奧利諾科河

奧利諾科河原圖鏈結圖片來自dreamstime

奧里諾科河南美洲第三大河，僅次於亞馬孫河及巴拉那河。皇冠三色珍珠魟就分佈於此。全長2,410公里，是南美洲主要河流之一，流域面積88萬平方公里。

發源

奧里諾科河發源自委內瑞拉南部，靠近巴西的帕里馬山脈，上游向西北後並向南分出卡西基亞雷河注入內格羅河，從而直接溝通亞馬孫河水系。流至Raudales de Guaharibos後進入中游，在聖費爾南多轉而折向北，成為哥倫比亞和委內瑞拉的界河。自梅塔河注入後進入下游，自帕埃斯港起轉而折向東北，最終注入加勒比海帕里亞灣。全河呈半圓形繞過圭亞那高原。克里斯托弗·哥倫布在1498年8月1日首次發現奧里諾科河河口，但是其源頭最終於1959年方才得到確認。^[1]

奧里諾科河河口地區是重要的石油和瀝青產區。

Stark, James H. 1897. Stark's Guide-Book and History of Trinidad including Tobago, Granada, and St. Vincent; also a trip up the Orinoco and a description of the great Venezuelan Pitch Lake. Boston, James H. Stark, publisher; London, Sampson Low, Marston & Company. (This book has an excellent description of a trip up the Orinoco as far as Ciudad Bolívar and a detailed description of the Venezuelan Pitch Lake situated on the western side of the Gulf of Paria opposite.)
MacKee, E.D., Nordin, C.F. and D. Perez-Hernandez (1998). "The Waters and Sediments of the Rio Orinoco and its major Tributaries, Venezuela and Colombia." United States Geological Survey water-supply paper, ISSN 0083; 2326/A-B. Washington: United States Government Printing Office.
Weibezahn, F.H., Haymara, A. and M.W. Lewis (1990). The Orinoco River as an ecosystem. Caracas: Universidad Simon Bolivar.
Rawlins, C.B. (1999). The Orinoco River. New York: Franklin Watts.