ORINOCO PLAIN: TYPES, CLIMATE, FAUNA, FLORA AND RESOURCES - GEOGRAPHY - 2024

The Orinoco plain is a region of plains located within the Orinoco basin, in South America, between the territories of Venezuela and Colombia. The flat territory of the Orinoco basin is one of the types of relief found within it, the others being the massifs (or shields), depressions and mountain ranges.

It covers a total of 525,000 square km, spread over 240,000 km in Venezuelan territory and 285,000 km in Colombian territory. The plains of the Orinoco are plains of accumulation. This means that they were formed as the result of a long process, of millions of years, of accumulation of sediments carried by the rivers that flow over them.

Since the plains are not very steep, the speed at which the water in their rivers travels is slower. These rivers originate and descend from much higher mountain ranges, which is why the entrained sediments accumulated when they reached the less inclined areas of the plains, until gradually forming the plains that we know today.

Types of plains found in the Orinoco basin

Pre-plain or piedmont

They are the plains that lie between the foot of the mountain ranges and the plains. Around or within the foothills can be found interspersed valleys, as in the Andes, where there are valleys of re-excavation fluvial with heights between 500 and 1000 meters.

High Plains

They are plains that exceed 200 meters above sea level, which is why they are less prone to flooding.

This type is the best of the plains soils, since by not flooding they are healthier and agricultural activity is better in them.

Low Plains

The low plains are plains whose altitude is below 200 meters above sea level. For this reason, in the rainy season they can flood.

Territories covered by the Orinoco plain

Colombia

The plains of the Orinoco that are in the territory of Colombia are called "Orinoquía" or "eastern plains", because they are located in the east of the country.

They cover around 285,000 square kilometers, and are one of the 6 natural regions that exist in the country.

They are delimited as follows: to the north and east they are bordered by Venezuela, to the south by the Colombian Amazon region, and to the west by the Colombian region of the Andes.

The plains of the Colombian Orinoquía cover the departments of Arauca, Casanare, Meta and Vichada, and scarce spaces in the departments of Boyacá, Caquetá and Guaviare.

The subregions of the Colombian plains are the following:

-Andean piedmont, located at the foot of the eastern mountain range of the Colombian Andes, with an altitude between 300 and 700 meters above sea level and covering part of the departments of Arauca, Caquetá, Casanare and Boyacá

-Plains of Meta

-Guaviare plains

-Arauca swamps

-Serranía de la Macarena.

The Andean foothills is the western part of the Colombian plains, and is characterized by having a humid environment and by the richness of nutrients in its soils.

The eastern plains are located to the east of the Meta River -which is the dividing line of both plains-, in the departments of Vichada and part of the Guaviare territory, and are characterized by experiencing a long dry season in the year and by the scarcity of nutrients in their rivers and soils.

Venezuela

The plains of the Orinoco located in the Venezuelan territory extend in a territory close to 240,000 square kilometers.

They are delimited as follows:

-In the north they limit with the Serranía of the interior of the Venezuelan Coastal Mountain Range

-In the south, the Orinoco river marks its limit with the formations of the Guiana shield

-In the west they delimit with the Cordillera de los Andes system

-In the east they extend to the Orinoco Delta plain, that is, to its mouth with the Pacific.

All the aforementioned territory belongs to the Venezuelan states of Apure, Barinas, Portuguesa, Guárico, Anzoátegui, Monagas and Cojedes.

The Venezuelan plains are classified in two ways: by the type of plain, and by its geographical distribution.

By the type of plain there are:

-The high plains (Barinas, Portuguesa, Guárico and Cojedes), which are not floodable because their height varies between 250 and 500 meters above sea level.

-The low plains (Apure), floodable in the rainy season due to their low altitude

-The foothills, which are within the aforementioned classification of the high plains (Barinas and Portuguesa), and which are formed at the foot of the Andes mountain range (Barinas and Portuguesa).

According to their geographical distribution, they are divided into three areas: the western plains (Portuguesa, Barinas and Guárico); the central plains (Guárico and Cojedes); and the eastern plains (Anzoátegui and Monagas).

Climate, flora and fauna

In the Orinoco plain there are only two seasons or seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.

The average temperature in this region is usually hot, always above 23 ° C. On the other hand, in this relief the environments of savanna, gallery forests and prairies of seasonal pastures predominate.

Most of the plains are savannas without any type of tree, covered with grasses and reeds in the lower parts, and with long-stemmed grasses in drier areas. Small groups of trees known as "matas" and the llaneras palms are characteristic of this region.

Regarding its fauna, the plains of the Orinoco have a great diversity of species, being considered one of the richest areas in the world in birds for being the habitat of herons, parrots, numerous species of hummingbirds, corocoros, Orinoco geese, toucans, birds of prey, macaws, among others.

Among the terrestrial mammals we can mention the howler monkeys, known as araguatos, which abound in the bushes and jungles of the galleries (jungle areas that are in the most humid places of the savannah).

In addition, different species of reptiles, jaguars, deer, rabbits, among others, can be seen in them.

Economic activity and resources

The main economic activities carried out in the Orinoco plains region, thanks to the fertility of many of its soils, are livestock and agriculture. Fishing also occurs to a lesser extent.

The main agricultural products of the entire region are rice, banana, corn, African palm, cocoa, oil palm, cassava, sorghum, soybeans, sesame, sugar cane, beans, beans, coffee, tobacco, yams, sweet potatoes, among others.

On the other hand, in the Venezuelan plains states of Barinas, Monagas, Guárico and Anzoátegui, and in the Colombian departments of Arauca, Meta, and Casanare there are oil and gas reserves.

References

1. Britannica Encyclopedia. Plains. Retrieved September 1, 2017 on the World Wide Web: britannica.com
2. CUNILL, P. (2000). Venezuela for young people. Volume 2: Geography. Venezuela: Ge Editions.
3. GÓMEZ, A. (1991). Indians, settlers and conflicts: a regional history of the Eastern Plains, 1870 - 1970. Retrieved September 1, 2017 on the World Wide Web: books.google.com
4. LLOVERAS, S. (2011). Travelers to South America. Consulted on September 1, 2017 on the World Wide Web: scielo.cl
5. SILVA, G. (2005). The Orinoco river basin: hydrographic vision and water balance. Consulted on September 2, 2017 on the World Wide Web: saber.ula.ve
6. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 1, 2017 on the World Wide Web: Wikipedia.org.