| Orinoco Delta | |
|---|---|
| Delta del Orinoco | |
 Orinoco Delta's sunset | |
 Geographic map of the Orinoco Delta natural region. | |
| Location | Delta Amacuro,Monagas &Sucre,Venezuela |
| Coordinates | 9°N61°W / 9°N 61°W /9; -61 |
| Part of | Orinoco Basin |
| Surface area | 43,646 km2 (16,852 sq mi) |
TheOrinoco Delta is a vastriver delta of theOrinoco River, located in easternVenezuela.[1]
The Orinoco Delta is one of the eightnatural regions of Venezuela. It covers the whole ofDelta Amacuro State and a few square kilometers ofMonagas State andSucre State, comprising all the mouths of theOrinoco. It is divided into two sections: the principal, at the northernmost part of the system, located betweenCaño Manamo and the left shore of Caño Araguao, where the majority of villages are established, including the state capitalTucupita; and the secondary, between the right shore of Caño Araguao and Río Grande. TheWarao people live in the region.[2]
The delta is fan-shaped, formed by the Orinoco River as it splits into numerousdistributaries, calledcaños, which meander through 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 isCaño Manamo, which runs northward along the western edge of the delta. The area of this region is approximately 43,646 square kilometres (16,852 sq mi). The Orinoco Delta is characterized by being non-centric,lagoon lacking, andoceanic, somewhat similar to the delta of theNiger River.
Daily tides allude to seawater the "caños", causing the "macareo" orpororoca and reversing the flow direction of water, at least on the surface.
The predominant vegetation is in theOrinoco Delta swamp forests ecoregion.[3]
Along the coast and the river margins there are stretches ofAmazon–Orinoco–Southern Caribbean mangroves, specifically theGuianan mangroves ecoregion.[4][5]
To the west, and closer to the coast, there are patches of theOrinoco wetlands ecoregion.[6]
The delta includes large areas of permanentwetlands as well as seasonally-floodedfreshwater swamp forests. The river margins of the delta are fringed withmangroves.[7]
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