With a length of 2140 km, the
Orinoco is one of the largest rivers of
South America. It flows through
Venezuela, having its source in
Parima[?] on the
Brazilian frontier, and from there making a wide arc, first flowing southwest, then west, north and finally northeast, into the
Atlantic Ocean. At its mouth it forms a wide
delta of 275 km. In the rainy seasons it can swell to a breadth of 22 kilometres and a depth of 100 meters. Most of the important Venezuelan rivers are tributaries of the Orinoco, the largest is the
Apura[?]. The river is navigable for most of its length, dredging enables ocean ships to go as far as
Ciudad Bolivar[?], 435 km upstream.
A peculiarity of the Orinoco river system is the Casiquiare[?], 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 the Orinoco and the Amazon.
Trivia:
- Orinoco is also the name of one of The Wombles.
- Irish singer Enya had a hit with Orinoco Flow (Sail Away).