the fact that poachers killed it for the sake of a beautiful skin. A few dozen more species of mammals are on the verge of survival, and for the same reason.

Population

Most of the indigenous people of Venezuela live along the banks of the Orinoco. These are Indians of relatively numerous tribes (from 10 to 30 thousand people): Tamanuki, Guayacho, Makiritare, Yaruro, Yanomami, Warao, Guahiro (this tribe also lives on Lake Maracaibo); mestizos, people of the European type - a small amount. The growth of cities and ports in the Orinoco basin began around the middle of the 20th century, when the extraction of iron ore and other minerals began in the Guiana Highlands, but, as a rule, all these towns, standing on elevated places to protect against flooding, are small. The largest city of the Orinoco basin is Ciudad Guayana at the confluence of the Orinoco and Caroni, it was created in 1961 at the largest Macagua hydroelectric power station and the Guri reservoir and stretches for 40 km. With a population of more than 900,000 people, it includes two cities: the old - San Felix (founded in 1576) and the new - Puerto Ordaz (founded in 1952).
There are plantations of agricultural crops and pastures on the Llanos Orinoco, but even today their areas are not so significant that one can talk about serious economic development of these expanses by man. With the exception of oil production in the oil-bearing, or, scientifically, bituminous, sands of the Orinoco Belt, in which oil is contained in the form of oil shale. Experts call such oil “unconventional”: its carriers require processing already at the initial stage of their production. In 2011, OPEC announced that Venezuela, thanks mainly to the tar sands of the "Orinoco Belt" (previously not very taken into account), has become the world's leader in oil reserves. A year later, BP Corporation confirmed the same position: as of December 31, 2011, Venezuela had 296.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, or 17.9% of all its world reserves, while Saudi Arabia, which for many years had been the world record holder in reserves oil, had on the same date 265.4 billion barrels.

general information

One of the largest rivers in South America and the northernmost major river continent. It flows mainly in Venezuela, partly runs along the Venezuelan-Colombian border.

Source: Mount Dilgado Chilbaud (Guiana Highlands) at an altitude of 1047 m.

Mouth: Gulf of Paria, Atlantic Ocean.
Food: mostly rain.
Major tributaries: right - Ventuari, Kaura, Caroni; left - Guaviare, Vichada, Meta, Arauca, Apure.

Major cities and ports: Ciudad Guayana, which includes San Felix and Puerto Ordaz, Ciudad Bolívar, Santa Barbara, Puerto Ayacucho.

Largest reservoir: Guri (on the Karoni River).

Nearest airports:- Simon Bolivar International Airport; Ciudad Guayana - Manuel Carlos Piar Airport; Ciudad Bolivar - Ciudad Bolivar-Thomas de Jerez Airport.

Numbers

Length: 2736 or 2410 km (according to various sources).
Maximum Width(during the flood): 22 km.

Max Depth: 100 m

Water consumption: 30,000 m 3 /s (varies depending on the season within 5-55,000 m 3 /s).
Annual flow: about 915 km3.

Pool area: 1086 thousand km 2. 76.3% of it belongs to Venezuela, the rest belongs to Colombia.

Delta area: 41,000 km2.

Total length of shipping lanes in the Orinoco Basin: about 12,000 km.

Economy

Natural resources of the Orinoco Basin: oil, gas, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, vanadium, chromium, bauxite, gold, diamonds.
Industry: ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy (aluminum smelting), pulp and paper and food industries in Ciudad Guayana. Cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the Caroni River in the Orinoco Basin with reservoirs providing 76.3% of Venezuela's electricity needs.
Agriculture: cattle breeding, cultivation of cassava, corn, cotton, rice.
Fishing.
Navigation: ships with a displacement of 8 tons reach from the mouth to Ciudad Bolívar (435 km from the mouth), lighter ships during the Orinoco flood - to Puerto Ayacucho (1127 km).
Service sector: ecological tourism.

Climate and weather

Tropical.
The rainy season lasts on average from April to October, dry - from November to March. In the north of the Orinoco Plain, where the northeast trade winds penetrate first of all, the dry season lasts longer, and the rainy season is only three summer months.

Throughout the year the temperature does not fall below +20°C.

The average temperature even in the coolest months of the dry season is +25° - +26°C, and at the beginning and end of the rainy season it reaches +29°C.
Average annual rainfall: in the north of the Orinoco plain - 800 mm, in the south - up to 1000 mm.

