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39-491: The Sumapaz Páramo , covering most of the locality, was a sacred site for the indigenous Muisca in pre-Columbian times. In the 16th century, it was discovered by conquistadors led by Nicolaus Federmann in their quest for El Dorado . It has been the stage for several rural conflicts, including those of 1928 and 1946. La Violencia of 1948 gave rise to the formation of the guerrilla groups still present in Colombia. At

78-585: Is the Nevado del Sumapaz peak (4306 m AMSL). The precipitation is about 700–1000 mm/year. The rainy season lasts almost the entire year, except from December to February, when the sunlight reaches a peak, with intense ultraviolet radiation (adaptations such as white, glassy coloration help the local plants to survive). The humidity is usually high, (from 50 to 90%), and the ground remains soaked, and covered by shallow bodies of water and sticky mud, often covered with dense, flat vegetation difficult to spot by

117-513: The Puya boyacana fruits and the Espeletia plant stems , (known as caulirosule). Other animals described are: Little Red Brocket Deer , tapir , coati , golden eagle , torrent duck , Páramo duck (Anas georgica). An introduced species in the waterbodies is the rainbow trout . Although the soil and climate are adverse for agriculture and other economic activities, human settlements do exist in

156-715: The Llanos of Colombia. The environment and wildlife in the Orinoco's basin are extremely diverse. The river's name is derived from the Warao term for "a place to paddle", itself derived from the terms güiri (paddle) and noko (place) i.e. a navigable place. The mouth of the Orinoco River at the Atlantic Ocean was documented by Christopher Columbus on 1 August 1498, during his third voyage . Its source at

195-570: The Magdalena River . Sumapaz P%C3%A1ramo Sumapaz Páramo (Spanish: Páramo de Sumapaz - meaning "Utterly peaceful moorland " ) is a large páramo ecosystem located in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense mountain range, considered the largest páramo ecosystem in the world. It was declared a National Park of Colombia in 1977 because of its importance as a biodiversity hotspot and main source of water for

234-667: The Orinoco oil belt , which may be a source of future oil production. Encompassing the states of Anzoategui - Guarico and Monagas states, the Interior Range forms the northern boundary and the Guayana Shield the southern boundary. Maturin forms the eastern subbasin and Guarico forms the western subbasin. The El Furrial oil field was discovered in 1978, producing from late Oligocene shallow marine sandstones in an overthrusted foreland basin . Since 1973,

273-626: The Orinoquia , covers ca 1 million km , with 65% of it in Venezuela and the 35% in Colombia . It is the fourth largest river in the world by discharge volume of water. The nevertheless high volume flow (39,000 m /s at delta ) of the Orinoco can be explained by the high precipitation in almost the entire catchment area (ca 2,300 mm/a). The Orinoco River and its tributaries are the major transportation system for eastern and interior Venezuela and

312-590: The Quaternary glaciation left plenty of glacier debris, and glacier lakes such as Chisaca lake. During the Last Glacial Maximum , the glacier motion of the ice sheets through the Tunjuelo valley reached as far as Usme (today part of Bogotá ). The soil of this region is acidic, with high levels of sodium and potassium . This is a coarse-grained soil, with high permeability favoring

351-577: The Thermal equator generates high rates of precipitation, which together with its endemic flora that regulate the soil moisture acting like sponges for the rain waters, contribute to the high amount of surface water and its role as source of water reservoirs . The eastern part of Sumapaz consists of Devonian metamorphic rock formations, with fault scarped configuration, and alpine landscapes. Its western part consists of Oligocene sedimentary rocks , with softer landscapes. The different stages of

390-449: The giant otter inhabit the Orinoco River system. The Orinoco crocodile is one of the rarest reptiles in the world. Its range in the wild is restricted to the middle and lower Orinoco River Basin. More than 1000 fish species have been recorded in the river basin and about 15% are endemic . Among the fish in the river are species found in brackish or salt water in the Orinoco estuary , but also many restricted to fresh water. By far

