WHAT IS THE RELIEF OF VENEZUELA LIKE? - GEOGRAPHY - 2024

The relief of Venezuela is characterized by high elevation mountains that form the highest peaks of the country in the north. Slowly descending to the south, some valleys are formed until reaching the Venezuelan plains where many rivers flow, mainly the Orinoco River that stands out for forming a delta. In the extreme west and sharing the border with Brazil and Guyana, there is a set of steep plateaus.

Venezuela is located in the northern part of South America, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana. To the south it borders Brazil. The country is one of the former Spanish colonies that later, in the 19th century, became part of Greater Colombia (along with Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Colombia) and finally became independent from the latter in 1830.

Mountains of the Pedro María Ureña municipality, Venezuela.

The country is geographically divided into three main regions, which are further subdivided into others: the Andes Mountains (located in the north, very close to the Venezuelan coast), the Orinoco Basin (located to the south and goes from the Colombian Andes to the Orinoco delta) and the Planalto de las Guianas (located south and southeast of the Orinoco Basin and sharing the border with Brazil and Guyana).

Venezuela is very close to the equator and therefore its climate is hot, humid and with jungles rich in biotic diversity.

Main regions of the Venezuelan relief

Venezuela has three large geographic units that extend throughout the country. Each geographic unit has its own characteristics and they are:

1- Andes Mountains / Mountain Coast Region

The Andes is the mountain range that runs through South America from south to north: it is the longest mountain range in the world and one of the youngest mountain formations on the globe (El Espacio Geografico de Venezuela, 2017).

In the case of the Venezuelan Andes, it is the most prominent orographic accident in the country. It was formed in the Tertiary Era and covers an area of ​​36,120 square kilometers (6% of the national territory).

It penetrates from the west because it is the extension of the eastern Colombian mountain range. It includes the states of Mérida, Trujillo, Táchira and the Alto Apure District.

Upon reaching Venezuela, the mountain range forks into two mountain ranges: the Sierra de Perijá and the Cordillera de Mérida, which range from the Táchira Depression in the southwest to the northeast in the Barquisimeto-Acarigua Depression.

The highest point in Venezuela is Pico Bolívar with 4980 meters above sea level (masl).

Sierra Perijá

It is the western chain. It is located on the west side of the state of Zulia and borders Colombia. Its highest height is 3,750 meters above sea level (The geographical space of Venezuela, 2017).

This region is sparsely populated and lives off cattle ranching and the dairy industry.

Merida Mountain Range

It is located to the east of the Zulia Depression (a sub-region in which important oil basins are found) and crosses the states of Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo.

The Venezuelan relief reaches its highest elevations here with perennial snow on the summits, finding the Pico de Bolívar (4980 m), the Humboldt (4,924 m), Bonpland (4,882 m) peaks. The others of lower height are the peaks León (4,743 m) and Toro (4,695 m).

The lands are optimal for agriculture but the crops vary based on the altitude of the mountains.

There is an intermediate region between the Venezuelan Andes Region and that of the Orinoco Basin called the Coriano System.

Corian system

Also called Lara-Falcón-Yaracuy Formation. This is the area of ​​the parallel mountains of San Luis, Buena Vista, Matatere, Bobare and Aroa; in which there are valleys with agricultural power in the states of Lara and Falcón.

The only relief in the region are the sand dunes of the Los Medános de Coro National Park, which reach a maximum altitude of 21 meters above sea level.

It is a transition area between the Andean mountains of Trujillo and the Cordillera de la Costa (The geographical space of Venezuela, 2017). The rains are scarce as is the humidity.

2- Orinoco / Llanos Basin with the Deltaic plain

Descending to the south from the northern mountainous region of the country, appears the extensive alluvial plain of the Orinoco deltas that extends about 32,000 km² until it rises in the Planalto de las Guianas.

It constitutes approximately 35% of the national territory. It includes the states of Apure, Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes, Monagas and Anzoátegui.

The Orinoco Oil Belt is made up of the aforementioned states, excluding Portuguesa; with a subsoil rich in oil that positions Venezuela as the country with the largest oil reserves in the world.

The terrain is formed by fluvial sediments drained by the Orinoco River and is characterized by being swampy, a result of the sea that some covered the plain.

Due to this geological phenomenon, the region offers the best conditions for the development of agriculture and extensive livestock.

The rainy season causes floods while the dry seasons frequently cause water shortages (McColl, 2005, p. 963)

The llanera region is divided into three: Central, Eastern and Western.

3- Planalto de las Guianas / Guayana Region / La Gran Sabana

It is the largest natural region in the country, extending 240,528 km² and the oldest of all since it was formed from the Precambrian (Archaeozoic or Archaic era). The most popular subregion is Gran Sabana.

It includes the Bolívar state and the Casiquiare peneplain, the Amazonas state, Guayana Esequiba and part of the Amacuro Delta.

The highest mountains are Pico Neblina (2994 m), Pico Phelps (2992 m) and Mount or Tepuy de Roraima (2810 m).

The earth is rich in metallic and non-metallic minerals (including bauxite), a factor that has stimulated mining-electrical activity. It is the mining region par excellence.

In the geological formation of Roraima, in the southeast of the country, there are many tepuis, abrupt plateaus with flat peaks, among which Auyantepuy stands out, home to the Canaima National Park where the Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world with its 979 meters of free fall (Venezuelatuya.com, 2017).

References

1. EcuRed. (2017, 7 10). The Tepuy. Recovered from EcuRed. Knowledge for everyone.: ecured.cu.
2. McColl, R. (2005). Venezuela. In R. McColl, Encyclopedia of World Geography (pp. 962-964). New York: Facts On File.
3. Tovar, R. (1992). Geographical perspective of Venezuela. For a realistic understanding of the geographic space of Venezuela. Caracas: Vadell Hermanos Editores.
4. Venezuelatuya.com. (2017, 7 10). Angel jump. Recovered from Venezuela Tuya: venezuelatuya.com.