Attractions

■ Waterfall (in Venezuela it is called Querepa-kupai Meru) on the Carrao (Churun) River, which flows into Apura, one of the largest left tributaries of the Orinoco, the highest waterfall in the world (979 m, according to some sources - 1054 m, the height of free fall of water - 807 m). national park Canaima, on the territory of which the waterfall is located, and it is included in the list of the World natural heritage UNESCO.
■ The network of plateaus of different heights of the Gran Sabana (Great Savannah) between the Lemma and Carrao rivers, near the city of Ciudad Guayana (the Canaima National Park is located on the territory of the Gran Sabana).
■ City of Ciudad Bolívar: Angostura Bridge (1967) in the city of Ciudad Bolivar.
The length is 1678 m, the height of the supporting towers is 119 m. For some time after its opening, it was considered one of the most outstanding technical structures in South America. Colonial architecture; Cathedral; Museum contemporary art the name of Jesus Rafael Soto, the famous creator of the style of kinetic sculpture and painter, native, with a collection of his works; at the airport of the city - the plane "Flamingo" by James Angel, who in 1933 flew over the Angel Falls and thereby opened it to the world. The waterfall was named after him, although he was the first to visit it at the beginning of the 20th century. Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz.

Curious facts

■ The Casiquiare River, which branches off from the Orinoco (this phenomenon, as a result of which the riverbed is divided into two parts, is called a bifurcation), flows into the Rio Negro, it is one of the tributaries of the Amazon. This forms a natural channel connecting the Amazon and the Orinoco.
■ Electric eel, a fish that lives in the waters of the Orinoco, capable of generating a discharge of up to 1300 V and a current of up to 1 A, grows up to 2.4 m in length and weighs up to 19 kg. Needless to say, a meeting with this fish can cost the life of both a person and a horse? Catfish living in the Orinoco, which the Indians call kuyu-kuyu, can reach a meter in length and 18 kg of weight. At the back of the body of this fish there are processes that support the tail fin, which makes it look like prehistoric fish.
■ In 1532, when the conquistadors attacked the village of Warao, they used against them ... environmental weapons. These were hot frying pans with hot red pepper powder sprinkled on them. From the acrid smoke, the Spaniards began to sneeze, cough, the tears that came out covered their eyes, and they were powerless against the tomahawks of the Indians with their guns.
■ Jules Verne has a novel, The Magnificent Orinoco (1894), about the adventures of several Frenchmen on the river itself and in the jungle.
■ In the city of Ciudad Bolivar, which until 1846 was called Santo Tome de Guayana de Angostura del Orinoco, the Venezuelan Constitution of 1811 was adopted, written by the leader of the Venezuelan and several other revolutions, Simon Bolivar (1783-1830 BC), in whose honor the city was renamed.
■ The Indians say that several small tribes still live at the source of the Orinoco, avoiding any contact with the outside world.

24.03.2014 09:22

The driver asked how we live there in Russia, because we have Putin, dictatorship and frio, mucho frio. I replied that we were all, only instead of frio - tormenting calories.

Wikipedia: (Spanish: Rio Orinoco) - a river in South America, flows mainly through Venezuela and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Length 2736 kilometers.

We're going to the delta Orinoco river, where we are waiting for the last three days of rest on this vacation. Are you still relaxing on the couch, in the country or on the sea? Stop doing stupid things! Rest in the jungle. Go!

We went from Ciudad Bolívar. On the way, the driver discussed cheap gasoline in Venezuela and the hard life in fraternal Cuba. And he somehow suddenly asked how we live there in Russia, because we have Putin, dictatorship and frio, mucho frio. I replied that we all heard the same thing about Venezuela, only instead of frio - a lot of calories.
“Mas o menos,” Giovanni said, and changed the subject to the weather)

The destination is getting closer, the radio of Trinidad and Tobago is already playing in the receiver.
On one of the bridges, the driver stopped the car and sent us to observe the life of real Indians. These are not country houses. This is how people live here.

A little more, and we got to the village of San José de Buja. This is the center of a small universe - a river port where you can take fuel for a boat, buy pasta and plastic basins. In general, from the point of view of an urban person - a hole in a hole.

But, for the local population, it is a portal connecting the Indian world with the so-called civilized world.
This portal, like all strategic objects, needs reliable protection. The guards work in several shifts - while some are roasting in the sun, others are resting in the shed.