429-723: The Amazon. He reported on the pink river dolphins and later published extensively on the river's flora and fauna. The sources of the Orinoco River, located at Cerro Carlos Delgado Chalbaud (2º19’05” N, 63º21’42” W), were discovered in 1951 by the French-Venezuelan expedition that went back and explored the Upper Orinoco course to the Sierra Parima near the border with Brazil, headed by Venezuelan army officer Frank Risquez Iribarren. The first bridge across

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468-544: The Atures Rapids. In 1926, a Venezuelan mining inspector found one of the richest iron ore deposits near the Orinoco delta, south of the city of San Felix on a mountain named El Florero . Full-scale mining of the ore deposits began after World War II , by a conglomerate of Venezuelan firms and US steel companies. At the start in the early 1950s, about 10,000 tons of ore-bearing soil was mined per day. The Orinoco River deposits also contain extensive tar sands in

507-550: The Casiquiare includes both blackwater and clear- to whitewater sections, only relatively adaptable species are able to pass through it between the two river systems. The river is navigable for most of its length, and dredging enables ocean ships to go as far as Ciudad Bolívar , at the confluence of the Caroní River , 435 kilometres (270 mi) upstream. River steamers carry cargo as far as Puerto Ayacucho and

546-513: The Casiquiare to the Orinoco River they hovered thru perilous rapids of the rivers Maipures and Atures. The Orinoco was then traversed down to its mouths in the Gulf of Paria and then to Port of Spain. The primary purpose of the expedition was filming for the BBC series The World About Us episode "The Last Great Journey on Earth from Amazon to Orinoco by Hovercraft", which aired in 1970, and demonstrated

585-601: The Cerro Delgado–Chalbaud, in the Parima range , was not explored until 453 years later, in 1951. The source, near the Venezuelan– Brazilian border, at 1,047 metres (3,435 ft) above sea level ( 2°19′05″N 63°21′42″W  /  2.31806°N 63.36167°W  / 2.31806; -63.36167 ), was explored in 1951 by a joint French-Venezuelan expedition. The Orinoco, as well as its tributaries in

624-688: The Civil Association Nuestros Rios son Navegables organize the Internacional Rally Nuestros Rios son Navegables , a motonautical round trip of over 1,200 kilometers through the Orinoco, Meta and Apure Rivers. Starting out from Ciudad Bolívar or San Fernando de Apure, is the longest fluvial rally in the world with the participation of worldwide competitors, more than 30 support boats, logistics teams, thousands of tourists and fans travel. The boats had an average speed of 120 miles per hour. Since 1988,

663-608: The Orinoco River, the Angostura Bridge at Ciudad Bolívar , Venezuela, was completed in 1967. In 1968, an expedition was set off by The Geographical Journal and Hovercraft from Manaus ( Brazil ) to Port of Spain (Trinidad). Aboard a SR.N6 hovercraft, the expedition members followed the Negro river upstream to where it is joined by the Casiquiare canal , on the border between Colombia and Venezuela. After following

702-749: The Orinoco River, the largest being the Caroní , which joins it at Puerto Ordaz , close to the Llovizna Falls. A peculiarity of the Orinoco river system is the Casiquiare canal , which starts as an arm of the Orinoco, and finds its way to the Rio Negro , a tributary of the Amazon , thus forming a 'natural canal' between Orinoco and Amazon. The stream gradient of the entire river is 0.05% (1,047 m over 2,250 km). Downstream of Raudales de Guaharibos

741-642: The Spanish naturalist José Cuatrecasas made important research of the páramo and the tree line . Other scientists that described and studied Sumapaz páramo were Ernesto Guhl, who conducted a long-term 3-decade research of the vegetal communities, and Thomas van der Hammen . Sumapaz Páramo has an inhospitable, cold climate with temperatures averaging below 10 °C (50 °F).(ranging from −10 °C to 17 °C) with quick changes from short periods of warm climate to freezing cold. The average altitude oscillates between 3500 and 4000 m. AMSL . The highest point

