Orinoco Delta
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The Orinoco Delta, also known as the Deltaic System (Sistema Deltáico), is a vast river delta of the Orinoco River, located in eastern Venezuela.
The Orinoco Delta is fan-shaped, formed by the Orinoco River as it splits into numerous distributaries, called caños, which meander through the the delta on their way to the sea. The main distributary is called the Rio Grande, which empties south-southeast through the southern portion of the delta, and the second major distributary is Caño Mánamo, which runs northward along the western edge of the delta.
The delta includes large areas of permanent wetlands as well as seasonally-flooded freshwater swamp forests. The coastline of the delta is fringed with mangroves.
The Orinoco Delta is characterized by being non-centric, lagoon lacking, and oceanic, somewhat similar to the delta of the Niger River. It is divided in two sections: the principal, at the northernmost part of the system, located between Caño Mánamo and the left shore of Caño Araguao, where the majority of villages are established, including the state capital, Tucupita; and the secondary, between the right shore of Caño Araguao and Río Grande.
The Deltaic System one of the nine geographical regions into which Venezuela is divided. It is located in the whole extension of Delta Amacuro State and a few kilometers of Monagas State, comprehending the totality of the mouths of the Orinoco.
[edit] External links
- Geo-Environmental Characterization of the Delta del Orinoco (University of Texas)
- Orinoco wetlands (WWF)
- Orinoco Delta swamp forests (WWF)
- Guianian mangroves (WWF)
| Geographical regions of Venezuela | |
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Sierra de Perijá | Mérida Andes | Coro region | Coast Ranges of Venezuela | Deltaic System | Guiana Highlands | Island and Coastal Lowlands | Maracaibo Basin | The Llanos | South Orinoco Region |  |
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