Have you already remembered what is important in Venezuela? The main thing here is politics. It doesn't matter if the elections are in five years, in a week, tomorrow or yesterday. It is important to always remember who to vote for, to whom you owe everything, and how to behave so as not to upset the unforgettable Comandante Hugo Chavez - he always sees everything, even in the jungle, even at night!

river delta

We were met here by an Indian and explained that we had to wait for other vacationers. Half an hour later, a car pulled up. “Other vacationers” turned out to be our old friend Izzy, with whom we drove to, and whom we said goodbye to yesterday at))

Now everyone is ready to move to the camp. Our boat rushes along the water surface with a breeze, but periodically drops the speed to almost zero. The fact is that the majority of the local population moves in rowing canoes, and if you rush past them on a motorboat, they will simply be overwhelmed by a wave.

So, at the fork, or rather at the confluence of two rivers in the middle of the swamp, a pier was discovered. This is our home for the next three days - Eco Camp.

The camp really stands on a swamp, into which wooden piles have been hammered and a floor of boards has been laid. That is, it will not work to leave the territory of the camp on foot. We're trapped)
Okay, let's settle down, get acquainted with the inhabitants of the camp.

This is the owner of the camp. Unfortunately, I don’t remember his name, but he is the most native inhabitant here. There is still a noisy chicken running around here from the locals, but it is completely stupid, and therefore it was not included in this review)

The parrot hails from the harsh jungle, so even his gaze should inspire fear in potential enemies. But, depending on how he looks at you, he can look like a vicious warrior or a fluffy cat.

Here he is, by the way, with his best friend. When the girl has lunch, the parrot always sits next to her and helps. How touching this spectacle, I can not describe in words.

In addition to birds, three dogs and three cats also live here. In general, there is always someone to talk to.
When fresh tourists are brought in, Indians come to the camp and sell their bracelet beads. Everything is made from what the jungle gives - no synthetics, and the prices are lower than in the city.

Having played enough with the dogs, we go to move into the apartments.

In the description that Thomas sent us, it says that we will live in "comfortable wooden cabins".
In short, it looks like this. Palm leaf roof, palm leaf curtain entrance, wooden floor. On four wooden chocks in the middle of the room stands a mattress, around which a mosquito net is stretched. Nearby is another stylized stool where you can light a candle in the evening. There is no wall opposite the entrance at all - there is a jungle.

The guide, conducting a tour of the camp, asked us not to forget to lock the doors if we leave the house for a long time. They are strange people - they give out the keys, but there are no locks ...

What is there to do here? First, eat well. Not that there would be exquisite restaurant food here, no, everything here is home-style, but tasty and almost unlimited - you go to the pots and put as much as you want.

Before lunch, you can take a canoe trip, paddle a little, and admire the purest waters of the river, in which bright flowers are reflected.

And after dinner, be sure to swing in a hammock and cuddle the dog. Then you can safely jump into the boat to drive to the dacha - well, where the beds, greenhouses, all sorts of chickens graze.
Dacha is just a suggestion. The main goal, of course, is observation of nature.

Toucans sit on trees.

Peacocks and other birds. There are thousands of them (without exaggeration), and they are all different.

Macaws fly in flocks.

Monkeys jump up the trees. They are very hard to spot. Only in the morning at dawn, when the jungle wakes up, they cheerfully jump along the branches and watch the tourists with interest.

Bushes bloom along the shore.

And the turtles relax on the snags.

Usually tourists take sticks with them to the boat to fight off crocodiles and anacondas, but our guide Antonio said that all this evil creeps in the dry season, when there is not enough water in the swamps. At such a time, we have to evacuate or additionally protect the farm to which we are sailing - snakes steal piglets.

And here is the cottage. Here is some young hemp forest. What is this plant? It is grown in many places in Cuba and in Cuba.

There are also many fruit trees but we could only eat a green orange. Everything else will be, you guessed it, manana. Not even manyana, but after a few months or even years. The garden is still very young.

An ownerless watermelon was found in the grass, Antonio took out a machete and chopped it into pieces. We ate and went for a walk.

Orinoco River on the map

At sunset, as usual Latin America, drank cuba libre, sang songs about Che Guevara and caught piranhas on lard. This time we did not succeed, only the experienced Antonio pulled out a couple of predatory fish.

We returned home at night.

Australian Ron, who, as it turned out, has been traveling in South America for more than a year, decided to stay here for a month as a volunteer, tell tourists about local beauties, study nature and wait for his plane to Europe, showed us where spiders live. It turns out that in one of the palm trees (at least one :)), standing right in the center of the camp, such wonderful creatures live, the size of a palm.