780-538: The Sumapaz Páramo, including the villages of San Juan de Sumapaz, Nazareth, Santa Rosa and El Hato (only the first two have road access) with an estimated 1200 families, most of them under the poverty threshold , living on less than $ 1.25 per day, without schools or sanitation . In consequence, the peasants often invade the protected area to grow potato crops. The natural forest line is severely altered by human activity (logging, intensive grazing), which makes

819-599: The Sumapaz, searching for El Dorado mythic treasure, with heavy casualties, where men, both Spaniards and indigenous, and horses, died of cold. The place was named by the Spaniards "País de la Niebla" ("Country of Fog") because of the dense clouds at ground level, with great decrease in visibility. In 1783, José Celestino Mutis led the Botanic Expedition, with the purpose of studying the flora and fauna of

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858-461: The abilities of a hovercraft, thereby promoting sales of this British invention. The first powerline crossing of the Orinoco River was completed in 1981 for an 800   kV   TL single span of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) using two towers 110 metres (360 ft) tall. In 1992, an overhead power line crossing for two 400   kV-circuits was completed just west of Morocure (between the cities of Ciudad Bolívar and Ciudad Guayana ), north of

897-580: The area in recent years as a corridor for the transportation of kidnapping victims, weapon trafficking and drug trafficking . The Colombian government, in accordance with democratic security policies, established a center of military operations in 2002: the General Antonio Arredondo Military base, achieving the withdrawal of the illegal forces. However, the presence of the Colombian army has generated controversy over

936-597: The beginning of the 21st century, the Colombian army took the territory from guerrilla hands as part of a counter-guerrilla strategy of president Álvaro Uribe . The population is dependent on small-scale farming and livestock. Within the borders of the locality, several rivers are formed, mostly within Sumapaz National Park . The two largest rivers are the Pilar and Sumapaz River , the latter flowing into

975-581: The confluence of Routes   1 and 19. It had three towers, and the two spans measured 2,161 metres (7,090 ft) and 2,537 metres (8,323 ft), respectively. In 2006, a second bridge, known as the Orinoquia Bridge , was completed near Ciudad Guayana , Venezuela. The course of the Orinoco forms a wide ellipsoidal arc, surrounding the Guiana Shield ; it is divided in four stretches of unequal length that very roughly correspond to

1014-459: The difference between natural and artificial grasslands difficult to distinguish. An estimated 10,000 heads of cattle live or feed within the protected area. In 1950, president Mariano Ospina Pérez ordered the Colombian banks not to approve loans destined to establishment of crops or cattle at altitudes higher than 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) as an attempt to discourage such activities. Illegal armed groups such as FARC and ELN guerrillas used

1053-696: The eastern llanos such as the Apure and Meta , were explored in the 16th century by German expeditions under Ambrosius Ehinger and his successors. In 1531, starting at the principal outlet in the delta, the Boca de Navios, Diego de Ordaz sailed up the river to the Meta. Antonio de Berrio sailed down the Casanare to the Meta, and then down the Orinoco River and back to Coro . In 1595, after capturing de Berrio to obtain information while conducting an expedition to find

1092-541: The environmental impact, with alleged destruction of the frailejones , whose leaves are supposedly collected by the soldiers for making rudimentary mattresses to sleep on. [REDACTED] Media related to Parque Nacional Natural de Sumapaz at Wikimedia Commons Orinoco The Orinoco ( Spanish pronunciation: [oɾiˈnoko] ) is one of the longest rivers in South America at 2,140 km (1,330 mi). Its drainage basin , sometimes known as

1131-623: The fabled city of El Dorado , the Englishman Sir Walter Raleigh sailed down the river, reaching the savanna country . From April to May 1800, the Prussian-born Alexander von Humboldt and his companion, Aime Bonpland , explored stretches of the Orinoco, supported by indigenous helpers and guided by his interest to prove that South America's waterways formed an interconnected system from the Andes to