A generator runs in the camp for a couple of hours after sunset. During this time, you need to have time to have dinner, swing in a hammock and cuddle dogs. And then the light goes out.

Torches are lit along the “paths”, and people go to their huts to sleep.

What is the jungle at night? You can, of course, watch some BBC film about the jungle, but this is all nonsense. You will watch a movie at home on the couch and feel nothing. The jungle at night is warm, a little stuffy, a little foggy. The night jungle is sounds: screams, rustles, creaks, murmurs and ringing silence, in which your every movement is heard.

River

You can look into the darkness for a long time, looking for moths flashing for a moment, listening, in the end, to the flow of water from the toilet and drawing in your imagination sneaking predators and reptiles. At the same time, every minute you need to smear with different dichlorvos so as not to be eaten by mosquitoes.

And the worst thing I had to face on the first night was not even a black cat at the entrance to the hut, but a tide - the water in the river rose to such a level that our camp footbridge slightly rose above the water. What if the water continues to rise at night? And in general, when I went to bed, I could not fall asleep for a long time due to the fact that a huge (well, not very huge by local standards - 40 centimeters) splashed under the bed.

In the morning, you usually wake up from the fact that a crazy chicken has climbed into the hut, which for some reason is chasing a cat sleeping in your fleece. But this time we were awakened by a terrifying noise. It's terrible that you don't understand what it is. Some kind of endless check Soviet system warning citizens about an emergency. Antonio to the natural question "WHAT IS THIS???" answered - "Monkeys". We did not believe him and went to the Indians, who confirmed the guide's version. I am afraid to imagine a picture of what is happening in the jungle and how many of these monkeys are there.

In general, the jungle is not as scary as it seems at first glance - they are interesting. We have never encountered this, and the way a person works is that due to a lack of knowledge, he begins to be afraid of everything. I think our cities are perceived as much more terrible than the jungle, if you bring Indians into them, for whom the jungle is their home.

(Rio Orinoco) is one of the most big rivers South America.

Before breakfast, we went boating again, watched the monkeys, and there were at least two species of them - capuchins and some redheads a little larger in size. Well, as usual - thousands of birds. In addition, we were chased by two dogs, who desperately swam after our boat. We were very worried about them - we are afraid of crocodiles, boas and piranhas ...

After breakfast, Ron showed me the bats hiding behind a tree from the sun. And last night, I thought it was butterflies flying over our heads)

By the way, Ron was very fond of the Indians working in the camp. Well, imagine if a foreigner came to visit you with a name, for example, "Vodka" :)

At the beginning of today's story, there is a photograph showing rubber boots being dried. They are there, you guessed it, for a reason. Now we will go for a walk in the jungle on foot.

In the forest, even during the day, it is always twilight, and the thickets are often so dense that if you fall behind 5 meters, you may no longer find a guide.
Everything, absolutely all plants in the jungle are very important and necessary. There is not a single blade of grass that would not be useful - they build houses out of something, make clothes, mosquito nets or hammocks out of something, kill with something, and treat with something. This tree is used for communication. If you hit it with a machete, it sounds like a drum. A boa constrictor is strangling you, and you are tapping out SOS for the whole forest - fellow tribesmen will hear, come running, save you, and the boa constrictor will be fried and eaten - a holiday in the family)

And this is a termite.
- Feel it, taste it! It's very tasty, like a tree! Antonio says.

For about an hour we walked, chopped vines, ate coconuts and berries, looked for scorpions and snakes (we didn’t find them). And then Antonio confessed - we got lost. The most annoying thing is that it is impossible to understand whether the guide is joking or telling the truth. In general, we soon found ourselves, saw our boat. There was only one problem - we were separated by a swamp. After trying various methods, we came to the conclusion that you need to jump over, grabbing the vine.

Everyone drowned except me)

Saved - everyone is alive. And we unanimously celebrated each successful rescue by hunting for piranhas. Some even managed to catch it. If you catch normal Orthodox fish in normal Soviet reservoirs, then you need to observe silence so as not to frighten away the fish. Here, the opposite is true, having planted a bloody piece of meat on the hook, you need to tap the water well with the fishing rod so that the piranhas pay attention to you, after which you can cast.

I caught my only piranha from the pier in the camp. The fish jumped off the hook, fell on the boards, and was immediately grabbed and dragged away by a cat on duty nearby. This is such a sad story.