1170-509: The formation of groundwater in aquifers . The composition of the soil and the low temperatures contribute to the low amount of humus and poor decomposing of the organic matter making this soil largely unsuitable for agriculture . Over 200 species of vascular plants are native to the area with substantial amount of endemisms . The most representative plants of the area are the Espeletias . Several species have been described here,

1209-464: The gradient is 0.01% (183 /1,964), which is also the gradient from Ciudad Bolivar to the ocean (54/435). Average, minimum and maximum discharge at Ciudad Bolívar and Ciudad Guayana (Lower Orinoco): Monthly average discharge (m /s) at Ciudad Bolívar (2018 to 2023): Monthly average discharge (m /s) at Ciudad Guayana (1996 to 1998): Average discharge at Ciudad Bolívar (complete time series from 1926 to 2023): The boto and

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1248-545: The inexperienced visitor, with danger of falling into them, and risk of drowning or other injuries. These places are called "Chupaderos" or "Chucuas" ("Drainages"). Sumapaz lies between the Orinoco River basin and the Magdalena River basin, the two main fluvial systems of Colombia, and provides tributaries to both. All but one of the tributaries of the Sumapaz River originate in the páramo. Its location on

1287-407: The largest orders are Characiformes and Siluriformes , which together account for more than 80% of the fresh water species. Some of the more famous are the black spot piranha and the cardinal tetra . The latter species, which is important in the aquarium industry, is also found in the Rio Negro , revealing the connection between this river and the Orinoco through the Casiquiare canal . Because

1326-498: The local government of Ciudad Guayana has conducted a swim race in the rivers Orinoco and Caroní , with up to 1,000 competitors. Since 1991, the Paso a Nado Internacional de los Rios Orinoco–Caroní has been celebrated every year, on a Sunday close to 19 April. Worldwide, this swim-meet has grown in importance, and it has a large number of competitors. The 26th meet was held in 2016. The Irish singer and songwriter Enya wrote and sang

1365-433: The longitudinal zonation of a typical large river: At its mouth, the Orinoco River forms a wide delta that branches off into hundreds of rivers and waterways that flow through 41,000 km (16,000 sq mi) of swampy forests. In the rainy season, the Orinoco River can swell to a breadth of 22 kilometres (14 mi) and a depth of 100 metres (330 ft). Most of the important Venezuelan rivers are tributaries of

1404-584: The most common being Espeletia grandiflora Humb. & Bonpl. The largest one is Espeletia uribei Cuatrec., with specimens up to 12 meters of height, other species are: Espeletia algodonosa Aristeg. Espeletia banksiifolia Sch.Bip. & Ettingsh. ex Wedd. Espeletia cuatrecasasii Ruíz-Terán & López-Fig. Espeletia formosa S.Díaz & Rodr.-Cabeza Espeletia glossophylla Mattf. Espeletia killipii Cuatrec. Espeletia picnophyla Cuatrec. Espeletia schultzii (Benth.) W.M.Curtis and Espeletia curialensis Cuatrec. The Sphagnum moss covers wide areas of Sumapaz, which increases

1443-505: The most densely populated area of the country, the Bogotá savanna . Sumapaz Páramo was considered a sacred place for the Muisca indigenous people. It was associated with the divine forces of creation and the origin of mankind , a domain where humans were not supposed to enter. During the 16th century, German adventurer and conquistador Nikolaus Federmann conducted an expedition crossing

1482-463: The region. However, the páramo was not visited because of its harsh climatic conditions. The German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt made the first description of the páramo and the local plants in 1799. He also described the presence of glacier valleys and associated the geologic features of the region, comparing them with those seen in the geomorphology of the Alps . During the early 20th century,

1521-417: The soil's capacity to hold water and nutrients by increasing capillary forces and cation exchange capacity. In the canyons areas, encenillo tree and tibouchina are the dominant species. The European plant Digitalis purpurea is an introduced species , the way of its introduction is not known, either deliberate or accidental. The endangered spectacled bear lives in Sumapaz, its main source of food being

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