Most of the time they lie in hammocks.
Sometimes, when tourists come, they try to sell them something. For example, a hammock.

At this time, the mythical older brothers are hunting mythical copybaras and anacondas somewhere.

And when you're tired of everything, you can watch TV.

Hugo was a real politician. He relied on the illiterate impoverished population, to whom he gave the necessary minimum of the benefits of civilization, sufficient for him (about Hugo) to be known. He extended the television network to the jungle, gave the population television sets and electricity generators so that they could listen to his daily speeches.

In addition, if I understand correctly, each family has the right to choose whether to send one child to the city to study, or to get a motor for a boat. This is true freedom of choice. Now almost every big family there is a motor!

Well, when the TV is turned off, you can study offline propaganda pasted on poles.

The Orinoco River is one of the largest rivers in South America. Its length is 2410 km, and the catchment area covers 880 thousand square meters. km. At the same time, 76.3% of the area falls on Venezuela, and the rest on Colombia. The water flow bends around Venezuela in a wide arc and flows into the Atlantic Ocean near the island of Trinidad, forming a huge delta at the mouth. This is the most important transport artery in the north of South America.

From source to mouth

The river flow begins its journey on the Parima mountain range, (Guiana Plateau) at an altitude of 1047 meters above sea level. These are the foothills of Mount Delgado-Chalbaud. The range serves as a natural watershed between the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. The source is located in Venezuela very close to the border with Brazil.

The path of the water flow is an ellipsoidal arc, enveloping the Guiana Plateau from the west. The whole river is divided into 4 sections of different lengths. These are upper, middle, lower and delta.

Orinoco River on the map of South America

Upper section has a length of about 250 km. It stretches from its source to the rapids of Raudalis de Guaharibos. It is a mountainous area, and the water flows in a northwesterly direction.

Middle section is approximately 750 km long. For the first 480 km, the river flows west until such rivers as the Atabapo from the east and the Guaviare from the west flow into it. Near the city of San Fernando de Atabapo, the water stream turns north and flows 270 km along the Venezuelan-Colombian border. Near the city of Puerto Carreño, the lower section begins after the confluence of the Meta rivers from the west and Puerto Carreño from the east.

lower section reaches a length of almost 1000 km. It is characterized by a well-developed floodplain, and the water moves in a northeasterly direction. This section ends near the town of Barrancas.

Delta has a length of 200 km. Its area is 41 thousand square meters. km. At its widest point, its width reaches 370 km. It represents a whole network of narrow rivers and streams flowing to the ocean among swampy forests.

Aerial view of river delta

During the rainy season, the river can overflow up to 22 km wide. At the same time, the depth in some places reaches 100 meters. But in the dry season, the water level drops, and many islands appear on the surface of the river, and some channels turn into lakes.

Connection with the Amazon

From Orinoco you can get to the Amazon, since there is a natural connection between the two water basins. It is carried out through the Casiquiare River (326 km in length). It represents a branch of the river we are considering in its upper section, flows south and flows into the Rio Negro. This full-flowing stream is a tributary of the Amazon.

Shipping

The water stream is navigable for most of its length. Ocean vessels, due to the deepening of the bottom, reach the city of Ciudad Bolivar. It is 435 km upstream from the coast. Riverboats carry cargo to Puerto Ayacucho.

Pink river dolphin

Animal world

River dolphins and giant otters are found in the river. Also inhabited by one of the rarest reptiles in the world, the Orinoco crocodile. There are over 1000 species of fish. Some of them live only in brackish or salty water near the mouth. Black piranhas and cardinal tetras are also common in the water. The latter fish is very popular in home aquariums, but its original homeland is Rio Negro, which once again confirms the connection with the Amazon.

Minerals

In 1926, the richest deposits of iron ore were discovered in the river area. Its mass production began in the second half of the last century. River sediments contain bituminous (oil) sand. In the future, it may become a source of oil production.

Such settlements are still found along the shores.

History reference

For the first time, the Orinoco River was officially documented by Columbus in August 1498 during his 3rd voyage. The delta and tributaries up to the Meta River were explored in the 16th century by a German expedition led by Ambrosius Ehinger. In 1531, Diego de Ordaz sailed from the confluence of the Meta tributary to the mouth. In 1800, Alexander von Humboldt, who explored the basin, reported pink river dolphins. Singer Enya created the song "Orinoco Stream", dedicated to an exotic river flowing through the northern lands of South America.